First time tour of Italy

Just a suggestion -when you are in Florence for 2 days I would go to the Cinque Terre. By going to Padua, Venice etc. you are then doubling back to the Cinque Terre. Check out the Fast trains from Venice direct to Rome. We drove the whole of Italy 3 years ago and had no problem driving in Tuscany or Umbria although we spent more time in Umbria. The roads are a little more windy in Tuscany. Make sure you obtain the area road maps at the local Tourist Information as it makes it much easier to navigate the roads.We are returning next year to Tuscany and will be renting a car again. Be prepared that most of the cities don't allow for parking inside the city walls.
Have a great time.

Driving in Tuscany. While driving on the "wrong side" of the road takes some getting us to, Tuscany is good place to learn on the smaller, quieter back roads, which is where you want to be in Tuscany.
Take it easy. Tuscany is a great place to see by car. Hardest thing to remember is which side of the car to get into to drive the car! You will walk up to the right (wrong) side of the car a couple of times until you realize the steering wheel is on the other side of the car.

Sorry, Skip, I know assume that you warned these Aussies correctly.

That sounds like a good trip!

Driving in Tuscany is easy - and a good place to learn to drive on the "wrong" side!!!

Enjoy.

Shaun - you should be ok. From my experience in the UK, it's hard to be 100% sure where the front corner opposite the driver really is at first.

Just make you look both ways when walking across the street. I remember reading somewhere that a lot of the traffic related tourist deaths in Australia were from pedestrians stepping in front of traffic because they looked the wrong way.

Shaun, Did I understand correctly that you are planning a day trip to Venice from Padua? I would take a day from Tuscany & 2 days from Padua and spend them in Venice. Just doing Venice as a day trip from Padua would not have satisfied us on our first trip. At the end of the day, I think you may not be ready to leave Venice!
On our first trip to England, my husband was driving, and every time we came to an intersection to turn, or a roundabout, all of us in the car would call out "on the left!" It got to be funny, and even when we didn't need to remind him anymore we would still do it. Then when we got home we called out "on the right" just to remind ourselves to go back to the way it is here. You'll get used to the driving. Have a Great Trip!

Have a Great trip.

I agree with Mimi -- stay in Venice. It will cost more but be worth it. Experiencing Venice at night when all the tourists from the tour ships are gone is wonderful -- will turn out to be one of the highlights of your trip I'm sure. I would recommend splurging futher and taking an evening gondola ride.

JUst bought air tickets for our trip starting May 25. Happily found out flying into Rome and out of Venice same cost as Rome in&out. We're flying Delta but same with most other airlines.

Dear All!

Thank you very much for your thoughts, informative advice and suggestions - they are very much appreciated. My wife and I have been doing a lot of 'hand-ringing' and animated discussion in planning our first trip overseas. Your feedback has greatly assisted us.

My confidence, to take on the 'left-hand' drive, has had a good boost! I look forward to giving an account of my experience upon our return.

Thank you all once again.

Kind regards,

Shaun

PS - I know my wife is keen to follow up with some of her own questions and interaction with some comments - her name is Madonna.

http://www.bella-toscana.com/traffic_violations_italy.htm

This is one site that talks about speeding cameras in the Tuscany area. Please do some research on speeding cameras and ZTL zones before you go. There are some other posts on this subject

http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm/rurl/topic/27605/10-tickets-from-florence-in-one-day-worth-e1000.html

http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm/rurl/topic/28814/traffic-ticket-in-italy.html

Know before you go!! These are not meant to scare you out of driving. We drive in Italy and have never recevied a ticket (up to now anyway...they have 2 years) We were extremely careful to go the speed limit and we avoided going anywhere near the historic areas of cities. On a similar note, go into the graffiti wall of this site and read the tourist scams link. Once again, not meant to scare you, just good to be familiar with these since Italy does have some of these going on. The first time I read it I questioned whether I even wanted to go to Italy. Since then I've been there twice and the only thing I experienced was the "slow count" once. Being prepared is your best defense so take the time to familiarize with them, take precaustions, and then "don't worry". I think your schedule looks great...except I agree with others that you should stay in Venice and experience Venice at night. A true highlight of any trip to Italy. Have a great time.

We were in Padua last fall and stayed at the Hotel Al Cason. It is a modern, clean, family run hotel. Reasonably priced, too. The folks were friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend it.The included breakfast was extensive and quite good. They have a small bar, internet access, and a nice restaurant too which made it convenient after a day touring around. It was a very short walk to the train station and thus convenient for your itineray. We also took the train from Padua to Verona, Venice, and Vicenza for day trips. I liked Padua a lot- a nice mix of old and new...the university, St Anthony's, and the Scrovegni CHapel (a MUST) among other sites. Not many people get there I think...their loss. Have fun!