Italy...Stay in one place/ or move around???????

OK...I have "Trip Planning ADHD".... I found a wonderful place in the Lake Como region, with views of the lake, so am thinking 3 nights there? then skip CInque Terre, and do 4 nights TUscany? Ahhhhh....I am soooo overwhealmed.....

First of all, I would take the car at Piazzale Roma instead of the airport to avoid the 20% pick-up tax. Check with autoeurope.com and europcar.com first. They are brokers and they use the big name car rental companies. Your second ADHD itinerary seems more leisurely and may be more appealing. SOmetimes less is more. Buon viaggio,

Yes, I think we will skip Cinque Terre, and do Lake Como and then Tuscany. Those are the two places we both want to see. I found a lovely place with views of the lake, and right across from Belagio. Hotel Villa Marie? I also have inquiries at a couple of places in Tuscany. What driving route would you all recommend? We will do Venice June 29, 30 Pick up car July 1 - drive to Lake Como area (stop in Verona for lunch?) July 2, 3 - Lake Como region (suggestions?) July 4 - drive to Tuscany? I know this is a LONG drive....could we stop in Lucca? or too much? July 5, 6, 7 - Tuscany - (Volterra, San Gimigagno, Sienna) any other ideas? July 8 - drive back to Venice (quick stop in Bologna?) July 9 - fly home( late flight) What do you think?????
Thanks!!!

I was underwhelmed by Lake Como although did see Clooney. It sounds as though you want to visit the smaller towns and lovely countryside Italy offers. Consider this itinerary. Use Orvieto as your most southern boundary. Venice to Verona, lunch, and then wander around. If you like Verona stay the night. If not don't. Early morning head out for Siena, a mere 3 hour drive. Siena for two nights or make it your home base. With a car you have a lot to explore in the area including Orivieto. Orivieto is a good base as well. Simply take your day trips from either place. Wonderful small hill towns abound, San Casciano die bagni, Montepulciano, Radicofani ( I still dream of the soup I had at La Grotta in Radicofani). This is the countryside you'll love. There's much more to Florence than the museums but with a car, not so much. If you stopped in Lucca you could take a bus into Florence. Train is slower. Bus is quicker. Wander around Florence then back to Lucca for the night. Lucca is a lovely town. Head back to Venice the next day. Take deep breaths, don't over plan. To experience Italy properly you must embrace La Dolce Vita!!! Get a good map and relax!

I was going to suggest you drop Cinque Terre, it is difficult with a car and makes the rest too rushed. Check out Eremo Gaudio for Lake Como. It is perched above Varenna. My boss stayed there and loved it. And if you like swimming pools, take a look at Il Mulino di Quercegrossa. They have seven pools of varying types, including one with a current and waterfall. It is situated in a vineyard just north of Siena on the Chianti Highway so makes a good base for seeing the area by car. Rooms are simple and moderately priced.

It would be a shame to visit Italy and not see Rome. While Rome may be hectic and a bit chaotic, it doesn't feel like a city with 3 million people. Part of the reason is that Rome has no skyscrapers - there is an old local ordinance that no building can be higher than the nearest church. Even though I have not been in Rome since 2008, from time to time I pull out the following quote (excerpt from the introduction to The Smiles of Rome - A Literary Companion for Readers and Travelers - edited by Susan Cahill): ...Rome has the power to blow your mind and heart, delivering man, woman, and child from small mindedness, bestowing a much larger capacity for the beauty of the world than you started out with....it's the accumulation of pasts in Rome and one's consciousness of those layers - in the city and in one's self - that can make Rome a life-changing experience. Once Rome enters your consciousness, your perspective on human time may change, deepen, mellow....the whole city seems to pulsate with hidden presences, a register of the human psyche and of 28 centuries of history striated by horror, by thrilling legends, and anonymous kindness...Getting to know Rome, we come home to ourselves...

I would suggest that you spend another night in Venice at the beginning of your trip. It's a magical city, and wonderful for just wandering around and looking at everything. And for sitting and cafes and people-watching. And, of course, if you'd like, there are many interesting churches and other places with wonderful paintings in them. I like churches in Italy because I can enjoy them and their art (still placed where the paintings were created to be, as opposed to taken out and put in a museum), without committing hours to a museum. So maybe even your husband would like them. My husband and I just didn't "click" with Lake Como. We found that area of Italy pretty but rather dull (possibly because we like history and culture mixed in with beauty). But lots of other people really enjoy the area. In addition to the smaller Tuscan towns that you named, also consider Montalcino and Montepulciano, both know for their excellent wine (Brunello and Vino Nobile, respectively).