1st Time Italy - Florence, Rome, Capri

You young folks have all the fun.

So you have 4 nights after landing at FLR, most likely with a car rental; 3 in Rome [possibly driving to the Termini station and returning the vehicle; or Florence return and a train]; 2 in Capri; probably 1 in Naples flying out the next day. Or maybe 3 in Naples or Sorrento taking the ferry to Capri and back for the wedding, saving a hotel change. From Sorrento you could do an day trip by ferry to a town further down on the Amalfi Coast.; driver to NAP on flight day.

The FLR rental complex is a short distance away at Via Palagio degli Spini; shuttle from the left side of the little building in the car park. Read this about driving in Italy and restrictions involved [ZTLs]; avoid leaving anything of value in a car when parked:

http://driventoit.blogspot.com/

We arrange our cars by calling up the broker Autoeurope; get zero- deductible collision, which covers any damage to the body of the vehicle. They will recommend the best agency based on your particular situation; possibly where the car is being returned.

Florence visit you could take a bus. There are other options to avoid driving into the city.

With only 3 full days and to make the most of that time, I would base yourselves in Florence and take one of two organized tours from there. There are tours to Siena, Montepulciano, Montalcino, Pisa, Chianti, etc., etc. So, for example you could spend the first day exploring Florence, the next take a day trip to Siena and/or Montalpuciano/Montalcino and spend another day with a tour to Chianti - or spend it in Florence as there is so much to see and do in that lovely city.

Wow - Happy Birthday, and congratulations in advance to your nephew and his fiancé!

I can’t offer suggestions for the Chianti area, but a car might be useful for getting around, unless you have a personal tour, which might have the benefit of a guide/designated driver. Taking a car, though, into Florence itself would not be recommended. It’s notorious for having access restrictions and not being driver-friendly for short term visitors.

Cinque Terra is possible, but you’d spend more round-trip time on trains than among the Five Lands, and staying in one of the villages a couple nights or more is better than a quickie swing thru them. Pisa’s at least closer to Florence, but how much of a priority is it going to be?

IF you were to stay in Florence, our base, on several trips, has been in the Oltrarno, on the west side of the Arno River. Still very centrally located, where you’ll find the Brancacci Chapel, and a great “vibe,” and just a short distance from the major sights. But we haven’t taken say trips from Florence.

What time do you depart from Naples? Is there time to visit the amazing Archeological Museum, full of artifacts from Pompeii and other parts of Roman Empire antiquity? There are a lot of museums in Rome, too, but Naples’ is special. And don’t miss having pizza in its birthplace!

Hi goddingb -
I'm going to copy/paste, most of my reply to your post on Kim's thread, and which I'd suggested that you start as a new discussion. Here you are! :O)

I'm pretty sure you will need to rent a car to get around if staying in the small village of San Casciano Val di Pesa. There looks to be some bus service but it probably isn't very efficient for extensive sightseeing. Tours mostly tend to be available in and/or from larger cities/towns. With only 3 days, you will need to be selective so if you're doing a day trip to Florence + 2 days of wineries, then Pisa and the C.T are really too much to add. You also do not want to drive in Florence or the CT.

If serious about how much wine sampling you want to do, then an escorted tour is in order so that none of you have to get behind the wheel. Personally? I'd stay in Florence: it's a good spot for first-timers as it's a major transport hub with easy connections to other locations. As you're flying into that city anyway, it'll be easy to get your jet-lagged selves safely to a hotel, dump the bags, and start your holiday. :O)

You don't have a lot of time to work with for Capri/Amalfi Coast if all or a large part of one of your only two FULL days (6/4 and 6/5) will be taken up with the wedding festivities. I also wouldn't recommend leaving Capri the day of an international flight from Naples. While chances are admittedly less versus more, it is possible for adverse weather to cancel or delay ferry runs from the island to the mainland.

We stayed at an agriturismo near San Casciano Val di Pesa; it turned out to be a good base for us but we stayed nine nights and could move at a slower pace. We originally thought we would travel to Florence and Siena by bus. After corresponding with our host we decided to rent a car--bus service is scheduled around school/work hours, with little or no service on evenings, weekends, and school breaks. A rental car worked for us, but time on the road was not exactly what one might call relaxing:). If you want to visit wineries and taste wine, you will definitely want to schedule a tour--there are strict limits for drinking and driving.

Since you have booked your stay in San Casciano, email or call the host for transportation and tour recommendations. We found ours to be exceptionally helpful, making our first trip to Italy enjoyable and memorable.

If you want to visit wineries and taste wine, you will definitely want
to schedule a tour--there are strict limits for drinking and driving.

You bet, and as mentioned earlier, I'm pretty sure the choice of tours is going to be broader, and the vast majority of them more easily done, from Florence than from San Casciano Val di Pesa.

First of all drop any plans to visit Pisa and CT. You don't have near enough time and there's year's of things to do near your home base.

We spent 10 days near Greve, which is very close to where you are planning to stay. It worked out great for us. We took the bus into Florence for a day trip. We'd been to Florence before and wanted to spend most of our time in small towns and the countryside.

We rented a car and had no problems driving in Tuscany. Each driver will need an IDP and will need to be listed as a driver with the rental agency.

Our agriturismo was a winery and we did our food and wine tasting lunch and also a dinner there. We didn't have to worry about drinking and driving and would have just a glass of wine or a beer (cheaper than bottled water) with our meals when out and about. As others have pointed out, think carefully about your drinking plans since Italy rightfully are pretty strict about drinking and driving.

Be sure to set aside a day to drive the famous SR222, the Chiantigiana Road. There's gorgeous scenery and plenty of villages to explore. You might consider spending your other day either by visiting Siena or doing San Gimignano in the morning and Volterra in the afternoon.

We are going to Italy for our 3rd time this May. We always rent a car through Tuscany. There is a little town outside Rome called Viterbo which you can return the rental car and catch the train to Rome across the street. Remember gasoline is by the Liter rather than gallon so it is much more expensive there. Navigation on your phone or garmin is a must! If you are on the fence about Pisa I would skip it. The smaller towns are much more interesting. San Gimi, Monpulciano, Volterra..Lots of wine tasting!

Chiusi is more convenient, but no matter because May 31 is a Sunday and they will be closed. That's why I said either drive to Rome or dump the car in Florence at the airport complex.

What time is your flight out of Naples, please? You’re likely to need a private driver booking. Getting around the Amalfi Coast is slow, so your 24-hours there should have a car and driver for 8 hours. Capri Ferries to Positano are much smaller than from Naples. I don’t know about Amalfi [town] ferry size. But everything books up in advance in this area. Don’t delay booking.

Is your Tuscany villa cancellable? That seems unlikely.