Booked for two weeks!

Too much moving around and checking in and out of hotels and transiting IMHO. I would drop Bologna and add the day to either Venice or Rome and do a culinary tour there. If you like markets you will enjoy the Rialto in Venice.

I agree about spending another night in Venice and skipping Bologna. The day you're wanting to drive to Pisa would be best used driving to San Gimignano, Volterra and other hill towns south of Florence. Pisa's okay, but the other hilltop fortress towns are better. Then deliver your rental car back to Florence and take a train to Rome. Spend the rest of your time in Rome, and make flight arrangements out of Rome FCO.
You might gain enough time not backtracking to spend another night in Florence area.

Congratulations! Bologna is considered THE city for Italian food - I can remember every meal I've ever had there. I'd keep the day or day/night in Bologna, and skip the side trip to Pisa (spend that time in Florence). Since you're interested in food/wine, I'd stop at Montalcino (not far from Florence). Other places on the way to Rome might include Volterra, Siena, Orvieto. You mention driving the coastal road from Pisa to Rome, but the more interesting towns (hill towns) are further inland. Depending on how many places you want to see on this leg of your trip, you could visit three to five towns in three days, just stopping when you see a skyline that intrigues you. The train from Rome to Venice is about four hours, you'll spend close to that amount of time getting to/from airports and through security, in case you haven't booked that flight yet.

We took the Bologna culinary tour with Alessandro last April. Expensive (145 euro pp) but did not regret one penny. We were picked up at 7.15 am and returned to our lodging at 4.30 pm after a very full day. And a very full tummy! If you are moving to Florence the same evening (he will drop you off at the railway station) you will need to check with him whether you can take your luggage along with you on the trip. The minibuses he uses are six seaters, two per trip. It was part of a week's stay in Bologna so had plenty of time to see other things/places when we were there.

" Sunday, fly to Venice." The train would be faster & far less stressful.

I agree with skipping Pisa (unless you absolutely must see) and spend that time in the hill towns that were suggested. The coast in that part of Italy is not as interesting as some of the other coastal areas and you will miss what Tuscany is known for...rolling hills, vineyards, wonderful villages and a beautiful countryside. I have not been to Bologna yet, but hear it is wonderful and if you are a 'foodie' its probably not to be missed. If you are not big on museums I might try to do less time in Florence and more in Venice. If you do take the car in and out of Florence then it is easy to take the train to Rome, but just plan your itinerary to do a bit of a circle tour so you aren;t doing a ton of backtracking, but there is so much to see within a short distance from Florence you should have plenty to do. Actually, Pisa is quite close and an easy drive so you could just pop over there for lunch, but I would skip the coast.

whitney, Could you clarify whether just your flights are booked, or hotels as well? Open-jaw flights would have been more efficient (inbound Venice, outbound Rome) and allowed more touring time. I agree with other comments that this Itinerary is too "busy" with too many hotel changes, especially for a one week time frame. It's your holiday, so if you're happy with a "blitz" trip, that's your choice. I've found that Italy is best enjoyed at a "slower pace". On your arrival day, you'll be jet lagged and tired so may not be in the mood to see many local sites. Have you researched transport from VCE into Venice (ie: water taxi)? I'm not sure what to suggest with Bologna, as the culinary tour sounds somewhat tentative. While that area does have great food, it doesn't "fit" as well with the overall plan. I'd suggest skipping Pisa. Also, driving in Rome is not for the faint-of-heart. You might consider returning the car in Orvieto instead. I agree with a previous suggestion that returning to Venice by train would be a better option than by air. Train will likely be faster and most certainly less hassle and more enjoyable. For driving in Italy, I assume you're aware that each driver must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. Failure to produce an I.D.P. if requested can result in fines on the spot! You'll also need to be very vigilant for the Zona Traffico Limitato areas, or you may get one or more "nasty surprises" in the mail a few months after you return home. Those are especially prevalent in Florence. Congratulations on your belated honeymoon and first anniversary!

I've been to all the places you list and would definitely encourage you to drop Bologna and add to Venice. Yes, Bologna has restaurants that serve amazing food. But so do the other places, and Bologna just doesn't have that much else going for it, esp. compared to Rome, Venice and Florence. After all, you're only going to have about twelve opportunities for dinner, and there are plenty of restaurants in those other cities to fill that niche (and your tummy) with amazing food. But nothing compares to the beauty of Venice. Just promise me you will wander away from the crowded places in Venice. It's easy to do, but amazing how many visitors don't.

Thanks all for your replies! This is why I love this forum :) To clarify, we are flying RT Venice (two week stay in Italy) only because we got a really good deal on flights--I would have preferred OJ for sure. Regarding the car, we thought about picking up the last day in Florence and then returning it upon arrival in Rome (or perhaps just outside of Rome). I don't relish the idea of driving in city limits. Hubby has been told Venice is disappointing, boring and smelly (??). He isn't super keen on spending a lot of time there though I would LOVE to devote more than two days to it. We want to do a gondola tour (not on the grand canal), see some of the islands, the squares, the bell tower, any cemeteries/crypts around and, most especially, wander and get lost! I relish the idea of wandering around Italy's city streets and discovering local haunts. I am working on convincing him how amazing Venice is (even though I've never been, haha!). Thanks again for all the advice--most especially about Florence, Bologna and the train!

I'm slowly becoming convinced that the whole "Venice is smelly" canard is promoted by people who want to keep Venice for themselves, and therefore try to scare people away. :-) We've been to Venice three times, (once in September and twice in May) and the only time we smelled anything was at low tide if we were right next to a place with exposed mud, and even that was no worse than low tide in downtown Seattle. But I'm having to rack my brain to remember even that. We're going back this May because we love Venice so much. I've pulled together some photos and three video clips from our visits there, if you want to get a little glimpse of what got us hooked: Magical Venice Happy travels.

If you want to "do a gondola tour (not on the grand canal), see some of the islands, the squares, the bell tower, any cemeteries/crypts around and, most especially, wander and get lost" you are going to need more than 2 days. :-) I wasn't all that enthused about going to Venice on my first trip there and ended up loving it. There is a fantastic cemetery island that is an excellent stop. The only thing I ever smell is fresh fish at the Rialto Market!

Thank you! And OMG--the photos! I am even more excited now!

In Venice, use the Vaporetto's (Water Buses) to travel about, and it's great to take 2-3 different routes to really get a feel for all of Venice/the immediate and more distant islands.. And it's delightful in nice weather, from the decks. Also, it's a wonderful city to just wander, endlessly.. Get Lost, you'll always find your way, signs pointing to main sites. Plus, You must get out of the central St Mark's Sq. area to really appreciate it. Don't be discouraged by bad reports on Venice. It seems to me, females generally ''appreciate'' it far more than most males, and my hubby and I've been 4 times.. 'He' loves it. It's also worth it to me to stay very central, night time wanderings in the fog/early morning mists... But staying in Venice-Mestre works well for that last night before departing by Air, and Mestre is only 10 minutes away via the train.
Take the water shuttle boat into the city from the Marco Polo airport, it's the best introduction.

In all the times we have been there I've never noticed a smell - except as noted above around the Mercato Rialto fish market from time to time, and that was only a fishy smell. Naught wrong there.