Florence itenarary in March

My favorites were Sienna, San Gimignano and Orvieto. We also visited Pisa and Lucca. There are a ton of great places but you don't have time to see them all.

I would visit some combination Volterra, San Gimignano, Sienna, Montepulciano and Orvieto. I think that would give you an overview of some of the classic hill towns.

The coast in March isn't likely to be any better than Virginia Beach in March.

We tend to enjoy just walking around. We pick food based on what looks good and seems to get a local crowd. Each town has sites they are particularly proud of; it's worth it to see those. The big attraction, however, is the ambiance and charm of the towns.

Silly question coming up...if you are going to Florence to spend your time outside of Florence, why not just rent a car when you get there, stay outside of Florence (sure to be cheaper - even rent a villa) and explore the countryside? BTW Florence is in Tuscany.

Or you could spend 3 nights in Florence, and then, since you'll have a rental car anyway, spend one night in rural Tuscany (Siena, for example, or San Gimignano) on your way to Rome.

I would spend at least 3 days in Florence. I did a week there and it was wonderful.

Like Jesse, I did a week in Florence and 3 days would probably have been enough. I do like Florence, it just got to be a bit much after 4 or 5 days. It seems to be one of those cities that people either fall in love with and could stay forever, or get tired of.

Don't rent a car when you get TO Florence. Pick it up as you leave. Hefty fines for driving anywhere near the city center (and it's all walkable) unless you buy and equally hefty city-center driving permit. We planned on three days there and were more than ready to move on after the first night. Didn't even buy the t-shirt. Tuscan and Umbrian hill towns were great, however. Pisa is a bit out of the way, and not a lot to do except gape at the tower for a few minutes and then wander around looking for a place to eat.

No itinerary advice. My husband and I spent last March in Italy (lucky us). Venice was very wet, cold, and windy even for us. (We live in rainy WA near the Canadian border) Wherever you go I suggest some waterproof, warm gloves. We were ok for the rest, but everytime we touched something with our lightweight gloves, they got wet and then cold of course. The weather improved as we traveled and was quite nice by the time we were halfway through March.
Hope you have a wonderful trip!

You may want to consider visiting a town just outside of Florence which is called Fiesole. I haven't been there but have heard great things about it. Also, you should hire a guide and tour the Chianti region. Just my .2 cents worth.

I second Fiesole. It's not a day trip but rather a bus ride into the hills. There's a very steep walk up to the top of the hill that has the most incredible view of Florence. We were fortunate enough to eat at La Reggia which is slightly up the hill from the view terrace.We sat at the window drinking wine and looking out over an amazing view of Florence at night. The last time the restaurant was closed so we ate at Ristorante Perseus and it was incredible. Other than that, I would shorten Venice to 3 days/2 nights, Florence 3 days/3 nights, drive to Rome stopping in either Siena or Montepulciano, definitely stop in Orvieto and then to Rome.