driving from Rome to Bordeaux in July- are we crazy?

Not sure why you are asking the question nor the answer you want. You have obviously make up you mind so go do it for the adventure sake. We all like to do different things for different reasons. You might also set aside an extra couple hundred for the dreaded restricted zones in case you accidently cross one. I wouldn't do it but you sound young and eager. Go for it.

Make sure that your car has air conditioning. Otherwise you will suffer.

Heather:

Go. Enjoy. Have fun. It is your trip and yours alone. You are not the least bit crazy.

From my experience you will make great time on the Autoroutes but they look an awful lot like I-5 - dull and featureless. The back roads are slower but so wonderful. I would not go all the way from Rome to Bordeaux on the back roads - not enough time for that - but build some time in your trip to meander the back roads. Get a Michelin map - the roads highlighted in green are particularly picturesque. Get lost on purpose one day and see where that road takes you. Have fun.

Thank you all very much for your responses. In some ways I have to agree with you Frank- I wasn't leaving much room for suggestions, but I certainly felt deflated from your post.
I've had a lot of trouble trying to book the Italian leg of our trip via rail. I guess it is not possible with an American credit card. I haven't even been able to price-out how much it would be. Aside from frustrating, it has left me a bit nervous to wait to book the Italian rail portion of our trip until we are in situ.
Another option would have been to purchase a Eurail pass for 4 days in 2 months- which is roughly $500. I believe we will also have to reserve specific seats in advance and pay extra for certain legs. Between the cost and the confusion, the rental car still seems the way to go.
Would anyone suggest contacting a travel agent to help us book this?
Also- I have read that renting from an American company (Hertz, dollar, enterprise) is advisable. The European companies have had very poor reviews- the worst being charged for a car but told there was no reservation. Reimbursement was difficult and took months. Any opinions?

Thank you very much.

Hi Heather,
I think this might be a good question for the France or Italy or General board at Slow Travel. There's lots of expats there and I'll bet someone has done at least part of this route. I've done long drives that I thought could be fun when I didn't see a good train option, and it's ended up being pretty boring. The autoroutes in Europe are usually as unscenic as the interstates here. But I understand your concern about not having advance train tickets, I wouldn't like that either. Good luck and hopefully someone can advise you.

http://slowtalk.com/groupee/forums/a/frm/f/862600685

Thanks Christy!! I'll try that...although now we are locked in to renting the car. I suppose I have a whole new set of questions that would be better handled on the other forum.

Thanks again!