My wife and I are going to Italy in March. We fly into Rome and have accommodations for 4 days. We are in our late 60’s and this trip is more about enjoying the food and people and not much on sightseeing. After Rome, we plan on taking the train to Florence for 2 days. Then, and this is really my need for help, I thought we would rent a car in Florence and make our way back to Rome by visiting and staying in some of the hill towns of Tuscany…maybe Volterra, Cortona, and Orvieto before heading back to Rome and the flight back home. Does anyone have suggestions? Can you rent a car for a one way trip such as this? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
One way rentals can be expensive with the drop off fee. Check that out. We have done this trip many times. Since you didn't say how many days total you have, here are my once cents.
Florence is lovely. Enjoy it much more than Rome. There is so much to do and see, so walkable, and great good, wine, and just totally enjoyable. Depending on where you stay, you feel a part of the City. We fell Rome to be so overrun with tourists these days, it's hard to immerse yourself.
On our last trip in the Fall, we spent 5 nights in Florence, with a day trip on the train to Lucca and Pisa. It was a very easy day. Once we left Florence, we took the train to Cortona and spent 3 nights. It is such a lovely hill town, and you can easily feel like you are a part of the community. While in Cortona, we took the train (easy ride) to Chiusi where we picked up a rental for the day and explored Pienza, Montepulciano (been many times there), and the countryside. Lovely day, Returned car to the rental place, and trained back to Cortona. When leaving Cortona, we took the train to Orvieto. Loved Orvieto. Easy to walk around, we did the underground tour, very interesting, and the cathedral there is beautiful. We stayed in a ground-level apartment steps from everything which made us feel like a local. After our night in Orvieto, we took the train to Rome (which we have been to many many times) for two nights. It was plenty for us. We flew into Florence and ended up in Rome.
Had a great time.