Hello all,
I am still working on planning our Italy trip and need a little more help. We (family of 5 - children 15, 11 and 7 years) will be in Rome for 4 nights and then rent a car and need to decide where to stay and what to do for 2 nights. Then we have 2 nights in Florence and 3 nights in Venice before heading home. During the 3 days/2 nights between Rome and Florence what would you recommend? There seems to be so much to see. Should we spend the 2 nights in the same hotel or 1 night one place and 1 another? The kids definitely want to see Pisa. I would love to see some of Tuscany and Cinque Terre, but realize something will probably have to wait until our next trip. Thanks for any help you can give me.
Alice
Alice,
With only two nights to spare, you could either spend the time in Orvieto (Umbria) or Siena (Tuscany), as they're both somewhat "on the way" to Florence.
I'd suggest that you also consider using public transit rather than a rental car, as it will be considerably faster and more efficient.
Note that for driving in Italy each driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which must be used in conjunction with your home D.L. Failure to produce an IDP can result in fines on the spot or impounding of the rental car. A GPS and along with a map would also be a good idea.
You may want to check some of the previous posts here regarding the ZTL areas which are especially prevalent in Florence. Each time cars pass through one of the automated Cameras, a €100+ violation notice is produced.
Good luck with your planning!