Italy

Hi Penny, your question does not go to Rick Steves himself. You have posted it on the Helpline where you will get advice and opinions from fellow travelers, many of whom have traveled extensively in Italy. I have benefitted from this forum for many years and have gotten some great suggestions along the way; I hope you find it to be equally as helpful. In regards to your question, I know you want to be in a small town but if the town is too small or remote, you may not have great public transportation options whereas in a larger city you will have many more bus and train options. I would watch Rick's shows to see what towns/areas interest you the most so that you can narrow down where you want to stay. Since you'll be in Italy for a couple of months, you might choose a few base cities and move around every few weeks to afford you better access to different parts of Italy. In October/November, the weather will be on the cooler side but the further south you go, the warmer it will be. Of course, be prepared for rain as well. I personally would not visit any of the northern lakes (i.e. Lake Como) or the Cinque Terre in November due to the increased likelihood of rain because when it rains, there is not a lot to do in those places. I would suggest basing in Tuscany for part of your trip (specifically in/near Siena) however to visit many of the nearby hill towns, you would really need a car. Driving in Tuscany is not difficult (especially with a GPS) but of course you won't want to drive into Florence. Have a wonderful trip. I envy the fact that you get to spend several months in Italy. I'm sure you will fall in love with Italy the way most of us on this forum have!

I've had great success renting apartments all over Europe on VRBO.com I agree with the other poster that if you're going to be there for two full months you may want to split the trip and have at least two or maybe even three "home bases." Florence has a plethora of apartments to rent and is a really good transportation hub. It's a great walking city as well, and has lots of history and art. From Florence there are so many smaller cities, including Siena that you can get to by train or bus, that this should keep
you busy for a while. You can even get to Venice pretty easily from Florence by train. Rome also has a lot of apartments that you could rent, and the farther you go from the "city center" the less expensive they will be. Obviously it is also a great transportation hub to Naples, Sorrento, and many other places. Rome has so much to see that you will not get bored even if you spend an entire month there, in my opinion. Agree that this is definitely not the time to go North, especially the Lake Region or the Cinque Terre-as they've had bad weather and mudslides and certain areas are closed and Fall will be pretty cold. Start in Florence and work your way South. Sounds like a terriffic adventure and wish I were going with you!

I just had a thought! That with two full months, you could end your trip in Sicily even. I had the best time of my life there, and we rented an apartment from Magicofsicily.com They have many apartments in many price ranges, including luxury and budget. I'd give that one a week's stay at the end of the trip if you don't have a car. Sicily isn't as easy to get around in as the mainland.