Orvieto, Aissisi, Mount Sibillini & ferry from Ancona to Split, Croatia

It looks like a great trip. You won't find enough to do in either Orvieto or Assisi to fill the amounts of time you've allocated - think two days and one day respectively. You will therefore need to consider how you're going to use your time.

Assisi is on a railway line with direct access to numerous places of interest (I can list a few if you like, but just check out guidebooks and the Internet for Umbria), so you don't really need a car there unless you want to investigate more remote locations. But I see that you will have your vehicle anyway.

From Orvieto, a vehicle may be very helpful if you get bored with resting (which can be done anywhere, of course). Better use of your time might therefore be to decrease your days in Orvieto to free up time to explore Umbria - but I appreciate that you may have decided that one day of rest is required.

Suggestions from Orvieto
- Bolsena is about 25 minutes drive and worth a wander round, especially up the hill overlooking the town. By the lake the Trattoria del Moro built out into the lake does reasonably good food at sensible prices - I think it is open evenings most of the year but may be too early in the season tobe open lunchtimes as well
- west of Bolsena about 30 minutes further on towards the coast, look at Pitigliano . North from Bolsena up the S2, turn off to the left once over the border into Tuscany for Piancastagnaio, Abbadia San Salvatore and the area around Mont Amiato. On the opposite side (east) of the S2 the small village of Radicolfani is worth a visit, though if your vehicle is as big as it sounds you might have to squeeze down the lanes to get there. Further north you reach the d'Orcia valley, Pienza etc if you've not been there from Siena.
- south of Orvieto and west of the A1 autostrade, have you visited the Parco dei Mostri at Bomarzo?
- there are the wetlands around - mostly just to the west of -Alviano if you like bird watching. A little further on Amelia is a small town worth visiting
- Have you already been round Lake Trasimeno? - if not Passignano and Castiglione del Lago are worth seeing
- if you are driving to Assisi via Todi, then stop there for an hour or two. There are several other towns in that direction too before you reach Perugia , such as Deruta, which are worth seeing.
-in Orvieto , well actually just down the hill, there have been some recent new Etruscan sites discovered, but I'm not sure if they are open to the public yet
- as you mention leaving on 17 May, note that this is market day, and also in mid afternoon the Mille Miglie cycle race is due to zoom through town
-I assume you've checked on line or with a guide book all there is to do in Orvieto. The tourist office is directly across the piazza from the duomo.
You haven't got time for a rest day - you'd better postpone that to Assisi!

The problem with replying when it is past your bedtime is you forget the obvious. Bagnoregio and tbe nearby "dead" city of Civita should occupy you for about a half day.

Maybe check out Bevagna as a worthy base: an authentic Umbrian rural town with great access to any number of excellent daytrips by car. Mt. Sibillini? Best check if it has reopened for tourism since the earthquakes. At one point, both Castelluccio and Norcia were closed.
For a great Umbrian overnight splurge: Abbazia S. Pietro in valle. The surroundings and the abbey itself are worth the trip.
I am done. The end.

As far as I know all the roads are open - certainly the main routes - except where local restrictions permit access only to residents and those working to repair the damage. A video appeared on la Repubblica's website a few days ago which just emphasises the extent of the damage in the town of Amatrice - https://video.repubblica.it/dossier/terremoto-24-agosto-2016/terremoto-macerie-rimosse-al-50-per-cento-ecco-cosa-resta-di-amatrice/303514/304147?ref=search

Thx for the clarifiying update Mike, we all need to hear from those who actually live in the area, such as yourself. About a year ago, there was video footage of what seemed to be a protest demonstration originating with some of the local farmer's wives. They had banded together a sizable convoy of tractors driven by their husbands and had driven right into the plain's main entry road towards Castelluccio. My Italian was not strong enough to comprehend the video's narration, but it all seemed like a protest against government (mis)handling of the post-quake needs of those who'd been forced out of Castelluccio and Norcia. Maybe they were all there in an ostensibly off-limits area to harvest lentils and flowers and whatever else as a middle-finger gesture to officials? Dunno...
And we have not heard any more about our old Castelluccio landlord Giuseppe's daughter's tourism questionnaire for her Lucca Uni Masters thesis.
I am done. The end.

First thanks to everyone who have provided us information. I found the info on the earthquake and its effect interesting and this type of info makes you feel more a part of this specific part of the world when visiting.
Second, my mistake for not making it more clear that we chose the above cities based on their well-known names more than anything else. But it is also our thoughts to use these cities as a base for exploring the surrounding areas. And we have lots of info to digest from all of the above posts -- thanks.
We are in our late 60's and have been traveling for two years. Rest days are something we have come to respect -- it makes our travels much more fun. When you are taking a two week vacation the thought of rest day doesn't register but think how often you rest at home and the world is currently our home. And finally, most of you are probably a little to a lot younger than us and therefore have just a little more energy.

We are in Pianillo (between Naples & the Amalfi) for the next eight days. Are using Pianillo as a base to explore the Amalfi Coast -- drove the Amalfi Coast from Salerno to Pianillo yesterday -- and Naples. Originally had reserved an Airbnb apartment for three days but after arriving and discovering what a great place we had we extended to eight days and decided to explore Naples from here. The bus stop is a block away and the bus drops you at the tourist attractions in Naples.

P.S. Yesterday, Saturday 5 May, we began our drive from Salerno to Pianillo about 2:00 pm. Traffic was light and I don't remember any hold ups. I was driving mostly between 30 and 50 km/hr. I passed some bicycle but no cars. Maybe a half dozen cars passed me and another half dozen motorcycles. Found parking in Maiori at E$1/20min for a restroom stop and beer. The road after Maiori is a little narrower and is more of a twisting road. Wished there had been pull outs to stop and view the coast. In summary, on the day we made our drive this portion of the Amalfi Coast road wasn't slow or overly difficult for this American driver in their Toyota 4Runner.

It's very kind of you to make assumptions about my age - the nicest anyone's said today - but speaking for myself I could probanly match you, even raise you a few months! Just suggesting you might want to consider resting somewhere else!

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