Train only itinerary help

The train goes to all these cities, however, most people prefer to take the bus to Siena because the train station is a distance away from the city center, while the bus unloads near the center.

All those cities and towns are connected by train and easy to visit that way. However, some people prefer to take the bus to Siena, as the train station is at the bottom of the hill. But you could take a taxi to your hotel from the train station.

From Siena to Lucca you may have to return to Florence to get the train. There may be a direct bus. And then from Lucca to Ravenna you will go back through Florence, and then probably to Bologna. Many people see Ravenna on a daytrip from Bologna—-that would save you one hotel change.

And you can fly back to the US from Bologna instead of backtracking to Rome. We did that a year ago on British Airways, and it was great—a nice easy little airport close to town (a 17€ taxi ride for us).

I would fly into Rome and out of Bologna so you don't have to return to Rome. This April I returned to the US from Bologna via London.

I would do this order: Rome, Sienna, Florence, Lucca, Ravenna and Bologna.

If you have enough time (and it appears you do if you plan just a quick visit to Rome--I assume not your first), Ravenna totally justifies a couple of nights if you're really into mosaics. It has a nice historic center, an art museum and over ten mosaic-related sights. I spent 3 nights (just 2 full days) there last year, and I was on the go the entire time.

Thank you all for these great suggestions! They are very helpful. Taking the bus to Sienna is great to know about. Also all the mosaics to see in Ravenna as we really love seeing art in general and would like to see lots of mosaics. Seeing the art in these towns/cities is a priority as is just being in these towns and feeling what it is like to be there!

If you can fly home from Bologna as noted above- I would do this to avoid some of the backtracking due to train routes:

Rome 6 nights
FlixBus to Siena (note spelling) 2 nights
Bus to Florence 7 nights
Train to Lucca- 2 or 3 nights
Train to Ravenna 3 nights- via Bologna- change in Prato or Florence-then change in Bologna

Ravenna can be seen as a day trip from Bologna (1 hr 11 min train runs every hour).
We enjoyed 2 nights (1.5 days) there and had just enough time for most of the mosaics, so I would recommend at least 2 nights.

If you can’t fly home from Bologna then I would head to Siena on landing- put all Rome nights at end to avoid split stay there
Siena- 3
Florence- 7
Lucca 2-3
Ravenna 3- it will take a while to get here- leaves you with 2 full days
Bologna 2-3
Rome 6

Play around on Trenitalia site to see what your options for routes and travel times are. Just use same day of week for a week now since schedules for may won’t be out for a few more weeks (Dec 12)

Remember each location change will take a half day or more. Your first day is jet lag- take that into account.

Station names
Roma Termini
Firenze SM Novella
Bologna Centrale
Ravenna
Lucca
Siena (bus is easier to/from Siena)

I am copying from my other post:

Thanks for all the help. I did find flights from
London to Rome, and from Bologna back to London on British Airways, mid day, so I think we will do that. And get separate tickets from the US to London and stay a few days in London on either end of the trip.

So the idea of starting in Rome and leaving from Bologna might be the one we choose!

If we were to add Orvieto into our itinerary, where would be a good spot if we did
Rome
Sienna
Florence
Lucca
Ravenna Bologna

Orvieto is just over an hour train ride from Rome
Great place for first stop on your arrival day
Give it 2 nights

Rome
Orvieto
Siena

Train from Orvieto to Siena will mean transfer in Chiusi