Orvieto is the obvious answer, but Viterbo is an interesting base too, especially if you are interested in seeing some of the gardens nearby by car. The Villa Lante (my favourite.) the Palazzo Farnese at Caprarola and Bomarzo are all close to Viterbo.

This is really not a good idea for more than one day. You will just spend way too much time and money going back and forth - and will miss evenings in Rome to catch a train back to wherever.

I would simply park the car for the entirety of your stay at the airport and stay at a hotel in Rome. Then you can pick the car up when you leave.

If it's going to be 5 days or more - it may be easier/cheaper to just have 2 separate rentals.

(When we had the same situation we contract our Rome hotel and they dealt with the car for us - we pulled up, they unloaded the car and one of the bellmen took it to a nearby garage for the duration.

We were planning on leasing the car and staying in an apartment rather then hotels. We have been to Rome before and we wouldn't really do the night time things with our kids etc. so it's really just to go in for a day maybe two but use therest of the time to unwind and see some more little towns near by etc

Look around Lago Bracciano, which has several convenient connections to the city.

http://www.lakebracciano.com/lakebracciano/pub/arrivare_en.html

http://www.travelbelles.com/2011/10/bracciano-italy-lazio-day-trip/

There are also buses, but I can't seem to find the schedule.

If you don't like that option, one way to track down possibilities is to do google searches or look in a guidebook for "day trips from Rome." The transport connections go both ways. Someplace around Castel Gandolfo might work for you, but I'm unsure what the transport options are.

Thanks for that !! If it's good enough for Tom cruise I'm sure I'll love it!

Which direction are you coming from?

Frascati is about 30 minutes (2,10 euros) south of Rome. Last return train is at about 10:00 p.m. Castel Gandolfo would also work, but it's a few minutes farther away from Rome.

Hey Crazy- My sister and I also are planning on driving around Italy in May. Wonder if you could let me know what you have found out, where you will be going and your planning process. I am kind of at a loss of where to start

Hey Lynn ... We are starting at the lakes in a place called varenna for 5nights ... We have been to Milan before so we are happy just to train it in one day and have some lunch do a bit of shopping and see the sumo again from the lakes we are going to go to Siena for a few nights then rather then saying I. Rome we are going to stay in bracciano rather than Rome again we have done Rome twice and it's a quick cheap train ride in so we are just going to do a couple of trips bust if you haven't been I could spend weeks in Rome without the kids ...it's one of my favorite memories! There is just sooooo much to do there!!! From there we are going to head to bologna for a few nights and move on to varoma for a few nights and that's our Italy trip. I really wanted to see the south and Greece but I just can't see how. We are travelling with our kids and we already feel like we are going too fast for our liking but since we have the car we sort of have to in order to get to Prague and Berlin before flying out of Frankfurt. We chose to have some 5night stays every few days in hope that will recharge us! I'm using a few sites I'll post them on here when I get onto the computer...happy planning

Lynn, is this your first trip to Italy? If so, I would re-think the driving and stick to trains. If you start your own thread with more specifics, we can give you better advice.

We have 21 total days. Flying in to Amsterdam because its cheaper and non stop. We are taking a night flight so we can sleep and avoid some of the jet lag. My sister has her heart set on smoking pot legally. ( I told her we could just go to colorado, it would be much cheaper) Yes this is my first and last trip to Italy as I care for my husband who is ill. The reason I want the car is so I can go off the beaten path to smaller towns. The only scheduled things will be venice rome and florence. other than that we want to wing it. Any advice on Cinque Terre? What is a must see?
Thanks everybody, your feedback is very helpful

HI Lynn,
You know what . .. 21 days first time in Italy you will love those points ... as much as everyone LOVES venice I was there in winter and I found it dirty,expensive and a little over rated .. . I felt like a day/night trip so I could have a gondola ride was enough. But each for there own. Now ROme . . OMG . .you are going to love it! There is sooooo much to do . .. a week will just touch the surface. I spent 2 weeks there 10 years ago and still have had a yearning to go back! Florance is also beautiful and we have been there twice but what I loved more was the little towns from there so I suggest that you find a little town that has a train into florence for you but also has a villa for you to stay at with a car and then do your trips into florence but also car trips. There is a place called Assisi which is something you have to see to believe and I have heard it's all like that! I have never been to Cinque Terre but we have chosen the Lake Como area this time instead so we can train into Milan for a day but also see the beautiful towns around the lakes etc.

You are going to love Italy!!!!

Can't wait to hear where you are going and staying. When in Rome a day trip to Pompeii is well worth it!

Good luck!!! If I was you I would just have a car for florence and possible think about going up to the lakes so you can train into Milan. But this is me and from what I love in Italy.

<< If I was you I would just have a car for florence >>

Bad advice as you can't legally drive into the center of Florence where the main sights are located.

Check the many postings about people who receive tickets for many hundreds of Euros up to a year or more after their visit.

adrienne,

The previous post to the one you reacted to makes it clear that that crazyfamily's advice is to stay near Florence and take a train into Florence.

>>" I suggest that you find a little town that has a train into florence for you but also has a villa for you to stay at with a car and then do your trips into florence but also car trips"

In the post you reacted to, "Florence" was being used just as a marker to refer that portion of Lynne's trip.

Exactly it would be a shame to not have a car to visit the little towns around Florence but Florence is beautiful ... I've staye in Florence and training in would be fine!

Sorry for the misunderstanding

This is the thing-- typically transport is planned to maximize and make your sightseeing more effective.....not the other way around. You are basically asking "I am planning to visit this amazing place. Please tell me how to throw away a good part of the day and best short change myself". You do not need a car in Rome, so don't have a car in Rome. Drop it/pick one up on your way out if needed.

Excellent point Viajero!

And Lynn, I agree with Crazy that you should have a car to explore the hilltowns of Tuscany. But you cannot use a car in Venice, CT, Florence or Rome, so renting one for all 21 days would be an expensive waste. And be sure to read up on ZTL's and IDP's.

Yes ... For us with our lease we have our car and also we have been to Rome 3/4 times before so we thought bracciano would be a good place for us and then we will go in to Rome for one or 2 day trips just so I can throw my coin in the Trevino fountain to make sure I come back unless there is somewhere you can think of to park the car and we stay in an apartment in Rome ... I would never dream of driving in Rome!!! But like I said we will be stuck with the car.

Ok chat soon, Claire

Lynn232323: "Flying in to Amsterdam because its cheaper and non stop. We are taking a night flight so we can sleep and avoid some of the jet lag."

Flying into Amsterdam to visit Italy because it is cheaper doesn't really make sense. When you add all the extra transport between A'dam and Italy that bargain is costing you big time. And night flights basically cause most of the jetlag - not alleviate it.

I suggest you start a thread of your own because crazy family's trip is ENTIRELY different than yours. First of all it is 3 times longer than yours, plus they are leasing a car which is determining where they go rather than the other way around.

Any answers/suggestions for them won't apply to you.

Very true ...it is a very very very different trip

we stayed at a sheraton that had free parking outside the city near the hiway and also had a free shuttle onto town.

thanks!!!!