Planning a 14 day trip

Consider flying into Venice and out of Pisa. This will eliminate backtracking. As for driving, carefully read up on the driving laws in Italy. You must get an International driver permit for everyone who will be driving. All towns have ZTL's, limited traffic zones, that you cannot enter without being fined hundreds of euros. There are restricted lanes and speed zones. Be aware of these and other conditions before you leave so you won't have any unpleasant surprises. As for "must see" stuff, only you and your family can decide what you must see. We all have our own ideas of what's interesting and important. My list might not be the same as yours. With over a year to plan you have plenty of time to come up with a list of your own "must sees". Donna

Thank you Donna! Will keep this in mind. I was under the impression its okay to drive with our American license if its just a few weeks? We travel to Germany every year and never get an international license. I have to look into it!

Suzanne, we drive in France too, without an International Permit, but Italy requires one. It's really no big deal! Just go to your local AAA office and they'll give you one for $15 -. Just a little red tape.

Susanne ,not meaning to be a harbinger of fear ,but to be forewarned is to be forearmed as my mother used to say , Get the IDP for anyone who will be behind the wheel in Italy . As Donna says ,it's no big deal , but if you are in a scrape at some point ,though it may not be your fault ,you can be held responsible for all damage because , technically , you will be considered an unlicensed driver which can , in turn void your insurance coverage , Don't take that chance !! PS reading the ubiquitous fine print in the contract is a good idea .

If Rome is at the bottom of the list, skip it! It's still hot here in September anyway. You really cannot rent a house in one location and see the other locations on your list as the distances are too far. Would you rent a house in New York and day trip to Boston by car? Italy is bigger than it looks! Consider flying into Venice, spend the time you need to there (I recommend 4 nights), then Parma(for how long I do not know I have never been there), and then pick a place in Tuscany, maybe south of Florence, and spend a week in a house to wrap up your trip. The day trips may involve some long drives, but it might be better than moving around too much. I say southern Tuscany to put Assisi within range for a day trip. You can fly out of Florence, perhaps. You absolutely do not need a car in Venice as it would be in a parking lot the whole time. Rent one as you leave, if you like, to drive to Parma. Personally I'd use trains until you leave Parma. Then you can rent one for the Tuscany portion of the trip.

I think you are right staying in one place and driving is just too much. We just moved from FL to RI and the long distances driving in FL was just "normal
I will look into staying in Venice as someone said for a few days! I was in Venice once as a teenager, did not see much besides the plaza. I assume hotels are in Venice directly or do we have to take a water taxi every day? Florence is a must too, so is Parma< yes I love the food> Assisi I think we could do in a day. We would rather rent a house / apartment so we can cook ourselves. I will call AAA today and see about the international licenses even for Germany.We are leaving for Germany DEc 19th..

It's not a "license" it's a permit. It's a translation of you license into many different languages so if something happens the authorities can understand what your actual license says. You'll need both the IDP and your license to rent and operate a car in Italy. Donna

A small thing, Suzanne, but an important one. It is an International Driver Permit not License. If you get the permit from the AAA it will be correct. If you try to take a shortcut and get something like an International Driving License from the Internet you will be the victim of a scam - the IDL is worthless. You must have an IDP in Italy for the reasons mentioned above.

If you want to stay in one place and travel from there Someplace outside Florence would be good but be prepared for long drives. You can drive around Tuscany, to Assisi, Parma and Venice. I would skip Rome for this trip. I would fly into Venice and then rent a car when you leave. You don't need to take water taxis in Venice you can walk or take vaporettos which are water buses You can buy daily, 3 day or weekly passes.

George's suggestion of Poggibonsi is a good one , the surrounding area is lovely , and you have good access to it , especially by car . There is , in addition to the IDP ,one other major consideration when driving in Italy ; Many towns and cities are rife with what are known as ZTL zones . This board is littered with remarks from travelers who , unaware , drove into one of these restricted traffic areas and sometimes received citations for multiple violations ,they arrive in the mail several months after your trip . Firenze , Siena , the hill towns ( Montepulciano , San Giminiagno , et al ) all have Zona Traffico Limitato areas . Florence is probably the most notorious among inexperienced travelers . Without going into great detail ,look at the archived postings here and do your homework ,it's not that hard to avoid them . While on our recent trip to Italy we traveled mostly by rail , I did have a car for four days in Tuscany which enabled us to enjoy the hill towns and the countryside with ease .

I think you guys are awesome with some great ideas and tips! George are you available to be our tour guide? Just kidding! Everyone had some great ideas and I will check into them later tonight. Thank you again!

Consider Pistoia, about 15 miles out of Florence & rarely visted by tourists. Right on the main train line ( and hwy ) to Pisa, Lucca & the CT region.

Bob will check it out thanks!