trying to plan Florence/Tuscany leg of my trip

I would stay outside of Florence and use a smaller city as a base for a day trip or two into Florence. We actually stayed in Pienza on one trip but it did take longer to get into Florence. Ther are many towns within a one hour drive that would be perfect. I really liked Siena.

I suggest taking the train from Venice to Florence and picking up a Hertz rental car as you leave town.
Then spend a couple of days in an agriturisimo an hour or so south of Florence--around San Gimignano or Certaldo.
You can visit the hilltowns like Certaldo, San Gimignano and Volterra in the area around Poggibonsi. I'd save Pisa for later.
For wine, visit Montalcino--home of the incredible brunello red wines.
You can drop the rental car off in Orvieto--another very popular hilltown. The Hertz office is across the street from the train station.
Then catch a 70 minute local train ride into Rome Termini. There you can catch the fast trains down to Naples.
A local train will take you past Pompeii and take you to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. They're best visited by train (not by car.)
As far as agritusimos go, virtually every farm in Tuscany has rooms and apartments as a secondary source of income. I'm talking 100's and 100's of places to stay that are easily found online. See Booking.com and Agriturisimos.com too. Google Maps has them showing as icons for the area too.
It's a shame that you're going thorough Rome and not stopping. Many would prefer 4 days there to spending the time 200 mi. south in Naples and the Amalfi Coast. Rome is perhaps the most important city in Europe historically.

thank you. This is very helpful.
We are going to Rome for three days.
I understand that the drive to the Amalfi coast is tight and crowded but I thought a train would not allow for the feel for the beautiful drive down the coastline. I have been told the view is worth the ride.
I have not made reservations on the Amalfi coast and realize I need to get on this. A travel advisor mentioned staying in Sorrento. I had planned to look for a bed and breakfast or hotel in Positano. I plan to do a day trip to Capri.
Any comments on Positano VS Sorrento and any recommendations for a reasonable air BnB or hotel with spectacular views?
The air BnB that was recommended to me was already booked.
Thank you very much
Donna

Unfortunately, your information on the beautiful drive down the coastline does not take into account the stop and go traffic for the last hour of your five-hour drive from Rome. And what would you do with the car while you are in Rome? You have fragmentary hearsay that is not detailed enough to be used for decision-making. Have you already researched IDP, ZTL, and insurance issues in auto rental in Italy? There's plenty on those here, using the Search box top center.

This area books up six months to nine months in advance. You need several hotel choices to cover fully-booked discoveries.

Here's are some general information to your specific questions:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/sorrento-to-siena-by-car-stop-in-orvieto-heart-of-tuscany-drive

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/naples-to-sorrento-train-or-private-driver

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/amalfi-coast-for-7-nights-itinerary-help

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/herculaneum-and-pompeii-questions

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/pompeii-and-vesuvius-69e8366c-1e75-4a14-a0bc-0677269492d1

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/one-week-on-the-amalfi-coast

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/amalfi-coast-day-trip

Hello donna,

Sounds like a great trip. I would agree with David's comments in that Tuscany is the only part of this trip you will want a car for. You really don't want to drive in Florence, Rome, Naples or Amalfi. The Tuscan countryside which is not as well served by train and bus is the only place on your itinerary that really requires a car.

So I have your itinerary as:
Fly in - Venice (3)
Tuscany Area (3)
Rome (3)
Amalfi (4)
Naples (1) - Fly Out

With 3 days I would decide to either do Florence or the countryside and commit to one of those plans. If you want to see the city and do 1 day trip - Siena is the classic one - and save the countryside for another trip. Or book an agriturismo, or a room in a small town of your choice, and tour from there. I think if you try and do both you'll really experience neither. Either choice is valid and if the big Florence sights like David are not on your list the countryside is a fine choice. If you choose Florence you could get through your trip without having to rent a car at all.

Hope that helps, have a great trip,
=Tod

I understand that the drive to the Amalfi coast is tight and crowded
but I thought a train would not allow for the feel for the beautiful
drive down the coastline. I have been told the view is worth the ride.

