I am traveling to Italy next year and would like input on this itinerary specifically around the Tuscany part.
Arrive Rome and stay for 4 nights
Then we want to stay in Montaicino and use it as a base for day trips by car.
FIRST QUESTION - should we rent the car in Rome and drive to Montaicino or should we travel by train to Montaicino (or the nearest area where we can rent a car) then get the car. I know we don't want to drive in Rome and the big cities so would getting out of Rome be a challenge if we drove from there?
We are thinking of getting to Montaicino early and exploring. The next day we are doing Rick Steve's Heart of Tuscany Drive. SECOND QUESTION: The next day we were thinking of driving to see Siena, Volterra and San Gimignano. Is that too much for one day? Maybe it wouldn't be if we stayed in Siena and didn't drive back to Montaicino since Florence is our next stop. What do you think?
Then we are spending a couple of nights in Florence then traveling to the Lake Como area to finish out the trip and fly out of Milan.
THIRD QUESTION: Have I made any glaring errors in my plans?