hi,
I am trying to plan a 2 week trip arriving in Rome with a 18 year old. I am not a stranger to Italy and to many of the towns. I went to HS in Rome, drove in Rome, traveled all over the country but often by family driving or by train on trips planned by others. I am having a harder time planning my time there now, three decades later. We are spending 6 nights in Rome and can plan day trips from there (Tivoli, Pompeii, Frascati, the beach, etc). What I am struggling with is how to plan the rest of our time. I originally thought to use Orvieto as a base for four days but now I am not so sure. I also thought Florence for three days but honestly, as a teen, I didn't much like Florence and loved the smaller villages and towns. My daughter is used to living in a very rural area in the US and she will become very overwhelmed with 2 weeks in cities. I could rent a car for Tuscany, but I think I would prefer to pay for a few day trip tours instead. We leave from Milan so after the first 6 days in Rome, we have another 7 days to wind our way north.
Are there any itineraries out there that use public transportation that wind through small villages and towns that have some tourism but are not zoos? We are traveling at the heat of summer so my thought is also to find a nice hotel with a pool somewhere and just take a few day trips before heading to Milan.
I just can't figure out where that nice pool spot might be that would be uniquely Italian, not overrun, and accessible by train/bus. I am not trying to "do Italy in a week" type of a trip but rather, after Rome, visit some of the smaller towns and villages. So many of the smaller towns I loved as a teen/20's now seem over run and quite different than they were 30 years ago judging by what I am reading.
Any ideas of what would make a good route after Rome? We could also jet north and spend our time in the north. I loved Ferrara as a teen, for example.