Hi - we are flying into Rome, flying out of Milan. We want to see many of the great towns in the countryside, to experience more than just Rome, Florence, Milan. We are very interested in seeing some of the areas that specialize in food/wine. We are trying to work through how to best travel and see more of Italy than just the 3 cities listed. I understand we can get to many areas by train, public transportation is all that's needed in the R/F/M, or a taxi. Could we rent in Rome and do day trips to the country then return car to Rome, take train to Florence - see the core of Florence then rent car and do day trips to countryside... and so on. How economical is it to break up car rental this way? What are your best food/wine side trips out of these 3 main cities? We are traveling mid-Nov to first week of Dec.
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San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
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After you are done visiting Rome for a few days, on the day you depart Rome rent a car. If rent a car from Rome, the easiest way to exit the city is from a rental office at the Tiburtina station.
Alternatively you could take a train to Orvieto (1 hour north of Rome), visit Orvieto for a few hours, then rent a car in Orvieto before the close the rental office. I think only Avis and Hertz have offices in Orvieto (not Europcar).
Once you have the car, roam the towns of villages of central Italy (Tuscany, Umbria, Northern Latium regions) for as many days as you wish.
As you reach Florence, drop your car as soon as you reach the city. If you rented from Europcar, return at the Via del Gelsomino location. If Hertz, drop at the via del Sansovino location. You won't need a car again.
After dropping the car in Florence, take a taxi to the historical center where you will have your accommodations.
Visit Florence for as many days as you wish. Take a train to Milan. If you have several days still available, you could spend a couple of nights at the Cinque Terre before going to Milan. Just take the train from Florence to the Cinque Terre. Visit the Cinque Terre for two nights. Finally take a train to Milan. You need to be in Milan the night before your flight. I would spend only that night in Milan, or at most two nights (that will give you a full day in Milan which is way more you need to see it.