Two weeks driving around Italy

1) I would not recommend taking a rental car to the Amalfi Coast. It is not car friendly.

2) Your trip covers a lot of territory, consider reducing your trip so you can spend more time at the places you visit. 3 days in Rome is way not enough.
3) Been to San Marino, its OK, but nothing to brag about.
4) I won't drive in Italy, since I would probably get tickets from what I read on these boards.

I know after reading the boards i'm a bit worried now, fines are not a good thing to get when travelling.
Thanks for your response, I might have to re look at it.
Andrew

Things to take into account -

Your first day on the ground is usually a 'wasted day.' By the time you get through the airport, into Rome and drop your bags at your hotel, half the day is gone and you are likely jetlagged, sleep-deprived and struggling to stay awake until bedtime. That leaves you 2 days for Rome and all its major (and spread out) sights.

You do save time by having a car (less packing/unpacking for instance), but that savings is often more than offset by the extra commute time if you aren't staying in city centers. Also the fast trains cut travel time between major cities (Milan, Venice, Rome, Florence, Naples, Salerno) in half compared to driving.

You can day trip to Lake Como by train from Milan. It's 1-1.5 hours by train from Venice to Montefelluna.

Do you have your plane tickets yet? When is your trip? Do you have 2 weeks "to drive around" after your 3 nights in Rome? How many nights do you have in Italy? To give you better advice, it would help to know what you want to see and do, and especially why you chose the places you listed.

We actually come into Rome from Paris, and arrive at 13.00 into Rome 1st September, we then have the 3 days to look around and then off into the Italian countryside from there, the places we have chosen have been recommended, and also by watching some of Ricks videos, I know we cant see everywhere, as there is a lot so see.
We have chosen Montebelluna as this is where my wifes family live, we saw them 20+ years ago, and want to visit them again and see where here father once lived, so whilst there we would visit Venice and Islands, i'd like to drive up into the Dolomites.
We'd love to visit and see the Last supper in Milan, Cinque Terre, the Tuscan countryside.

I thought it best to head south first and then head across to the eastern coast making our way up to the Venice region, and then back down the Western side to finish back at Fiumicino on the 17th of September, with the flight departing at 22.00

But we are open to any advise, recommendations, of course knowing that we will have to come back again to see what we didn't this time, and the time before.

Andrew

If you plan the trip carefully and only use the car where it makes sense, and use public transportation the rest of the time, sure, why not? I have never had a problem driving in Italy, or a ticket. I would not use a car in Rome, Milan, Venice, Florence or CT. If you plan you trip so that you use the car everywhere except these places.

If you could share how many days you have and the places you enter and depart, the crowds can help you place it in an order that maximizes car use. I have never had more of an issue than a minor parking ticket, but I steer clear of cities.
You can pick up the car after the Amalfi coast (Salerno for example), but you may want to put the order a certain way so you don't have to drop off a car and pick up a new one, and time of year matters also.

You have too many locations for the time you have in Italy. Your trip might flow better this way.

Arrive FCO train directly to Florence. There's a direct train at 3:08 from the airport that takes 2:14.

3 nights Florence. Many day trips from here by train and bus.

Train 2:05 Florence> Venice.

2 nights Venice.

Rent car travel to Montebellunan 1hr.
3-4 nights with day trip to Dolomites.

Montebelluna>Vce. Drop car. 50min.

Fly VCE-NAP. Easyjet 1:10. Be at gate 1 1/2 hours prior to boarding. Curreri Viaggi bus to Sorrento (which is the transportation hub for Pompeii, Capri, and Naples) 1:15 €10, or private transfer to Amalfi Coast town of choice, around €120.

3 nights Sorrento/Amalfi Coast.

Train, Naples>Rome 1:10. 3-4 nights Rome.

Andrew,

As you've noted, there are some potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of when driving in Italy. To begin with, if you don't have an E.U. driver's license, each driver listed on the rental form will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. You'll also have to be extremely vigilant to avoid the ZTL (limited traffic) zones which exist in many Italian towns. Each pass through one will result in hefty fines, which you may not know about until several months after you return home. Florence is just about saturated with automated ZTL cameras so don't drive there. Even Monterosso has a ZTL area. You'll also have to be careful about driving in bus lanes, speed cameras, tolls, parking and possible theft of valuables from the car if you leave it unattended.

There may be some parts of your trip where a hire car would be the best mode of transport. I agree with a previous reply that you could consider using a car for that segment, but use well planned rail trips for the rest.

Andrew,
I was very fortunate to live in Italia for 18 months. I drove. Everywhere. I never got a ticket -- but I did research what the different colors meant on parking spaces! And I had an Italian phone plan so I could have GPS which is absolutely necessary because there are really no road signs except the Autostrada.

My personal advice is to skip the Cinque Terre - it is no longer the picturesque place in all the photos. It is overrun with tourists. The Amalfi is also overrun with tourists and it is not an easy place to drive, nor are the hotels easy to get to -- you must hike down to them for the most part. If I had to choose, I'd do the Amalfi so that I could keep going south to see Paestum where there are three of the most beautiful Greek temples you'll see anywhere. Getting to the Adriatic side takes some time, but I loved that coast. Did not ever meet any other Americans on that coast. I would skip San Marino - unless you want to shop for no VAT? Rimini is charming, and Sirolo, south of Rimini, has some beautiful beaches and a couple of restaurants right on the sand on a private cove.

I loved the lakes -- Lago di Como is of course the most famous, and the ferry to the villages is very convenient. There is a lot of history on Como, and my favorite village is Varenna. The drive up through the mountains to Como is stressful but spectacular. I loved it!
On the Mediterranean side, I drove from Como down to Genoa and followed the coast south. Santa Margherita is right on the water and was charming place to stay for a coule of nights.

I'm afraid that two weeks is not enough time to squeeze in your entire itinerary. I urge you to choose: water? archeological? mountains? And since you know you will be visiting in the north, perhaps you focus on the northern beauty of the coasts and lakes? You'll want to stay put and relax -- not be in the car every day! Send me a private message if you'd like specific ideas on hotels, restaurants, places off the beaten track to see.

If visiting family is a primary point of the trip, anything south of Rome should be eliminated, in light of the time you have.

Depending how long you plan to stay with family, will dictate what else you can do. I doubt all the 'northern' destinations are possible. Some hard choices will need to be made, or you will run yourself into a frazzled condition trying to hit so many places.

My comments are predicated on the assumption you want to more than 'drive by' all the listed places.