Just to clarify- there are no trains that travel the Amalfi Coast. The train will get you as far as Sorrento- which is not on the AC- or to Salerno which is a good starting point if you are intending to stay ON the coast- Positano or Amalfi, etc.
Your transportation choices along the coast are by bus, ferry or car. We wouldn’t dream of driving that route ourselves. Hire a driver or book a guided small group tour such as the one offered by Mondo Guides.
www.sharedtours.com
We used Mondo Guides for Pompeii and Capri- both were fantastic and very affordable.

We used this driver from Naples Centrale to Sorrento then Sorrento to Amalfi- about 100 euros/each ride a few years ago- and were very pleased
www.topexcursionsorrento.com

The ferry from Sorrento or Salerno to ports on the coast is a lovely ride with fantastic views.
The bus from Sorrento is usually very very crowded and it is definitely nausea inducing.

Pompeii is easiest from Sorrento
Capri can be reached from either Sorrento to Amalfi/Positano by ferry.

Do read thru all the threads that Tim has shared. This topic comes up a lot and those threads have valuable info.

Here is a good general info site on the Sorrento/AC area
https://www.sorrentoinsider.com

No matter where you decide to stay you must be in your departure city the night before your flight. One way to avoid that "wasted" 1 night stay would be to head to AC from Florence. Do your 4 nights there then go back to Rome for your final 3-4 nights. It's usually cheaper/more options to fly out of Rome than it is from Naples.

We are taking a train from Venice to Florence due to the three hour
ride, then plan to rent a car for the rest of the trip.

As has been said the only place you might need a car would be in Tuscany hill towns, (and some can easily be done without a car- Siena for instance). You do not want or need a car in Florence, Rome or AC.
If you do decide to rent a car for those few days be sure to do your homework regarding ZTLs. IDP, speeding, etc.
If you intend to wine taste along the way you must have a designated driver.

There is nothing wrong with basing in Florence and just booking a tour to some hill towns. There are many recommendations on this sight
Here is one:
www.toursbyroberto.com

That said our favorite hill town in Montepulciano- but it really needs a car and more than 1 night...

Any comments on Positano VS Sorrento and any recommendations for a
reasonable air BnB or hotel with spectacular views?

Sorrento
Grand Hotel de la Ville- beautiful rooms, excellent bkft, easy walk to train and town, fabulous views
https://www.delavillesorrento.com

Another that is well liked here is Hotel Antiche Mura- no views but a great location and very nice hotel

We chose to stay in Amalfi and were glad we did - it is a transportation hub and a bit flatter, more going on then Positano. We spent a few short hours in Positano and that was enough for us. (most lodging in Positano will require climbing many many steps)
We stayed at Hotel La Bussola- which is right on the water. Many rooms have sea view balconies, it's a few steps to town, ferry, bus etc
https://www.labussolahotel.it

I'd advise you to get on booking.com and get your AC lodgings locked down soon ASAP.

We did Tuscany and the Amalfi coast many years ago and drove from Pienza to Positano and vowed to never do it again! We got lost getting off the autostrade in Sorrento on our way to the coastal road and took us about 6 hours before we got to Positano. You need to make sure wherever you stay in Positano they have parking, there is little if any available. Several years later we went back with a group and based out of Sorrento and did the coastal towns via ferry. That was much more enjoyable than the stress of driving. I wouldn’t trade that first trip for the world ( got engaged in Positano ) but driving the Amalfi coast was too stressful to even think about doing it again. Have a great time, I’m sure whatever choices you make will be memorable ones,

Personally, I would not bother with a car rental for this trip. You don't want a car for Venice, Florence or Rome, and there are other ways to see the Amalfi coast. And you don't have time in 2 days to see much more than one or two towns in Tuscany. With your current itinerary I would suggest the following:
Venice 3 nights
Florence 2 nights
One hill town for 2 nights- train to Rome. Personally I'd suggest Orvieto, although it is technically not Tuscany, it would be a nice break from more touristy spots and it does have the feel of one. And a beautiful cathedral.
Train direct to Rome for your 3 nights
Amalfi for 4 nights. I'd pick Sorrento, and take transit back to Pompeii and day trip to Capri
Naples for 1
I am assuming you have 15 nights with 14 days, if not, drop one from Amalfi.