Travel from Venice to Florence and Florence to Rome

With 6 people and luggage you will need a van- and no I would not drive from Venice to Florence or Florence to Rome.
You do not want or need a car in either Florence or Rome.

Train is so easy and probably less expensive- just take the train!

If you need info- just ask or search forums- lost of threads on how/when to book trains.

Agreed, the trains in Italy are super easy and really nice. We did this in reverse a few years ago, Rome to Florence to Venice all by train. Here's the website - https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html - but also search this forum as there is a ton of info. Have a great trip!

Since dtmme has ruled out the most obvious solution from the beginning, maybe there is a reason for driving that we don't know?

I was looking into driving so we can stop if we see a town that interests us. The idea about hiring a driver also is to have them show us anything neat along the way. World traveler I am not. So any guidance is helpful.

As I said above with 6 people you will need either a large van or 2 cars. Large van will make parking very difficult and driving thru small towns a bit dicey. 2 cars means 2 drivers- traveling caravan style and all the mishaps that go along with that.
That's not something I would attempt as newbies! You do not want to leave your luggage in a car while you are "seeing a town", you would also have to worry about ZTLs, speeding cameras, parking etc.
Just not worth the hassle and expense. Even as an experienced traveler I wouldn't do this.

Take the train to Florence from Venice. Then Florence to Rome. It could not be easier.
Look for a driver /tour to take you out into the Tuscany countryside while you are in Florence- there are many to chose from and dozens of small towns to visit easily that way.

Walks of Italy tours are fabulous- here is one from Florence that I am sure would also be fabulous.
https://www.walksofitaly.com/florence-tours/tuscany-day-trips-from-florence/

You definitely do not want or need a car in Florence or Rome, and trains will be faster and easier to deal with. You'll get on one in the middle of one city and get off smack in the middle of the next: no ZTLs or bus lanes to avoid, no parking issues to manage, no tolls, etc. The best way to get around both Florence and Rome is (1) on foot and (2) via public transit when necessary.

A fair amount of day trips from Florence (Lucca, Pisa, Sienna, CT, Fiesole) are easily and I'd guess more commonly done by train or bus as well.

In addition to Trenitalia (Italy's national rail service), Italo trains service all three cities too so explore your options on that website as well.

https://www.italotreno.it/en

The main train stations in each city are:
Venice: Venezia San Lucia
Florence: Santa Maria Novella
Rome: Termini

I agree with the others that travel by train on those routes will be better than using a rental car, for the reasons mentioned. Using the high speed trains which travel at up to 300 km/h is much nicer and more efficient.

As mentioned in previous replies, you'll need a large van for six people and that's not going to be cheap. Also keep in mind that each driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. You'll also need to be extremely vigilant to avoid the ZTL (limited traffic) areas which exist in many Italian towns. EACH pass through one will result in hefty fines. Florence is just about saturated with automated ZTL cameras so you likely won't be able to avoid passing through some of them. You'll also need to avoid driving in bus lanes, which also come with hefty fines.

The drive between Rome and Florence is about 3 - 4 hours, so you're not going to have a lot of time to meander about the countryside and explore charming towns. You could instead use Florence as a home base, and take several day trips from there to towns like Siena or Lucca, and do the same thing from Rome to towns like Orvieto.

Take the train -- faster, easier, more comfortable, maybe not cheaper but worth it. Besides van or 2-car rental cost, and the risk of ZTL fines, consider the cost of parking in or near Florence for a few days while also paying to rent without using it. Or the time it will take to rent in Venice, drop in Florence, rent again in Florence, and drop in Rome. Just get on the trains and enjoy the rides.

The train is the best option. Unless you have driven in Italy before, you will be surprised as to how "unstructured" the roads are. If any lane lines are visible, hey are not utilized. The train is very convenient and inexpensive (if you buy your tickets in advance). I used Trenitalia, but Italo has all of the same stops. Large bags can be stowed in the overhead compartment, and if too large, can be placed in the space between seat backs.

