We are planning a trip to Italy in the fall. We are arriving in Rome, spending a few days, and taking the train to Florence. We want to spend time in Florence but also Siena and other areas in Tuscany before departing to the Cinque Terre. Question: Where should our home base be? We are open to driving from Florence but I've been reading that many of the towns cars cannot enter. Two ladies traveling, one has never been to Italy. Thanks
More information: We are flying into Rome, staying a few days, taking the fast train to Florence. We want to see Florence, max 2 days and want to see the Tuscany region (specifically Siena, San Gimignano, San Donato, tour a few wineries and visit local towns) max of 4 full days. Our preference is to stay in the Tuscany region in a small quaint town feel vs. Florence and traveling out. We are thinking of picking up a rental in Florence after taking the fast train and having a car in the Tuscany region for greater flexibility understanding many of the towns do not allow cars in the town. We then will head back to Florence, drop off the rental and take the train to Cinque Terre for 4 days before returning to Rome. I am assuming we need a car in the Tuscany region to travel to the smaller cities vs relying on steady transportation from the smaller cities. I hope this helps. Nothing has been confirmed yet, so we can be flexible based on comments. However, we want to book this our flights this week and have an agreed upon overall itinerary.
Thanks again.