two people, nine days. Car or Train?

If you are going to hit the hill towns you do need a car. A combination of train and car would work best. Train to Siena and Venice with a car inbetween.

The only place where I'd recommend a car is for Tuscany. You won't need a car at all (and actually it would be a hassle) in Rome, Cinque Terre, Venice.

The proper itinerary, if it were my trip, would be:
ROME: 2 nights
Train to Cinque Terre
CT: 2 nights
Rent a car in La Spezia (near CT). Drive to Tuscany (Siena area).
TUSCANY (Siena area): 2 nights
Drive to Venice, drop the car in Venice (Piazzale Roma) upon arrival.
VENICE: 2 nights (without car).

I left your night allocations unchanged, however in my opinion, your stay in Rome is extremely short. I presume you've visited Italy before, that is why you are staying only 2 nights in Rome and none in Florence.

Maybe it's just me, but why not spend more nights in fewer places?

I agree with the above posters. This is really really rushed. Why not Rome - 3, Siena - 3 and Venice - 3?

I'm assuming your flights are purchased...into Rome and out of Venice.

Hi patotatim -
It's VERY rushed, IMHO, and the only place a car will be of benefit is for hill towns; it'll be nothing but a pain anywhere else. I'm also not sure, with just two nights in Siena + travel time from Rome, where you're going to fit in hill towns?

I'd cut at least one if not two destinations unless you've already been to them before. Rome really needs 3-4 DAYS versus 2 nights, and I'm not sure when your trip is but if you're looking at this summer, finding accommodations in the CT at this late date will be a challenge at best.

With so little time, you can see some (well, two) hill towns in Tuscany by bus or train instead of hassling with the car.

We just returned from 13 nights in Italy - 3 nights in Rome, 1 night in Assisi, 2 nights in Siena, 2 nights in Cinque Terre, 2 nights in Varenna (Lake Como) and 1 night near the airport in Milan for our return trip to the US. We did the train as most of the areas cars are more of a hassle than they are worth. As many of the others have stated, 2 nights in one place is rushed, but it worked for us this time. This was our first trip, and I wanted to get an idea of what each of the areas was like. Good Luck!

Kathy

One other note - when we were in Siena, we did a one day Tours by Roberto (drive through the Clay Hills, winery tour and tasting, monastery visit). We had the advantage of seeing some of the Tuscany area with a professional guide, without renting a car for just one day. It was a highlight of our trip.

Kathy

Pick up a car in Siena, and drop it off in La Spezia en route to Cinque Terre.

pato,

If you decide on a car rental, be sure to do some research on the usual "caveats" regarding driving in Italy. There are also "caveats" when using public transit, so if this is your first trip you'll have to be aware of those also.

Ken,

What caveats do you refer to ? Where do I go to research these caveats?

Pato, the caveats are:

International Driving Permit (IDP)
Car Insurance for rental cars in Italy
Camera enforced ZTL (Zona Traffico
Limitato = Limited traffic zones restricting vehicular access in
historical centers to residents only)
Camera enforced speed limits
Italian (European) Road signs

You can do some research on the website of the consolidator www.autoeurope.com, which is also (along with their sister company www.kemwel.com) an excellent place where you can rent a car