From what I've read of Florence it sounds busy, etc. We will be coming from Rome so I anticipate we may be tired of the crowds.
We do want to see Florence and Tuscany. Are we better off doing day trips from Florence(at this point we have not rented a car)? Or should we do 2 days in Florence and 2 in Sienna or another town?
We will be heading back to Rome afterward to catch a plane home.
I totally agree with Steve's suggestion. I would rent your car in Siena & stay somewhere close to Siena and then make day trips to the other hill towns that interest you. Then, drive to Orvieto, drop your car off there, spend the day in Orvieto & then take the train back to Rome. You should not attempt to drive in Florence or in Rome. I would spend 2-3 days in Florence & then move on. Consider staying in an agriturismo near Siena for 3-4 days; it's a unique experience & very easy if you have a car. It will be a slower pace than staying in Florence & taking day trips. Have a great trip.
This sounds like a good plan and I love the idea of renting a car but is it worth it for only two days? (2 Florence - 2 Sienna area) Is it easy to rent a car in Sienna?
another option, which we have done in the past, is to stay in a smaller hilltown as a base. Siena is not a small town; you can stay in smaller ones such as Cortona, Perugia, etc. You can do this either with a car or without; the car is more convenient, but there are buses from the hilltowns down to the train station. Having done it both ways, you can see more with the car but still have a fine time by train.
If you anticipate being tired of crowds, then go from Rome to the hilltown, stay 2 days, then on to Florence. Makes it easy to get back to Rome at the end with the hi-speed train.
We may do this in reverse starting in Rome and going to the Hill Cities as we realized our only full day in Florence would be a Sunday if we went from Rome to Florence and many things are not open.
