My husband and I are planning our first trip to Italy for this September. We have 12 full days in Italy. We arrive in Rome on the morning of Sept 11th. We are planning on spending 3 nights in Rome, then going to Siena spending one night there, then going to Florence through Pisa - spending 4 nights in Florence, then going onto CT spending one night there, then going to Venice and spending 3 nights there before we fly home. I don't have any reservations yet so all of this is flexible.
We want to make sure we get the most out of this trip. Are we not seeing enough or spending too much time in Rome, Florence and Venice? Reading many of these posts it seems that our time in Florence is good but I'm wondering if we're in Rome or Venice for too many days.
What town in CT should we consider staying in?
What is the best way to get around? Train or car?
We'd also like to take some tours of Tuscany but aren't using a travel agent so wanted any good advice on good wine tours or places to stay for a night so we can really experience the area.
Does anyone recommend getting pre-booked tickets to The Vatican? I hear that the lines can be very long...
Please help me plan, I need help!