So we are renting a car to explore southern Tuscany at the end of April. I decided not to chance driving out of Rome, so based on other posts, we will likely take a train from Rome to Orvieto to pick up a car and then drive to San Gimignano where we will stay for 4 nights and make day trips.

After San Gimignano, we will be spending 2 nights in Cinque Terre before taking a train to Venice. I want to return the car before Cinque Terre.

My question is:

(1) drive to Pisa and drop the car off there and then take a train to Vernazza OR

(2) drive to Florence and drop the car off there and then take a train to Pisa (we want to make a quick stop to climb the leaning tower).

Or is there another option?

Which would be more convenient? I think with Florence we would go to the airport and it is connected to the trains. The drop off at Pisa would be the airport - is the Pisa airport convenient to the train station?

Thanks in advance!

I feel you should drop the car at the Pisa airport. There is a short train from the airport terminal to the central Pisa train station. As I recall, the trip was about 10 minutes. Very easy.

There is no train station at the Florence airport. If dropping there, you would need to take the bus or taxi into Florence (15-20 minutes) to catch the train to Pisa.

I don't think Florence (Peretola) airport has a rail station - Pisa Airport does. You can get a bus from the airport into central Florence and take a train from there.

Pick up/drop off at two different locations usually incurs extra rental car fees. Is it possible for you to PU/DO at the same place? Orvieto? Pisa?

Not true--if in the same country.
I agree,Pisa makes sense, but so does La Spezia which is much closer to the CT abd the source of the local CT train line.