Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 5, 1995 TAG: 9511030004
SECTION: TRAVEL PAGE: F-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Getting around: If you're exploring Umbria, your best options are renting a car or taking trains. Rental cars, most affordable if reserved from the United States, usually begin at $250-$300 per week (that's for a subcompact with manual transmission, unlimited mileage, including 19 percen tax and theft insurance). All the major U.S. rental companies have offices in Italy, as do major European firms such as DER Tours and Kemwel. The country roads are well-maintained and well-marked, though tourists are limited to parking on the periphery of most hill towns. All the towns in this story are easily reached by train except Gubbio, whose nearest train station, Fossato di Vico, is 12 miles away. (Gubbio does have daily buses to and from Perugia.) One source of rail information is Rail Europe's New York office at 800-438-7245.
Where to stay: In Assisi, the Albergo Umbra (Vicolo degli Archi 6; tel. 011-39-75-812-240, fax 011-39-75-813-653) is just a few steps off the town's main piazza, and unlike many Assisi hotels, tends not to be mobbed by tour groups. Rates: about $81 for a standard double room, breakfast excluded. In Gubbio, the Hotel Bosone Palace (Via XX de September, 22; tel. 011-39-75-922-0688, fax 011-39-75-922-0552) is an old palace with high ceilings, frescoes, restaurants and a central location. Rates: about $85 nightly for a standard double room, breakfast included. For high-end lodgings in tiny Torgiano, Le Tre Vaselle (Via Garibaldi 48; tel. 011-39-75-988-0447, fax 011-39-75-988-0214, an old palace that was transformed into a 62-room hotel/restaurant in 1978. Often hosts conferences and groups. Rates: about $175 nightly for a standard double room.
If you have a rental car, consider taking advantage of agriturismo properties, typically farmhouses that have been rehabilitated for duty as lodgings. Innkeepers may not speak much English, but rooms are often rich in character, and rates are often lower than those of city-based hotels. One example: Five miles outside Todi, in Asproli, there's La Palazzetta (tel. 011-39-75-885-3219, fax 011-39-75-885-3358), whose proprietor speaks English. Rates: about $81 for a standard double room, breakfast included.
Rates quoted here are based on an exchange rate of 1,600 lire per $1.
For more information: Italian Government Tourist Board (12400 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 550, Los Angeles 90025; tel. 310-820-0098.
by CNB