Help with 9 night itinerary for Italy

For Umbria two years ago, we stayed at an agriturismo just outside Spoleto. We visited many small hill towns from there, plus Assisi.

Driving in Italy, especially in the hill towns of Umbria and Tuscany has pitfalls. There are ZTL's (limited traffic zone) in nearly every town. They encompass the historic center and in the hill towns, that almost always means parking in the limited space outside and below the town walls. The zones are marked by signs and are monitored by camera. It's easy to miss a sign and drive into the off-limit area. The fines are stiff - hundreds of euros. I spent 9 days driving in Umbria and Tuscany a couple years ago. Here's my report, starting with my second post on the thread. Lastly, driving when jetlagged and/or sleep-deprived is the same as driving after drinking too much. It isn't a good idea.

The week after Easter typically has many crowds of tourists. Taking trains between major cities is always faster than driving (never mind finding parking). Venice is a long way from Rome and since you have to return to Rome to fly home, just getting there will eat up virtually all of your arrival day and the better part of 1 of your 8 full days. 2N in Venice means only 1 full day in the city, barely enough to see the highlights and you're likely to be in big crowds and long lines.

I would recommend going to Florence on arrival. There are a few direct trains from the airport and changing trains in Rome, if you have to, is simple. From Florence you can day trip to some of the Tuscan towns by train or bus. You can also hire a driver or guide/driver for a day trip. Since you are flying in and out of Rome, you may want to spend a night or two in Orvieto on the way to Rome. I think you'll spend too much time in transit for a farther destination.

Thank you for the input! You are confirming my initial impulse which was to travel to Florence by train upon arrival. I was a bit concerned about dealing with Easter morning crowds in Florence which is why I pivoted plans but perhaps it will be manageable. I’ve been reading that in general shops might be closed Sunday/Monday for Easter/La Pasquette but some restaurants and historical sites are usually open so I’m hopeful we can find things to do!

We stayed in Florence one Easter weekend and had no problems. We actually toured the Bargello on Sunday morning, getting away from the crowds in the center. Do make reservations for lunch before you travel as many people eat Easter lunch in restaurants.

It's easy to miss a sign and drive into the off-limit area.

That was not our experience. We spent a wonderful 10 days in Tuscany, flying in and out of Rome. We picked up our car at the airport.

Before we left, we studied Italian road signage and traffic rules. We had absolutely no problems. Everywhere we went ZTLs were well marked and easily avoided. In Tuscany/Umbria, the rule of thumb is anywhere within a city/town wall is ZTL. Speed enforcement is very strict and automated with speed cameras, but if you observe posted limits, you'll be fine. Seeing Tuscany/Umbria with a car is ideal.

Are you planning to fly in and out of Rome? You really don't have as much time as you think and it will be hard to do justice to the areas you mentioned, especially if you plan to take in Florence. Sit down and do a detailed itinerary, including travel times. You'll be surprised how long it takes to move from one location to another.

If you are flying in and out of Rome, I suggest you take the train immediately to Venice. Next, take the train to Florence and see it first if you plan to visit it. Then, rent a car in Florence for the few days you'll have in Tuscany. Return the car to Florence and take the express train to Rome and finish your trip there.

You mixed days and nights in your description. You mention 2 nights in Venice, which means you'll only have one day in the city. Since this is at a holiday, you really should have made reservations in December. You need to firm up your plans and make reservations ASAP.

It's easy to miss a sign and drive into the off-limit area. To clarify, I was paying very close attention and apparently didn't make any mistakes because I never got a ticket and it's been nearly 2 years. I wrote that based on experiences of many unhappy people who have posted on the forum over the years

Driving in Italy=Expensive ticket

I wrote that based on experiences of many unhappy people who have posted on the forum over the years

I've read those horror stories as well. I almost cancelled our car rental because of them, but went ahead and kept them. I'm a careful, accident-free driver and have received three tickets during over 50 years of driving. I decided with doing a little homework before the trip I could figure out how to follow the signage.

In almost every case where people have come here to gripe, when they tell the whole story it turns out the situation could have been avoided. They admit not paying attention or making the wrong assumptions. One of my favorites involving speeding is the guy who was the approved driver letting his buddies drive way over the speed limit after they complained that he was driving too slow.

There are basic rules of thumb we follow no matter what country. We avoid driving in big cities like Rome, Florence, Paris, London, etc. We commute in from our stay if we are staying outside the city. We did that when visiting Florence and Rome on our last trip to Italy. I study up and observe traffic laws. On our last trip to the French countryside, our rental car would warn me if I was exceeding the speed limit even if it was a few kilometers.

I see bad drivers all the time here in the US. They are the ones who take their bad driving habits with them and then gripe when they suffer from them. They way overstate the problems with driving in Italy. Personally I found it a joy and trouble free.

I loved driving in Sicily and though driving the Amalfi Coast was challenging it wasn't really difficult and I didn't regret the decision for a minute. Then I drove in Umbria and Tuscany and really didn't like it. It did get me to many places I wouldn't have gone by public transport, so I'm not sorry. . . . but I had a lot of frustration.