We will be spending 4 days in Florence at the Monna Lisa and plan to rent a car for a day trip or two. Is this the way to go or would you take a train to other cities from Florence. What day trips would you recommend? We will be traveling with or children- 11 and 13. <BR>Also- is it difficult to get a rental car in the summer- do I need to plan ahead?

Hi <BR>The most popular, and easiest daytrips, are to San Gimignano, and/or Siena. <BR>A trip to a winery or two in Chianti could also be done. The above can be done easily with buses, slightly less-conveniently with trains, or of course with a rental car. <BR>If you do a search on this board for <BR>Siena, Chianti, Tuscany, or San <BR>Gimignano (each) you will find all the details. <BR>Search function is at the top of your screen--you need to be patient with it.

Another one is Pisa/Lucca. These can be combined very easily as a day-trip. <BR>About an hour journey time by train from Florence ... <BR> <BR>Steve

Another could be Bologna.

Best to plan ahead for your rental car, both for cost & availability.

One thing you should keep in mind if you're planning to use Florence as a base is the difficulty of parking in Florence. If the Monna Lisa has its own easily accessible parking, you'll be fine. Often, however, the hotels have scattered offsite parking that will mean a long wait for your car each time you're in and out of the city. That said, San Gimignano, Siena, Lucca, among others are worth considering. There, too, there's a parking issue since you'll have to park outside the city and then walk in. Getting the rental car is easy enough. Go to www.autoeurope.com. They're brokers who will get you the best deal through the majors (Avis, Europcar, Budget, etc.). Free upgrades or discounts are often available. You can book through there website or by calling. I'd call. The bad news is that rentals in Italy are very expensive because you are required to take all of the insurance. Theft is a big problem there so leave nothing visible, or in the car, when you leave if parked. Do book ahead. Pisa is OK, but it's packed with tourists. If you happen to drive on the autostrade, avoid the passing lanes unless you have plenty of room. Ferraris have been known to come from nowhere at incredible speeds. You may see them in your rear view mirror. Watch for flashing lights way in the distance. Hard to believe, but true.

Don't miss Siena. <BR> <BR>also: Cortona

Take the S222 through Chianti, stopping for lots of photo ops, to Siena. IMO you'll get lots of bang for this buck. Many of the Chianti towns are right on the 222 - Greve, Panzano, and my favorite, Castellina. Take all day, have dinner in Siena and take the autostrada back