So it honestly doesn’t feel like I have done much this month so far but I think I have our itinerary more or less down and now just need to do some more research with final tweaks and prices.
We arrive in Rome on December 27th at 11:35 am. That gives us time to pick up a rental car (I am terrified of driving in Italy but we’ll be in the countryside). We are going to immediately drive to Assisi to stay there for 5 nights. I usually do not make any plans for the day/night of arrival in case of flight delays and or jet lag. So I don’t have any set plans for our first evening but walking around and taking in the sights is in order.
The following photos are from my first trip to Italy while studying abroad in college:
Assisi
The whole historic center of Assisi is a UNESCO Site and most of it centers around the life of St. Francis and St. Clare. I anticipate spending a total of 2 days within the walls of Assisi. Here are some of the more specific sites I want to see while there:
- Temple of Minerva
- Basilica di Santa Clara
- Rocca Maggiore (castle)
- Cathedral of San Ruffino
- Basilica di Santa Maria de Angeli
- Archaeological Museum
- Walk the Via San Francesco
- Basilica of San Francisco
I want to take one day to drive out of Assisi into the surrounding countryside, not sure on all the plans for this day yet but I read about the cave of St. Francis where he received the stigmata. It’s a 5 kilometers away from Assisi so maybe we’ll walk there? Or I would also like to see the Umbrian countryside. Still Googling this part.
Read more: Travel Tips: Dressing for Houses of Worship
Siena & Countryside
I plan on taking the day to leisurely drive from Assisi to Siena (also a UNESCO town) stopping off at a few sights along the way. Currently the Abbey of Sant’Antimo and the city of Pienza (UNESCO) are on my list. That evening we’ll drive into Siena and check in to our accommodations for 3 nights. Like Assisi, I plan on spending 2 full days in the walls of Siena to leisurely enjoy it and then spend some time road tripping around Central Italy.
This is my Siena sightseeing list:
- Piazza del Campo
- Torre (climbing the tower)
- Cathedral
- Baptistery
- Santa Maria della Scala Museum
- Palazzo & Civic Museum
- Church of San Domenico (to see the head of St. Catherine)
Our day trip from Siena may include:
- Driving around Val d’Orcia (UNESCO)
- The town of San Gimignano (UNESCO)
- The Medici Villas around Tuscany – this one is really being a bother to Google soooo we’ll see
Read more: Planning vs Reality: 2018 Italy Trip
Rome & Countryside
The day before we leave Italy I plan to leisurely drive from Siena to Rome passing through more gorgeous countryside and stopping to the see the Etruscan tombs of Tarquinia/Cerveteri (UNESCO). I don’t think we’ll have time for both sites but they’re on my list just in case. Spending one night in Rome before we fly out.
We don’t fly out until 5:10 pm on Saturday, January 5th so we then also have the day to spend in Rome. I don’t have a long list for Rome because we really only have a morning and both Will and I have “done” Rome before. But I really, really want to see the church of Santa Sabina because it is part of the AP Art History curriculum and maybe we can do the Villa Farnese or Villa Giulia.
Read more: Sunday in Rome: Jessica Strikes Back
So that is what I have accomplished/researched in the month of October so far! My next steps include getting accommodations and pricing out all the things we want to do.
JMF
Next time: 2018 Italy Planning: November Edition
