Italy itinerary suggestions

Is that Bomarzo? If so, yes, you need a car. There are mixed opinions on it. I had hoped to see it but couldn't because of the lack of public transportation. I later read that it's not worth a lot of effort to get to. Then someone else disagreed. So who knows?

Yes, that is Bomarzo. It very much appeals to me so I think it would be worth it for us.

That being said, I imagine we will make it back to Italy several more times in our lifetime so I do not worry if we can't see something on one particular trip. Same reasoning behind not visiting Florence on our honeymoon. :)

The Appenine Colossus could fit the bill perhaps for this trip?

You have the right idea about traveling slowly, and splitting your time in Rome and Tuscany is good.
I suggest you take a train up to Orvieto and pickup a Hertz car across the street from the train station.

An agriturismo (farm stay) will be perfect for your travel objectives. The farms in Tuscany (south of Florence) are very small--averaging 20 acres. Virtually every farm has apartments and/or rooms for rent as a secondary source of income.
I would suggest looking for an agriturismo outside of Poggibonsi, San Gimignano or Certaldo. You're a short distance from Florence for day trips, and great hilltowns like Siena and Volterra are also close.
Don't worry about renting a car to travel the back roads of Tuscany. The roads are very well paved and very well marked--but they're just a little crooked and hilly.

David, how easy is it to get in and out of Florence from an agriturismo? I'm guessing the car is out of the question, between general city craziness and no-drive zones, plus if we have a nice dinner in Florence with wine, that would equal no driving...would it be taxi/uber ride or walkable?

You cn easily daytrip by train or bus, but if you want a car, I would spend three nights in Firenze, pick up your car on the way out of town, drive around Tuscany and spend the last four nights in Roma, after you turn in the car (perhaps do that in Orvieto).

Arrive in Rome
Train via Pisa to Lucca (2nts)
Train to Florence (3nts)
Train/bus to Siena (2nts)
Train to Rome (3nts)
Depart from Rome

Thank you all for the suggestions, I will start planning in more detail and researching exactly where we want to visit in Tuscany.

Should Easter be factoring into our plans? Say we decided to spend our first three nights in Florence, that would mean we'd be in Florence for Good Friday and Easter Sunday. In a big place like Florence, will there be any major disruptions from the norm or will it be crazy busy? Monday is a major holiday from what I've read - do you think we'd have difficulty picking a rental car up that day if we followed that plan?

In a big place like Florence, will there be any major disruptions from the norm or will it be crazy busy? Monday is a major holiday from what I've read - do you think we'd have difficulty picking a rental car up that day if we followed that plan?

We were in Florence this year from Good Friday to Easter. It was busy but manageable. The Duomo was hard to get into on Good Friday. Make reservations for dinners and for Sunday lunch as a lot of people eat out for Easter lunch. The museums were open on Sunday but I believe most were closed Monday as the normal day of closure. Best thing to do is look at the websites of museums you are interested in and see the planned status for Easter Monday, aka Pasquetta.

There is a big ceremony in the Piazza del Duomo on Sunday at 11:00, involving fireworks. If you don't mind chaos, I hear it's a fun tradition.

As to the car rental, the airport locations are always open if the in town outlets are closed for the holiday.

I like djp' itenerary. However you also might consider 4 nights Rome and giving up one of the smaller towns for a night.

Did you do the Travestere Twighlight Food Tour in room? You might want to consider that this trip.

http://www.eatingitalyfoodtours.com/rome/tours/twilight-trastevere/

I have been back a week and after visiting Rome and Florence I say skip Rome. Florence is awesome, we stayed right by the Duomo in an airbnb apartment. We loved Tuscany the most, the hillsides of Chianti are out of this world.

Thanks Laurel and Lulu!

I am interested in the tradition at the Duomo. Also good to know about dinner/lunch reservations that day. When we settle on an itinerary, I'll start looking into that.

I think a rental at the airport would be a good way to go, if we end up staying in Florence at the beginning of our trip. I really want to see the Val d'Orcia area, Pienza, Montepulciano and Montalcino this trip.

Lulu, the food tour sounds AMAZING. We will have to do that! We did not make it to the Trastevere neighborhood our first visit to Rome.

I like djp's itinerary too! But, we only have 9 nights, not 10, I miscounted in my first post :( I need to keep doing more research (obviously so many combinations we could do) but here's a few ideas:

Florence Option
3 nights Florence
Pick rental car up at Florence airport Monday morning, 2 nights in Pienza area
4 nights Rome

Siena Option
3 nights Siena - we'd have to pick up our rental car Saturday since I'm sure they'll be closed Sunday
2 nights Pienza area
4 nights Rome
- the Siena portion we could spend time in Siena, maybe take a day trip to SG and and a day trip to Florence? We could go to SG on Saturday after we pick up our car; Sunday we could public transportation to Florence?

Our last day with the car, I'd love to see Civita, Parco dei Mostri, and Hadrian's Villa. I think that is too much for one day, so perhaps we save Civita for a return trip. However, that may not be for another few years though...do you think we should try to see it this trip considering the dangers it faces? We could return our car in Tivoli and bus into Rome.

Susanne, I missed your response while typing mine. There is NO way my husband would skip Rome. He was sick on our honeymoon and did not get to enjoy it as much as he wanted to. So, that's the part of this trip I think he's looking forward to the most. :) I'd love to have more time in the countryside of Italy, but we're limited to what we have. We can and will come back some day though!

Susanne had a bad experience in Roma (posted elsewhere) and said she does not plan to return.

I am with you, no way to skip Roma if you feel you didn't see enough of it before.

I've been doing more thinking about what we really want to accomplish this trip and now I'm wondering if we should slow down a bit more and stay 4 nights in a Tuscan town and 5 nights in Rome. That would give us 3 full days to focus on southern Tuscany and on our last day we could see Civita or Parco dei Mostri or Hadrians Villa before getting into Rome in the evening. So 4 full days of exploring and driving; my husband will likely want no more than that.

So if we do go with this slower method, we'd like a good base for exploring the region by car, one that is easy to get in and out of. We'd like somewhere with some quiet nightlife within walking distance of our lodging. Was thinking Pienza or Montepulciano possibly? I thought Siena might be good but I am worried that driving in Siena (or outside of it) would be stressful.

As far as lodging goes, we'd love something that is updated modern with old world charm, walkable for evening activities, and has a romantic view of the countryside. Does this place exist? :) We found it at Casa Selita in Orvieto on our honeymoon and would love to find it again in Tuscany. It seems that so many places are out in the country and not as walkable. I'd love any suggestions you have for us!

We stayed in at Antica Olivaia in Orvieto and it's an olive farm Agriturisimo and LOVED it! Daniele and Marco were fabulous hosts and we would go back anytime! In Tuscany we stayed at another Agriturisimo Marciano that was recommended on RS site. It was a bit larger, but just as wonderful. They offer dinners if you choose to eat there and it was very fun to visit and eat with all cultures of people staying there. We would definitely stay at either place again. Marciano was located perfect to visit Sienna, Montepulciano, the Chianti Trail and other sites for daily trips. If you're driving in Florence or Rome, watch the zones that are clearly marked to stay out, or you will be fined. Easier to park and walk, or take public transportation.