Florence or Tuscany?

I would suggest spending 3 nights in Tuscany rather than 2. And I definitely would recommend Florence (or a Tuscan town) over Cinque Terre.

Hi Terri. Will you be taking daytrips from Verona? If not, I would take a night from there. I really liked Florence so that's my recommendation for a base in Tuscany. Two nights in Verona and 4 in Florence, with daytrips.

Hi Terri,
I'd drop a night from each of your northern stops, staying two nights in Venice, 2 nights in Verona, then 5 days left for Tuscany. I would definitely not skip Florence, if you're into art, but I wouldn't recommend staying there. Since you mention relaxing, drinking wine, and meeting locals, well, that's a recipe for any Tuscan Hill Town. Volterra, San Gimignano, Montepulciano, Cortona, you name it. You can really connect with locals if you stay in these quiet towns after touring hours, as that's when they start coming out. Magical Tuscany. Of course, with this itinerary, you can drop a night or two from Tuscany and visit Cinque Terre, if that interests you. But I just spent two of my three weeks in Tuscany a few weeks ago and never ran out of steam or things to see.

I'm sure you know this, but just want to point it out as others will: Tuscany is a region in which the city Florence is located. When you say day trips into Tuscany I think you mean small cities or the countryside in Tuscany (SG valley, Siena, Arezzo, Cortona, etc). (I fully understood what you meant! But some people on these boards are nitpicky so I wanted to address this first) In my opinion, it would be better to base yourself in Florence and do day trips to Siena and others cities. There are trains and buses leaving Florence constantly which you can use. I think it's easier, and Florence is a really nice place to stay. Florence has a lot to see and is worth a few days, not just one (or two) day trips. Explore at night, see the lights from the Ponte Vecchio over the Arno River. However, I know other people on these boards have enjoyed renting a villa in the countryside for a week and making day trips to other places. It definitely can be done, and I'm sure is enjoyable as well. It depends on what you want your focus to be. The Tuscan countryside or the art and culture of Florence?

Do you have an idea of how long your trip will be? That might help guide the discussion a bit.

Hi Terri, Of the two options, I would recommend staying in the countryside, and seeing Florence as a day trip(s), but only if you have a car. I've been to Florence several times, and I just can't get my head around it. It just don't get that "I LOVE Italy!" vibe while I'm in Florence that I get in so many Italian towns. I can't explain it, and I'm sure readers of this post are preparing there guns for me, but that's just my opinion.
As far as art goes, you can't compare Florence to anything really, so for that it's definitely worth visiting. But, at night, most of the museums and galleries are closed, and Florence doesn't offer much to me after hours compared to a small tuscan hill town. Yes, there ARE things to do after hours, obviously, but I'd rather sit in a quiet Piazza drinking wine watching the locals come out from their protective shutters after the tour buses leave, than to hang on a busy street. Or, drink some wine (getting a theme, huh?) on the walls of a ruined castle watching the sun set over rural Tuscany. Admittedly, I'm more of a hill town afficionado than a city dweller, but European cities usually change my tune. Rome, Paris, London, Avignon, Venice? Definitely. Florence? I'd rather be somewhere else at night with less dirt, grafitti, and sewer smells. I'm sure that I'm the minority, but I'd base yourself in the surrounding countryside (agriturismos are AWESOME) and take a trip into Florence, or spend a night there if you can't see what you need comfortably in a day. Definitely don't skip Florence, but stay in the country. There's my two cents.

I'm sorry. Yes, I did mean the small towns that make up the Tuscany countryside. We are planning on 8 nights....3 in Venice, 2 or 3 in Verona and 2 or 3 in Florence. We like to see sites, but also want to relax, drink wine and visit with locals. What about Cinque Terra? Would that be better than Florence?

Hey Terri. I second everything Darren says (with maybe the exception of spending 3 nights in Venice). I have done a central/northern Italy only trip 5 times now. I like Florence, but unless you think you will be back often, I'd stay somewhere else and day trip there. It's a fascinating place but it just feels a little souless to me (I know, I'm running for cover now). I have spent two of those trips based in Siena, one a few months ago, and those were my favorite. One was in an agriturismo in the middle of nowhere, second favorite. One was near the Cinque Terre (again, not a big fan), and one in Florence. Those both tied for least favorite. I promise you won't go wrong if it's your first trip either way. Have fun planning!

Another vote for a hilltop town in the Tuscan Countryside with a daytrip or two into Florence.
When I think la dolce vita... I think of towns like San Gimi, Certaldo Alto, Siena, the tiny town of San Donato with not much more than a winery, a hotel or two and an incredible view of the tuscan hills.... Florence is a beautiful city with incredible art.... but not what I long for when I think of Italy.

Thanks everyone. After reading posts, I think we are going to stay in Siena and take a few day trips. Any suggestions on a place to stay? We are not going to have a car. Is there bus or train trips into the little towns?

We loved this B&B http://www.anticaresidenzacicogna.it/pages_eng/presentazione.asp. Busses to other towns are easy, and Roberto of Tours By Roberto has some nice daytrip offerings. Some folks we met had taken a bus to Volterra and San Gimignano, two popular destinations. We skipped San Gim, but really like Volterra.

Terri, We just returned from a 17 night trip to Italy. We started in Venice and then took the train to Florence for two nights. I agree with Darren about Florence, but it's worth seeing the Uffizi and Accadamia if you love art. I think it could be easily done as a day trip from Siena. We took another train to Rome, and after a six day stay, we rented a car to tour Tuscany. Our base was a lovely agriturismo near Siena, but you'd really need a car to get there. Driving around Tuscany wasn't difficult, though we often had trouble finding parking in hill towns. If you don't mind the bus trips, it's probably not a bad way to see the area. We dropped the car off in La Spezia, and then took the train to Manarola, for a two-day stay in Cinque Terre. I loved Cinque Terre (wish I'd had another day there,) so I'd say it depends on your interests, budget and the time of year you'll be visiting. I wouldn't suggest going there in the summer (too busy,) but if you love photography and hiking, it's a great location. The best part is that you don't need a car there; in fact a car is a liability. You can easily visit all five towns by train. The Via dell'Amore trail, which connects Manarola to Riomaggiore is an easy stroll. Two of the other trails are closed (due to landslides,) but hopefully they'll be open next year. I'd suggest watching Rick's "Italy's Countryside" DVD before making this decision. The most memorable moment of my vacation was after dinner one night in Manarola. We walked to a point on the hiking trail to Corniglia where we could look back at the town. (The trail is closed further on due to the landslide.) A full moon was rising over Manarola...it was simply breath-taking!

Terri, We were in Siena last summer on a day trip from Florence. We had a great time. My favorite part of the day was a coffee and snack at Key Largo Bar. We followed Rick's suggestion and found the balcony for an amazing view of Il Campo. It was one of our favorite experiences in Italy.