As for sites in Florence, Galleria de Accademia and Uffizi Gallery are the top 2 with the Duomo a close 3rd. Get tickets in advance (Accademia line is brutally long) and check your large luggage at the train station (cost is about €1 per hour). Although some other forums say that backpacks are not allowed at Accademia, my experience (yesterday) is that regular sized backpacks are allowed, but subject to x-ray scan. Same for Uffizi, though there is a free bag check at Uffizi for larger bags.

I just did Rome to Venice to Florence and back to Rome, all on the train. I also planned it all myself and recommend the same. Have fun! Ciao!

One issue with train travel is dealing with luggage, particularly if the traveler is not young or has health issues and the luggage is (unfortunately) not light or easy to manipulate and "travel light" is not possible. Are there escalators at all tracks in the Florence and Rome train stations? Is it possible to find porters to assist with the luggage at those train stations?

A work-around for the OP if there are luggage issues is to hire one car/van to transport luggage and for the individuals to take the train. Not inexpensive, but less expensive and cumbersome than two cars. Also, a google search might uncover services that transport luggage from one city to another in Italy that might cost less than hiring a car.

Are there escalators at all tracks in the Florence and Rome train stations?

For both Florence station (Firenze S.M. Novella) and Rome (Roma Termini), they are on one level. These are terminus stations. It is a flat walk from the street entrance, through the concourse to the platforms. No stairs or escalators.
Station plans here (Florence): https://www.firenzesantamarianovella.it/en/map/
and here (Rome): https://www.romatermini.com/en/map/

The same applies to Venice station (Venezia S. Lucia). Terminus station, all on one level.
plan: https://www.veneziasantalucia.it/en/map/

Is it possible to find porters to assist with the luggage at those train stations?

No, generally porters do not exist in railway stations. It is a simple walk from the train out onto the street.

Thank you Chris F. It is helpful to know there are no stairs at the train stations. Are there steps up and down from the platform onto the trains? If so, one would have to lift luggage up and down from the platform onto (and off of) the trains. Perhaps this is not onerous.

Are there steps up and down from the platform onto the trains?

Yes, usually the inside of the train is 2 or 3 steps up from the platform.
I found some photos on the internet: photo 1, photo 2, photo 3 and photo 4.

The usual trick is to put your luggage on the top step, and then climb in yourself and pick it up, as they are doing in in photo 1.
Vice-versa getting off Just don't mess around for too long, there are people behind you trying to get on the train.

P.S. some stations do have steps. It is common that access to the platforms is via an underpass, one flight up or down to the platform. Firenze S.M. Novella, Roma Termini and Venezia S. Lucia are exceptions. Because they are terminus stations, access is at the end of the platform, on the level.

It's not an airbnb, but the Hotel Pendini was a wonderful place to stay in Florence. It's centrally located, we were able to walk everywhere in Florence. Great breakfast and very helpful staff. We did Venice to Florence and then Florence to Rome on the train and never needed a car anywhere. The trains were wonderful and gave us a rest from all the walking in Venice and Florence. They are fast and very comfortable! If you want a day trip from Florence, we did Walk-about Tours' Best of Tuscany Tour and went to Siena, a winery for lunch, San Gimignano and Pisa. It was a very fun day. Hope you have a wonderful trip!

If any lane lines are visible, they are not utilized

Advice for future readers: before trying to ignore lane lines on italian motorways, write a message for your beloved ones and raise the ceiling of your coverage,

Large bags can be stowed in the overhead compartment, and if too
large, can be placed in the space between seat backs.

Not always. Sometimes the space for larger luggage is at either end of the carriage, similar to the one shown here:

https://www.seat61.com/images/Europe-luggage2.jpg

As for sites in Florence, Galleria de Accademia and Uffizi Gallery are
the top 2 with the Duomo a close 3rd. Get tickets in advance
(Accademia line is brutally long) and check your large luggage at the
train station (cost is about €1 per hour)

If you're staying in Florence, as the OP will be, there's no need to check luggage at the station or at the museums. Most hotels will stow guest luggage for free if you arrive before check-in and want to do some sightseeing after checkout.