Traveling from Rome to Florence

Best - high speed train, direct from Rome to Florence.
Least Expensive - low train, lots of stops between Rome and Florence

Take the train. No discussion needed. Skip the slow train. It will be worth the few extra bucks to get to your destination quicker. Who wants to spend extra time unnecessarily on a train? If you want to save money on the fast train, travel 2nd class.

if your credit card works (most in US don't, but Canadian cards do) buy it 2 weeks in advance and get a further 30% discount. I did this last year and saved alot of money travelling 2nd class and then getting an additional 30% discount.
go to trenitalia and it is called meno 30 or something like that, but it has to be an advanced purchase.

You might look into buses. Italy has a very good but often overlooked bus system. Chances are that the train will still be the best bet...but worth checking.

Great...thanks for your imput. I think we have pretty well decided do take the train instead of
trying to rent a van. We wonder where we can get an actual train schedule that shows the actual route from Rome to Paris with where the train stops along the way?
MEM