Multi-city or Round Trip?

Boy, two half days would be rushed and frantic for me. A little Rome is better than no Rome at all, unless you’re spending so much of your time arriving and departing, and not really getting to see/experience Rome.

As for airports, what about flying in and out of Florence, giving you more time there? Or flying in to Pisa, which is even closer to Lucca? I don’t know how this compares to your other options, for price or travel time, but British Airways flys from Houston to London, then London to Pisa.

Just to clarify, the two 1/2 days would be consecutive. Meaning, we arrive around 1 pm on Friday and don't need to depart for Lucca until after lunch on Saturday. Not sure if that would make a difference.

If we don't fly into Rome, we plan on flying in and out of Florence since it's closer to Lucca.

That’s different. Actually spending a night in Rome would allow you to see a sight or two on Day 1, and maybe another sight the morning of Day 2. That would be worthwhile.

I made some edits to my first posting, so again for what it’s worth, there is a way to connect Houston with the Pisa airport, by way of London, on British Airways. Pisa’s even closer than Florence to Lucca, but I don’t know how it compares price-wise or flight-time-wise.

We always fly into any European city a day early, because of the increase ( post- COVID) of flight cancelations, delays, labor strikes, weather- you name it.
Sometimes those smaller airports are expensive to fly into/ out of, depends on what mood the algorithms are in that season.
In any case, have a great trip!

Just a couple ideas for limited time in Rome:

Day 1: ON the day you arrive, take a walking tour that starts near Piazza Navona and includes Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain. There are lots of them and we did one that started around 5pm and ended a couple hours later. Then you will sleep good!
Day 2: Vatican, Sistine Chapel, St. Peters tour that starts EARLY so as to beat the crowds. Then, in afternoon, do the Colosseum, Roman Forum area. It will be a full day but you will see a lot.
Day 3: Lots of other options--Borghese Gallery, Cooking Class, golf cart tour in evening, etc.

You won't see everything in Rome, but will give you an excuse to come back.

Florence also can't be seen in just one total day. And many attractions require pre-booking. You don't say if Florence is a two-segment air flight from/to your home. Have you looked up the train times, perhaps by booking tickets but not clicking "Pay"?

What is the total number of nights away from home? I ask in case the Birthday party is a very short trip for you. If you can only take a limited number of days off from work, it's pointless to tell you how much there is to see in both Rome and in Florence. Is IAH your home airport? Another issue is non-changeable discount tickets for fast-trains (say, Frecciarossa) towards Lucca versus slower trains where it doesn't matter if your flight is late and you miss your intended train.

It is never enough time, no matter how much time you have. So, you should do whatever you want to do, whether it's a peek at Rome or not! I would let the flights be the deciding factor, whichever one gives you the best bang for your buck.
Check Pisa also, which is even closer to Lucca and offers as many flights as Florence I believe.

Hi Elizabeth and welcome to the forum!
So the first 1/2 day - actually it's LESS than 1/2 a day with a 1:00 arrival at Fiumicino - would be right off a transatlantic flight, and the 2nd would be the day you'd be heading off to Lucca for the Saturday-to-Saturday stay, right? Arg. Having to get your bearings in a hurry - you'll need to find your accommodation and unload your luggage before doing anything else - and in potentially jet-lagged condition would be stressful. That 2nd morning, while not as jet-lagged, would also be rushed as you'll need to be checking out in the late morning, getting to the station, finding your platform, etc. While I love Rome, we've also given it enough time TO love it. 99% of the people I know who didn't like it didn't give it enough time to get to know her. They were simply overwhelmed with the crowds and having to figure out where things are and how things work in a fat hurry. She's much easier to manage and enjoy in smaller bites! As is often said, Rome wasn't built in a day, and can't be seen in one! :O)

Same as Tim mentioned up about Florence, there is also the issue of the most-visited attractions needing advance, timed-entry reservations. If just a walk by the Colosseum would be enough for you, then that's perfectly fine. If you want to see the inside, then you're going to need to make the reservations a month or so before you go. Same with the Vatican museums...which you definitely do NOT want to try and see in jet-lagged condition.

Most of us don't recommend making timed-entry reservations for arrival day anyway as transport snags (cancelled flights; delayed flights; baggage delays) are not uncommon, and tickets are almost always non-refundable.

Florence: trying to see that one is a day would be frustrating, IMHO. The "Cradle of Italian Renaissance" has a wealth of treasures to offer IF you have interest in those treasures. Not a fan of Renaissance art or art in general? Then just a walkabout with a pop into a few churches (some have entry fees), and scenic spots would work for you. Some of the churches offer some really nice frescoes by Renaissance-era who's-whos that you can see for free; they can be considered art museums in-and-of themselves. Again, this would be a small-bite approach versus trying to deal with, say, the mighty Uffizi (advance timed-entry tickets are a must) or Pitti Palace on a compressed timeline. The Accademia will also require timed-entry tickets if trying to cover ground in a hurry; you don't have time to waste standing in a line.

