Restaurants and sightseeing passes for Finalised itinerary for Nov 16

Yogi, just clarifying:

• Day 6 ,7 - Morning bus to Siena, Siena and San gimignano, overnight in Siena
• Day 8, 9 - Morning train to Orvieto, overnight in Orvieto

You are staying in Siena and Orvieto for two nights for each?

Day 10, 11, 12 -Morning train to Rome , Rome, fly out of Rome

You're flying out on the 12th?

If you want to see the Uffizi and the Academia while in Florence, please be sure to reserve in advance.

Yes, 2 nights each at Siena and Orvieto.
Flying out early morning of day 13. Three nights in Rome.

In my opinion, you only need one night each in Siena and Orvieto, assuming you have 1.5 days in each. I'd add the extra day in Florence, Venice or Rome (in that order). Or stay another day in Siena and take a day trip to Orvieto from Siena or Rome.
I skipped Lucca and Pisa in order to spend more time in the big cities.

The Roma and Firenze Passes are totally worth the money for their line-skipping benefits. To get the value you should sit down and plan out those days in advance....and read Steve's books for tips on what to see and in what order.

Book in advance:
Rome: Vatican Museum and Borgese Gallery. Use pass for Colosseum/Forum and Castel San Angelo.
Florence: The Duomo and Campanile if you plan to climb and the Academia. Use the pass for the Uffizi if you can go early in the day otherwise make a reservation at all three instead of getting the pass.

Za Za trattoria in Florence is highly recommended for the tangerine marmalade and meatballs. Steak, boar, risotto and gelato are also things you should eat in Florence. I had the pigeon risotto at the wine bar directly across from the Pitti plaza, yum! There is a famous gelato place down a back street near here too.

There is a tiny hole in the wall pasta place behind the Doges palace in Venice that was great but I don't remember the name.

Eat dinner in the Trasevere area in Rome (as Steve also recommends) it is a local's hang out. Daily gelato breaks are a must for energy, break and taste comparison.

I saw a vegan restaurant via romana, oltrarno in Florence.
I have not tried it yet.
Will do this next September when I will be again in Florence.

Many pasta dishes are vegan.
Many pizze also.

Italian eat a lot an incredible variety of veg and fruits compared with Americans, so do not be scared not to find a vegan dish in any restaurant you might go.

Thanks for clarifying your schedule, Yogi. I'm glad that you have 3 nights in Rome!

Any sightseeing/ travel cards that I should buy for the duration that
I'm in the cities??

I wouldn't bother with the Firenze Card. That one is good for 72 hours, and as you've really only 1 full day and part of another for Florence, it wouldn't be worth the 72€ price. For a November trip I think the only attraction I'd pre-purchase tickets for would be the Uffizi. Queues shouldn't be a problem anywhere else. Order Uffizi tickets here (scroll to the bottom and click "English Version.":

http://www.b-ticket.com/b-ticket/uffizi/

The Roma Pass may or may not be a benefit. The 72-hour version doesn't cost as much as the Firenze Card (38,50 €) but only provides ticketless entry to any two of the attractions it covers; anything above that is just at discount. It does not cover the Vatican. This one also covers limitless use of most of central Rome's transit system (not to the airports) but whether you plan to use metro/buses a lot is a personal decision? We've spent almost all of our time in Rome on our feet, and just grabbed a couple of single-ride tickets from newsstands for quick access to destinations further afield than not. Anyway, it's a matter of doing the math/weighing the convenience against your must-do list: no right or wrong to it.

Tickets for the Vatican Museum can be ordered from its website:
http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Home.html

The only other attraction with long queues is the ticket line for the Colosseum. In November, I think it would be easiest to scoot on over the Palatine or Forum ticket kiosks in the morning (all three of these attractions are on a single ticket) and buy them there. Once you have the ticket in hand, you can skip that line at the Colosseum and go directly to security check. Do be aware that no pass or ticket allows you to skip security check lines anywhere at all, OK? They shouldn't be much of a hold-up at that time of the year, though. Your ticket is good for two consecutive days, and you are allowed to do the Colosseum on one of them and the Palatine/Forum on another, if you wish to split them up. However, It makes sense to do them all on the same day as they're grouped together in the same area of the city.

If Galleria Borghese is on your list, you MUST make a reservation in advance even if you intend to use the Roma Pass. If you are not using the pass, you can do that online here:

http://www.tosc.it/tickets.htm?affiliate=T2C&sort_by=event_datum&sort_direction=asc&fun=erdetail&doc=erdetaila&erid=912678&language=en

If you intend to use the pass, you have to make your reservation by phone: +39 06 32810
See more details on the Borghese here:

http://www.ticketone.it/obj/media/IT-eventim/pdf/en/galleria-borghese-5.pdf

The info about having to check cameras is incorrect: you are allowed to take photos in the museum.

Hope this helps!

Thanks Kathy..That was really helpful.. thanks for all the links it really makes it easy for me..

You're welcome! Have a great trip!

We used the roma pass, but we did use transit a lot as we went out to the aqueducts and the catacombs and stayed near Termini in Rome. We loved this place in the area of the Spanish Steps, great food, small place with fun owners. http://www.elizabethminchilliinrome.com/2015/05/fiaschetteria-beltrame-rome/ It is small and so for dinner either reserve or be there right at 7.