Italy Itinerary Suggestions

If you only have 8 nights, then you should consider only 2 or 3 destinations. With four different places in 8 nights, you'll be on the move the whole time. And in each place you've mentioned, unfortunately for your decision-making, there's much more to do and see than 1 or 2 days worth.

Which destinations, of those you mentioned, you go to should depend on your interests. If you love wine, than plan to visit southern Tuscany, the brunello areas (Montalcino is the main town for that). If you love ancient history, then Rome. You get the idea.

I agree that with the rural areas, Tuscany and elsewhere, it's easier with a rental car. Keep in mind that you need to be careful with how much luggage you bring, if you plan to put 4 adults in a regular-sized European car.

I agree with Lexma; 2 or 3 destinations is best. If you want to do this by rail then drop Tuscany (which needs a car if you're staying in the country) and everything else is easy by train. Less really can be more...

You might have received more or better responses if you had posted this under the Italian section.

Add my opinion to that of Mike's and Lexma's. That's a bit much for 8 days. You'll be almost constantly on the move. If you really want a Tuscan winery maybe consider booking a tour/day trip out of Rome? That would save on the car hassle as well.

Thank you for all of the fantastic advice. Loved reading the comments. We have no problem omitting the Tuscany region from our itinerary. We want to avoid renting a car anyway.

We do not want to completely wear ourselves out on the trip, but would like to comfortably see as much as possible!

I like the idea of staying longer in Rome and taking a day trip to a winery, any recommendations on that type of tour?

Also, what is the best area of Rome to stay? I have Rick Steves' "Italy", and have looked into many of those options. We are leaning toward a B&B since there will be 4 of us.

Thanks again everyone!

My fiancee and I just finished a trip to Europe. We saw 5 countries in 2 weeks. We are the type that like to see as much as we can. We stayed about 3 days in each city we vistied. I think you'll have a blast covering a lot of ground!

On your train trip down to Rome, you could stop at the hill town of Orvieto. This would more than satisfy your need for a small, authentic Italian town. It's quaint with great restaurants, stores and a beautiful Duomo. It's one hour outside of Rome. Look it up in Rick's Italy tour book. If you do stop in Orvieto, make sure to get a bottle of Orvieto Classico wine! Have fun on your trip.

We stayed at the Hotel Lancelot in Rome 4 years ago (there were 6 of us) and found it to be VERY nice. Family-run, friendly, helpful, great dinners, nice variety of food at breakfast, has an elevator, and is only a 5-min. walk from the Colosseum.