Any chance one of the planned day trips from Lucca is to Florence, so you'd have more than one opportunity there? And any chance of arriving in Rome another day or two earlier and/or departing from Florence a day or two later than planned?

(Edited)

If they had 1 full plus 2 half days days, I might have advised differently but with only two half days and one of those is arrival day when jet lag can make it tough to absorb very much...

As great as Rome is, I think I would give it a miss unless you could add at least another whole day. Just getting off the plane, out of the airport, and to your hotel could take a couple hours. Then you have to check in and get your bearings and make your way to some place you want to see. If you don’t have advance, timed tickets for a sight you may find it difficult to get in, and with so little time you don’t want to be waiting in long lines. The day you leave you will probably have to check out of your hotel by noon, so that really limits you, also, unless you can score some early morning tickets to something. Florence is much smaller, and with your limited time it might be more enjoyable to walk around.

It depends on what you want to visit. If you want to visit both Florence and Rome, then yes, a multicity open jaw flight IAH-FCO and then FLR-IAH (or viceversa if you want to visit Florence first) makes sense. Generally a round trip flight costs less, but the price savings may not be big enough and may be negated by the additional train cost (and extra time).
If you plan to fly into (or out of) Florence, be aware that Lufthansa and AirFrance have the most flights to Florence (from Frankfurt and Paris CDG respectively), therefore those airlines might give you the best option, however KLM via Amsterdam would be good too (3 daily pairs FLR-AMS)

Is being in Italy more days possible? That is the real solution

You know better than I that Sept is still hurricane season and how that can mess with airport operations. If you do choose to do the half days in Rome, Arrival in Rome 'on schedule' is not a certainty. I would not book any timed tour for the arrival day.

You could do as miuccia advises and just 'wander' with whatever time you have.

If you can add just 2 nights-

Fly into Florence or Pisa (Pisa is closer to Lucca) and travel right to Lucca villa. Is the villa inside town walls or will some have cars if outside of town walls? Either way it's a better place to get over jet lag than Rome.
Hopefully you can day trip to Florence a few times? It's an inexpensive regional train so no need to purchase tix in advance. There are some very good museums and sights that do not require prebooking (San Marco, Bargello, Santa Croce...)

Then put your extra 2 nights at end of trip, spend them in Rome. At least that way you are not jet lagged in Rome- you'll have the better part of one day and another full day to enjoy. Plus 2 evenings for apertivo and passegiatta.
Unless you MUST tour Colosseum, Vatican etc- - I'd just see Colosseum from the outside. Enjoy the view of the Forum from behind Capitlone.
If you want to see some art- either free in many churches and/or book a visit to Borghese- it's only a 2 hour time slot so not a huge time suck. Jaw dropping sculptures. One of the best museums in Europe.

Wow! Thanks so much for all the insights! This is incredibly helpful.

Interestingly, the multi-city flight turns out to be the same price as a round trip. Flying into Pisa would be ideal, though our options are looking better for Florence or Rome.

While my husband and I usually fly by the seat of our pants, the idea of exploring Rome while jet-lagged feels a bit daunting. I can definitely see the appeal of recuperating peacefully in Lucca instead.

We're hoping to tack on an extra two days at the end of the trip for Rome, although we'll be anxious to return home to our kids and give our family members a break from caring for tweens and teens. :)

Exploring Florence is definitely a priority for us, so we'll make a point to visit during the week. We have a few excursions scheduled but also plenty of free time.

Our villa is outside the city walls, so we're planning to rent a car in Florence.

Among the scheduled excursions with the group are a walking tour of Lucca, a winery tour day, and a yacht excursion in Cinque Terre. Any must-see places or activities near Lucca (aside from Florence) that we should consider? My husband is particularly keen on the Ferrari Museum in Modena.

Thanks again for all your help!

Any must-see places or activities near Lucca (aside from Florence) that we should consider?

Word is there is a bell tower in Pisa that gets lot of attention for its unique orientation to vertical

Lucca to Modena is almost three hours, so maybe plan your next trip for Rome and that region?

I loved the mountains up above Lucca--Barga is a nice town.
Definitely plan a good scenic drive to the south one day. If you want to head toward the coast, Tellaro is gorgeous.
If you don't have a Tuscany specific guide book, the tourism websites are quite helpful:
https://www.visittuscany.com/en/index.html
https://www.discovertuscany.com/tourist-info/#google_vignette

If you share other interests, people will surprise you with amazing suggestions!