Well....our group has finally landed on a plan and we are off in a couple of weeks. Our journey will have us overnighting in Talamone, Monterosso, Bellagio, Montepulciano and the Trastevere area of Rome. Please pass along any dining recommendations, as well as any "must see and do" suggestions in and around these locales. I will report back to everyone after our journey...thank you!!

Bellagio---Bilacus
Montepulciano---La Grotta

Have fun !

thanks Bob...i am betting we will!

Just wanted to thank everyone again for all their input. We used a lot of it to map out our trip, including destinations, lodging and dining. We had a fabulous journey which took us into FCO, up the Ligurian coast with overnight stops in Talamone (1 night on the initial day of travel)and Monterosso (2 nights) before heading up to Bellagio on Lake Como (2 nights). From there we headed down to Montepulciano (2 nights...we were actually booked for 3 but the inn keeper only had us down for 2, so we headed over to Assisi for 1 night), then back to Rome for our last 3 nights. We were able to visit Pisa and Sienna along the way, as well as many smaller towns in the countryside. Having a van for the 6 of us was terrific. The only town where we felt like a Smart car would have been better suited was Montepulciano. We had no trouble traversing the roads throughout Italy...although i must honestly say there were moments where i had a death grip on the wheel...especially the ride along the lake up to Bellagio...whew! The hotels were very helpful with parking upon our arrival. Thanks again to all of you for taking the time to provide your input!! Ciao!