Italy Itinerary

I like the above suggestion but I would take the train all the way to Chiusi and then take the car to Florence. It's a great area to wander.

I can only speak for a couple of your destinations: We stayed three nights in Siena last October and could have easily stayed another day. Cinque Terre was next on our itinerary, and with having to transfer at Florence our trip was about five hours. Made for a long day, especially with the unusually lousy rainy weather. In hindsight, we might have spent a night in Pisa (or preferably Lucca) en route to Cinque Terre.

Jo,

I'd probably drop one night in Siena and spend at least one night in Orvieto. It's a wonderful town with an interesting history, and your family might enjoy touring St. Patrick's Well (an engineering marvel in it's day) as well as some of the other sites there. The Duomo is beautiful, and the frescoes on the ceiling are quite impressive!

Another possibility during your stay in Orvieto would be a visit to one of Rick's favourite hilltowns, Civita di Bagnoregio. The return trip by Bus would probably take at least 6 hours, so you'd have to stay in Orvieto for two nights.

All of the destinations you mentioned are easily accessed by public transport, so I wouldn't bother renting a car. While it would provide some convenience, that method also comes with some "issues".

For car rental, each driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which must be used in conjunction with your normal D.L. You'd also need to be very careful to avoid the ZTL zones, especially in Florence. Each trip through a ZTL zone will result in a +€100 ticket! A GPS would also be a good idea, along with a good Map.

I'd probably arrange the stop in Pisa on the way from the C.T. to Florence.

Happy travels!

I spent a half day in Pisa on the way by train from Florence to CT. Easily done. Take taxis to/from the train station to the Leaning Tower. You will save time and with several people, the extra expense is minimal. However, you will pay about 5 euro per piece for luggage storage at the train station.

If you want to climb the Leaning Tower, you will probably have to book in advance.

Jo, you will find an different opinion for every reply. everyone has their own favorites. My point is read allot, ask allot, and then make Italy your own. My wife and I spent a week in Montepulciano in Oct, and loved it. We rented a car and drove from LaSpezia to Mp, after a few days in the CT. we dropped the car in Chiusi, caught a train, and enjoyed the ride to Venice. I LOVE trains. Never know who you will be sitting with, and this promotes a little multiculturalism, which scares me to death, but is really good for me. MP was a good base to see many small hilltowns. We loved them all, so it would be hard to single any out. we made the best of friends with the owners of our B&B, in MP, we keep in touch most every week. Long story short, point at a map, and head that direction. It is Italy, and you would be hard pressed to make a bad decision. I am envious, Jeff

Thanks everyone.....this is so very exciting, I love this site finding people who travel as we do, simple and with the locals. My sister's family took a Perillo Tour $$$ and didn't see half of what we did in the past,just doing research.