Italy in 3 weeks

Your big suitcases might not fit into small Italian car.

Ricca,

A few initial thoughts.....

On Day 6, AFAIK there is NO ferry to Rome. You'll have to take a Ferry to Naples and then use one of the high speed trains to Rome.

As you plan to rent a car, It's important to note that for driving in Italy, each driver listed on the rental form must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. (so you must carry both). These are valid for one year, and easily obtained at any CAA/AAA (or equivalent agency in India) office (two Passport-sized photos required, which may be provided by the issuing office).

You may never be asked for an IDP, but failure to produce one if requested can result in fines on the spot! Have a look at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/rental-car-requirements for more information on I.D.P's and driving in Italy.

You may also want to have a look at some of the posts on the forum concerning the dreaded Zona Traffico Limitato (limited traffic) areas that are becoming increasingly prevalent in many Italian towns & cities (especially Florence!). Some of these are enforced by automated cameras and some by local police. Each pass through one of the automated Cameras will result in a €100+ ticket and visitors often don’t know of these violations until several months after they’ve returned home. In addition to the actual fines, renters will also be charged by the rental agencies for providing information to the authorities. You may find this website helpful - https://www.italybeyondtheobvious.com/dont-mess-with-ztl-zones . There’s also the possibility of fines for driving in bus lanes, parking tickets, tolls and speed cameras including the devious Traffic Tutor system which not only monitors instantaneous speeds but also average between two points. Violate either or both parameter and expensive tickets will follow!

There are also some potentially expensive issues to be aware of when using trains and other public transit in Italy.

Thanks for your reply Ken,
We have international driving licenses and yes I meant ferry from Capri to Naples and then train from Naples to Rome.

But my question is should I drive from Rome to Tuscany and leave the car in Florence and then go to cinque Terra by train and from cinque Terra to Venice in train.. because there are a lot of train changes in this route or should I rent a car from Rome drive to Chianti and then to a hotel in Florence with parking and not use the car and then drive to Montessori and on the way back drop the car at Pisa and take a direct train to Venice.

Ricca - Why not train from Rome to Florence then pick up rental car in Florence to tour Chianti region. The cost could be less in Florence for the rental. Rental car companies such as Autoeurope are right by Florence's Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station. Once you completed your Chianti and Tuscan adventures, you can then drop off car by Florence's train station and train to the lovely Cinque Terre.

https://www.autoeurope.com/car-rental-santa-maria-novella-rail-station/

Drop car before Florence. Having a car there and finding a place parking lot is not necessary. Easy enough you take train to CT, then Venice.

Read this about driving in Italy and restrictions involved [ZTLs]; avoid leaving anything of value in a car when parked:

http://driventoit.blogspot.com/

You'll likely pick up a car at the Termini Station in Rome, return it to Via Palagio degli Spini, the complex near the Florence Airport; cab to town. Route planning on www.viamichelin.com.

Note there are a lot of stops on this plan. Lake Como IMO is ill-advised, as you have only a full day there and in Venice; lots of travel time in between. I suggest you spend 3 nights in Venice, then 2 in Milan. Get to Monterosso on the 25, missing the big cruise ship in port on the 24th. There are 2 smaller ones that day; suggest an early arrival by taking the train from the Campo di Marte station at 7:28AM. When ships are in port, Monterosso is the most heavily impacted.