Itinerary Question

IMHO, you are trying to do too much. I would suggest the following, taking into consideration transit times between cities: Days 1 - 3 Rome Day 4 - morning train to Florence, get to hotel, check in, etc. Day 5 - Florence Day 6 - Florence Day 7 - 8 - Casale Day 9 - see hilltown in Tuscany Day 10 - drop car and morning train to Venice Day 11 - Venice
Day 12 - leave for home

Agree with ekc, except take a day from Florence and add to Venice. Assuming you have to be in Casale on day 6 and 7 but even if you are flexible I'd still subtract from Florence and add to Venice.

It is a tight itinerary. Day 1 in Rome you are going to be pretty exhausted so you are not going to be able to see too much. Since you are leaving Rome on Day 3 that really only leaves you 1 full day in Rome. That is not alot of time. There is so much to see in Rome. Two days in Florence, two days in Cinqure Terre works and two days in Venice is tight but can work. I might cut out Casale and spend more time in Rome, especially if you have never been there and really want to see some great sites. In terms of the rental car, we like to rent cars when we travel. Many would say rent as little as possible but not me. I would rent the car in Florence, drive to CT but park in and use train to visit towns, but than take the drive to Venice and turn it in there. We drove from CT to Venice and stopped in Padua along the way to see the Giotto Fresco. I enjoy the drive and seeing the country but also liked to make it easy to stop in Padua along the way. Just use a GPS if you drive. In Venice you can turn the car in a the airport and it's easy to get to the island itself.

Thank ypu ekc, Tom, and Ron for your wonderful suggestions. I figured we were being over zealous...so I will scratch any attempt to do a hill town and leave it at: Days 1-3 Rome Day 4 Florence (leave Rome in the early morning train) Day 5 Florene - (drive to Casale in the PM) Days 6 & 7 Casale (these are not negotiable :-/ ) Day 7 - evening drive to CT Day 8 CT Day 9 CT - drive to Venice mid-day (I really like this suggestion - had not considered it - I think it will save us a couple of hours in figuring out where to return the car and changing trains- I understand that it is a 4hr. drive?) Day 10 Venice Day 11 Venice
Day 12 Fly home Is this better?

Linda, To begin with, I'm not sure a car rental would be a benefit with this Itinerary. You can easily reach all the places you're visiting via train. A car is of little use in the C.T., so it will sit in a car park gathering dust. Be sure you're aware of the "caveats" regarding driving in Italy. If you need further information, post another note. There are also some potentially expensive "caveats" when travelling by train in Italy, so it would be a good idea to pick up a copy of the Italy Guidebook (or download an E-book copy). It's a wealth of information and will save you time, money and aggravation on your trip. Your Itinerary looks quite reasonable, albeit slightly "busy". A few thoughts.... > Rome - you'll be jet lagged on Day 1 so probably won't get much sightseeing done. It would be a good idea to pre-book a Hotel (I prefer the Termini area as it's convenient to transportation). The Guidebook has good suggestions for minimizing queues at major attractions. > Florence - I'd head for Florence via Freccia train after breakfast on Day 4. That will give you a bit more time in Rome. The trip is ~1.5 hours (the train travels at 300 kMH). A 10:45 departure would get you to Florence just after noon. Leave your bags at the Hotel and start touring. If you plan on visiting the Uffizi or Accademia, ask your Hotel to make reservations (details on booking in the Guidebook). If you wanted to visit another hill town in Tuscany, it's very easy to travel by Bus from Florence to Siena for a day trip. However, that would reduce your sightseeing time in Florence. The trip is very easy, and about the same time as travel by train. continued......

Linda - Part 2.... > Casale Monferrato - the trip by rail from Florence is ~4 hours, usually with two changes. According to MapQuest, the driving distance from Florence to Casale is 362 kM and driving time ~3.5 hours. I really doubt that you'll be able to get there in that time. IMO, the train would be a better choice (and much more relaxing). > Cinque Terre - the rail trip from Casale to Monterosso (the most northerly of the towns) is ~ 3-4 hours, usually with two changes (be sure you're up-to-speed on the concept of changing trains in Italy - if you need further information, post another note). > Venice - the trip from the C.T. to Venice will be ~5.5 hours with 1 or 2 changes. The time will vary slightly depending on which of the five C.T. you depart from. One important point to mention is that most towns have two or more rail stations, so it's important to choose the correct one when you're buying tickets. For example, in Rome you'll be using Roma Termini, in Florence it will be Firenze S.M.N. and in Venice it will be Venezia Santa Lucia. For the trip to the Cinque Terre, the station will depend on which town you're staying in. Especially with the Cinque Terre, I would recommend getting Hotels booked NOW!!! If you need further information, post another note. Good luck with your planning and happy travels!