car or train?

I agree, stick to the trains. Trains are an easy way to move about Italy. Bus & trains can connect you to many towns in Tuscany.

Both Kent and Sam are right, forget the car!

Greg

As long as you PACK LIGHT (per Rick's guidebooks) the train will be easier, relatively fast, and fun. Take cabs to and from your hotels to the train stations (quick, easy, fun???), buy "point to point" tickets either at a travel agent in the town you're in or at the station, and jump on. We've used nothing but trains and buses on 6 trips to Italy- and even seen towns like Volterra and Montalcino.

With four people, you should price out a car. For two the train is cheaper and more convenient. For four the train will probably be more expensive. A car allows you to see sites you will have to skip by train. In the hill towns, a car is a great thing to have. City to city, it's much better to take the train.

I've driven the area. My only regret is not getting a GPS on the car. Although it was great to ask directions of hundreds of locals who also didn't know how to get where I wanted to go, I could have saved a ton of time with a GPS. When I go back, I will bring a preprogrammed GPS from home instead of maps whether I'm driving or training.

Some good points being made on both sides. I have driven through Tuscany twice before and I love the driving. But my bigger concern was the cost...$8.00 a gallon for gas? Ouch. I will be staying for three days in Orvieto, so maybe I'll grab a car there and train it other than that. Looks like a Super Saver rail pass for four of us may be cheaper than point to point ticket buying. Any thoughts on getting a rail pass?

Thanks for the input!

we'll be leaving rome april 2 and have a place to stay in florence. on april 7 we go to venice and then fly out on the 9th.
so, is it better to take a train to florence and then train down to orvieto, maybe assisi? or shall we stop in orvieto on our way to florence, stay a night or two, and then continue to florence? our friends in florence are flexible for our arrival.

do you recommend point to point for the three of us (one 11 yr old, one 60 yr old, one 50 yr old)or super saver rail pass?

or should we rent a car rome to florence? we are two adults and one child.

thanks so much

Yes, gas is $8, but European cars are very different because gas is more expensive. They have smaller engines, better engine management technology so you get more power from them, and smaller, lighter bodies. This means that Italian cars barely sip gas -- especially Diesels (the fuel is widely available at all gas stations) which can get more than 50 miles to a gallon in actual driving conditions.

You do need to know how to parallel park. But this is a skill that can be learned with a little practice!

The upside of all this is that you can really only truly enjoy the best of Tuscany outside of Florence with a car. I've done it many times and wouldn't do it any other way. Let's face it, you'd never get to see a place like this without a car:

http://lodgephoto.com/galleries/italy-tuscany/chianti/vignamaggio/

Cheers,

Mathew

Peter,
With such a short trip I don't think a car is necessary.Two days in Orvieto and three in Florence would not leave time for daytrips outside the towns. A railpass would be more expensive than point to point tickets.

With all the expensice gas prices, i think you will be better off renting a car. European cars use much less gas.
If you go by train, you will be payimg for 3 tickets, with a car the cost will be the same. Plus you will be able to see much more than from a train.
Toll roads can be costly, but you can avoid that by taking regular roads which are pretty good.
When in Rome just park your car somewhere and use the subway.It's hard to drive there and to find parking right away.You can get a day pass in Rome for 4 EUR.