My husband and I are traveling with another couple on vacation for 10 days in Italy and would love input from others. We are arriving in Rome in April & leaving from Venice. We would love to spend some time in Tuscany also. We are not sure if we should take the train to Siena or Florence first and then rent a car to explore the area. We are also interested in seeing Cinque Terre but are not sure if we will have enough time. Any advice???

You really don't have time for that many locations. You could take a train from Rome to either Orvieto or Chiusi and pick up a car, drive through southern Tuscany (stay somewhere? Pienza? Montepulciano?) and drop the car in Siena (if you plan to spend a night or two there). It's easy to take a bus from Siena to Florence (are you staying here?) and train from Florence to Venice. Really you only have time for 3 locations with only 10 days.

I agree---3 locations will be best in 10 days. Get the car in Orvieto and drive to your Tuscany location. Be sure to get a car big enough for the luggage for 4 of you. We always select a mid-size wagon for 4. I like San Quirico as a base to explore Tuscany. Look at Palazzo del Capitano for a 4 star and Casa Lemmi for a 3 star B&B.

No, you don't have time for the CT. Personally, I wouldn't bother with a car and would just use the train to do Rome-Florence-Venice. However, if you choose to visit a Tuscan town or two instead of Florence, then a car would be important for that part of the trip. Buon viaggio!

You might get some ideas from our travels - http://www.rimerson.com
I think three nights in Venice is a must. Well, check my reports and notes…

Rob

If this is your first time to Italy, I would take the train from Rome, after spending two or three nights there, to either Florence or Siena and spend 3 nights. Then take the train to Bologna for a night before spending at least 2 nights in Venice. The train station in Bologna is right outside the walls, several nice hotels nearby and a day within the wall is quite interesting.