Lunch spot?

Bologna, Parma or Modena for sightseeing and/or lunch.

ms,

Just curious, are you driving right after a long international flight?

Thanks, Zoe! I will research each of those.

No, Ken. We are staying in Venice several days and then renting a car for our travel to Florence, Tuscany and Rome.

Hi mschonekas,
We loved Bologna- amazing city. Parma was interesting, but is not exactly 'on the way', we had to detour quite a bit off the direct highway (we were doing the same drive as you). This summer, doing pretty much the same trip, we are planning on Modena- sounds like it's well worth a quick stop- we plan on doing a tour of a balsamic vinegar factory while we're there. I don't think you could really go wrong with Modena or Bologna.
Robert in Montreal

Unless you stay somewhere outside of Florence, like in a country house or hotel, you should travel by train. It's faster, cheaper, and there are severe traffic restrictions for non residents in Florence and all the towns along your itinerary.

Also why wold you need to go to the airport to pick up your car? If you are in Ve, the Piazzale Roma would be much more convenient. In the time it takes to go from Venice to the airport and be on your rental car ready to go, a high speed train can get you from the Grand Canal all the way to Florence. Where are you staying once you get to Florence? And where do you intend o visit?

Thanks for the clarification on your plans. Referring to the question Roberto asked, are you planning to stay right in Florence with a rental car? As you may be aware, the city is just about saturated with automated ZTL cameras, so that could be an expensive trip.

Thanks to all for the added information. We are taking some friends who have never visited Europe for a quick trip in Greece and Italy to whet their appetites for more travel later. We want to travel by car from Venice-Florence-Rome (staying 2 nights in an agriturismo on the way) so we can stop whenever we want to have a small 'moment'.

We have traveled by car throughout Italy before, including Florence, three years past. Thanks for the heads up on the ZTLs. If they were there 3 years ago, somehow we managed to do okay, even though we were ignorant! As they say, ignorance is bliss!

Ciao, all!