driving in italy vs riding trains
 

allow me to clarify my italy trip in september 2002. we will be flying in and out of rome with dividend miles award tickets. this is our only option.no dividend miles seats are available any other time next fall on usairways. i have the following itinerary.<BR><BR>rome airport-rental car-drive to sorrento<BR>4 nights in sorrento free parking.<BR><BR>drive sorrento to florence area and stay in florence 5 nights using the rental car to drive around the hill towns of tuscany.<BR><BR>drive to the venice area and drop off the rental car-stay in venice for 2 nights <BR><BR>train to rome for a final 3 nights and then home. <BR><BR>this itinerary will keep us out of the big cities. parking will be free or inexpensive. i love to drive and my wife is a good navigator.a rental car could make the luggage burdon a bit easier. we plan on shipping back some luggage from florence near the end of our trip.(we are aware that shipping via mail box etc. is expensive,but $100 shipping bill is better than hauling our dirty clothes around italy...trust me) <BR><BR>questions:<BR>any tips,warnings,automatic/airconditioned car deals, drop off tips.<BR><BR>our other option is a rail and drive pass<BR><BR>thanks <BR>gino

Do you intend to drive all the way to Sorrento after a transatlantic flight?<BR>(My husband once drove from Milano to Portofino after a flight.. but we were a lot younger and overcaffienated!)Trust while in Sorrento you plan to do the Amalfi Drive. If you like to drive that is fun! <BR>where will you be located in Florence? Driving there can be a real p-i-t-a. If you plan a lot of day trips, perhaps staying on the fringes of Florence with trips on public trasport. into town would be less hassle. Rest certainly sounds like things I've done before!

Gino- I made a similar trip last year. The part of your itinerary that doesn't make sense to me is 5 nights in Florence with a car. Getting in and out of Florence in a car is not easy and you do not need a car in Florence. Also, if you only want to go from Florence to Venice with no stops enroute, the train makes sense and is easy. Here's what I'd recommend:<BR><BR>Find a spot or two for overnights between Rome and Florence and leisurely make your way to Florence staying in Orvieto, then perhaps Siena and drop the car in Florence. You don't need a car in Florence. Then, after 3 nights in Florence, train (2 1/2 hours) to Venice Sta. Lucia station. Then train back to Rome as you had planned.

I emphatically agree with Leslie. That's the way to do it.

After driving from Rome to Florence, we turned our car in at the Florence airport. After our stay in Florence, we took the train from Florence to Venice. The turn-in at the Florence airport was easy; we took a taxi into town. We took a taxi to the train station, and very much enjoyed the relaxing train ride to Venice. If you have the car in Florence, you will spend alot of time driving down one way streets (the WRONG way, if you are me) looking for a parking space, only to leave the car sitting the whole time you are in the city.<BR><BR>Since you are picking up the car at the Rome airport, you shouldn't face the challenges we faced getting out of Rome from the train station with a car.