Umbria

Umbria is a region in Italy. Of course you can take a train there from Rome. Having a car in Umbria is handy if you're planning on doing daytrips to smaller villages from where you're staying. But if you just want to arrive in a village/city and explore it for a few days, you don't need a car.

Absolutely! Especially when the airfares are better in Rome. I flew from Philly to Rome and then took a bus to Siena where I was staying. People there said fly to Florence but it was just too expensive.

Depends on where you want to go in Umbria. there are trains and buses, but some towns are more difficult to reach than others. There's a direct train to Perugia, for example, but not to Gubbio. We spent 5 nights in Spello, using it as a base to go to Assisi, Perugia, Spoleto, etc. Worked fine for us and we loved the tiny town. But you cannot conveniently go everywhere in Umbria in a timely manner by bus. We can help you more if we know more about your plans. Christine, neither Siena nor Florence are in Umbria.

According to my guidebook, the local bus and train systems have service to many towns, so renting a car wouldn't be necessary, depending on where you would like to go. For the first-time visitor, it seems that renting a car probably wouldn't be necessary in order to see the most popular towns.

You don't need a car. My wife and I stayed in Perugia and traveled to several of the small towns via bus. It wasn't difficult at all. While a car would have been easier to travel around, if you are staying in a relatively large town, parking may be restricted, and getting in/out of town is usually a hassle.

Here's my two cents worth. I have stayed in San Gemini (by Terni). We rented a car and did day trips to all parts of Umbria. I always recommend renting a car and doing day trips by yourself. It is convenient, easy, and you get to see what you want when you want and at your own pace. Todi, Montefalco, Deruta, Perugia, Assisi, Terni (Cascata delle Marmore), Spoleto, Orvieto... there is lots to see in Umbria. We enjoyed a Roman ruin called Carsulae near San Gemini. We even did day trips to parts of Tuscany, particularly the wine towns. Have fun!