Village Italy by public transportation vs by car?

With the cities and towns that you're interested in visiting, renting a car for the middle portions would be a great idea.

We've driven extensively in Italy, France, central Europe, Germany, etc. If you've driven in France, as noted above, Italy is pretty similar. And I agree, I wouldn't want to drive in the big cities. We also take the train where it makes sense to do so - between two cities where we don't want to have a car, for example.

The most difficult part of your plans is San Marino. We visited there last fall, and had a fun time. I wouldn't go out of my way to visit it, but it fit perfectly into our itinerary. Our trip began in Venice, then train to Florence. Then train to Bologna, because we love Bologna. Then we picked up a rental car and drove to Ravenna for the day (magnificent mosaics), and then drove on to San Marino, arriving in the early evening. From there, we drove south and spent about a week in the Marche region.

There's no really good route from San Marino to Assisi. How were you thinking of doing that part of your trip?

Steve, thank you very much for your advice. Can you tell me what driving in Italy was like? We have driven in France and that was fine, but we stuck mainly to highways.

Thanks!

We also weren't sure about driving in Italy. However, people on this forum convinced me it would be fine, and it was. Previous to our Italy trip, we had driven all over Europe, and driving in Italy wasn't much different. I do like your idea of renting a car in Venice and returning it at the Florence Airport. One note, be sure to get a GPS if you rent a car. It was key to us not getting lost in Tuscany on several occasions. What we really enjoy about driving is the ability to stay in small towns on the outskirts. Gives us a little more flexibility and freedom. That, of course, is my personal opinion. Have fun!

Barbara - Driving it Italy - Hmm - Why would you think it would be more difficult than driving in the U.S. with all of our crazy drivers?? The roads are excellent, the cars are compact, GPS is readily available. Tuscany is incredible by car and, as Steve points out, you can park it in La Spezia and see Cinque Terre by the local train. So why not??
It's kind of like the folks that are concerned about going to Rome or Venice in the summer - "It will be so crowded"!! Yeppo - and the reason is because these are worldwide popular spots - We actually have them in the United states as well BUT people still visit them. Don't be afraid - Driving is easy!!! But do get an IDP from a local AAA office to go along with your drivers license.

Ciao, Greg

Barbara,

If you browse this message board you'll find that this is one of the most common questions asked. You'll find that it usually comes down to the "car people" vs the "train people." Fact is you can learn a lot from both schools of thought. Personally, I prefer a car because it gives you maximum freedom. I've driven all over Italy and the driving is pretty easy, except obviously in the big cities. Not even a dyed-in-the-wool car fanatic would advise you to drive into Rome or Florence or Naples. But the countryside and the small towns & villages aren't very difficult & driving there is fun.

Thank you all for your information. Your experience is a great help in our trip planning.

• Barbara