My wife and I will be celebrating our 25 year anniversary and visiting (first time)Italy in September 2007. In 16 days, we plan to go Rome, Assisi, Siena, Florence, Venice, Milan, and Bellagio. We've been warned against driving in Rome, so we won't. However we were planning to drive everywhere else. For those of you with experience....should we proceed with our driving plans? Or should we stick to the trains? We are clueless regarding the type of roads nor conditions we would encounter, so any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks.

Definitely use the train to go to Florence, Venice, Milan, you'll save yourself a lot of unnecessary stress and hassle. You may want to rent a car for Assisi and Siena, if you want to drive in the countryside, though both are reachable with train. Roads are fine (Italy is the 7th economy of the world) but driving style very aggressive.

The thing I love about driving in Italy is the lack of road rage. There's a flow to it.

buongiorno, are you kidding? Driving in Italy is a lot more stressfull than in the US. Try the A4 freeway or similar, you'll get many cars tailgating two meters from you at 100-120 MPh and flashing lights to make you move.

I think you're wise not to drive in Rome. We picked up our car as we left Rome, kept it for the week we stayed in Montepulciano then dropped it off in Florence when we arrived there. After a short stay in Florence, we took the train to Venice, stayed there for a few days, then took the train back to Rome. So we really tried all the modes of transportation you're considering.

If I could change anything, I'd drop the car off before Florence and take the train there. We found Florence very hard to manoeuvre -- many streets you can't drive down, odd number systems of streets, difficult to find both our hotel and the car rental place, etc.

The train travel was very nice. We chose to travel 1st class and were very comfortable. Our hotel in Venice was directly across the canal from the station so it was also convenient.

As far as driving goes, both of us are confident drivers comfortable with big highways and standard transmission. Driving up the hills in Tuscany was a bit of a new experience for us but we found the Italian drivers to be incredibly patient. They'll come up right behind you on a hill but then wait for you to find a lay-by where you can pull over and let them pass. No honking; no swearing; no finger.

I'd suggest that if you're a confident driver, not afraid of the speed on the highways and willing to try the hills, you'll be fine. I think you'll have more freedom to see the things you want while you're in Tuscany if you have a car, but if you think it's going to be stressful, you'd best plan your trip with public transportation.

The advantage of driving in Italy is that you can get off the main highways and see beautiful small towns that are not on any railway lines. My husband LOVES driving in Italy (he's Italian and I NEVER do any of the driving when we are there), and we have had some great experiences just wandering around the countryside. We have been able to experience some great wine festivals and local celebrations by having a car available. I would not recommend driving in any of the big cities in Italy, primarily because of the parking restrictions. But rent a car and explore the back roads of Italy!

Eric,
We were told about the flashing lights before we went. It seems that a driver will start flashing his lights behind you as he's coming up to pass but it's not meant to be aggressive. It's just a signal saying 'here I come and I'm giving you time to move out of the passing lane'.

I think it depends where you live and the type of driving you do regulary. We live in a city where the major highway is 12 lanes wide so that kind of fast highway driving isn't unfamiliar to us and we were pretty comfortable.

I really find the drivers in Italy far less aggressive than in North America.

Believe me, I've driven for many years in Italy. There are a***s who flash at you because they are going at 120 MPH when the limit is 80 MPH, even if you can't move because you have a big truck on your right. If that's not aggressive I don't know what is. It's also very dangerous and illegal. If you go on a busy freeway stay out of the passing lane.

But that's what I mean, Eric, about being confident. First of all, I'd stay out of the passing lane unless I'm actually passing. You never even have to enter the passing lane, if you don't want to.

But if I were there and a car came up close behind me and there was a truck on my right, I'd just speed up till I could get in front of the truck. I wouldn't panic. After all, what can the guy do? He can't go through me. He only has two choices -- to wait till I can move in front of the truck or to fall back and fit himself in behind it. I'm long past the age of driving experience when an a**s on the road makes me feel pressured.

So there are aggressive drivers, good for you you can ignore them. When a car tailgates me closely with light flashing at 90MPH, I still get nervous.

I agree with others who suggest the train between Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan. It's a great way to relax and travel. Besides, you don't get the opportunity to travel by train in the U.S., so it adds to the unique Italian experience.

My question regards seven destinations in 16 days. That sounds like too many, too rushed. Especially since you've never been to Italy. You will want to savor the culture, not fly by it. On our first visit, we spent three nights in each city, which was barely enough for Venice and Florence, but we needed another night or two for Rome.
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It is a lot of territory for 16 days....

Wherever you end up going, you might structure the trip so that you are driving in the countryside and getting rid of the car in the cities.

For example--if you did go to all the places listed--do Milan, rent a car for Bellagio, Assisi and Siena, drop it in Florence and take the train to Rome. That way you have the flexibility of a car outside the big cities while not being burdened with it in the cities.

The point is to use the car when it makes sense and not have it when it doesn't.

For most people who have driven in urban areas elsewhere in the world, driving in Italy (outside the cities) is not something to be feared and it gives you a lot more flexibility.

Do you plan on spending the night in all those locations, or will some be day trips? That is a lot of moving around.

We have driven between Venice and Rome with quick stops (not overnights) in easily accessible towns and a coupl eof overnights. If we were spending the night somewhere, we had the hotel, park the car for us (at an additionalal charge, about $15 in addition to the cost of parking). It was well worth it.

If you plan on driving into any towns or cities, get good maps in advance, you'll need them.

Personally, I prefer not to drive when I travel to Europe because it just adds stress - driving around towns you don't know, worrying about parking - so I only take cars for day trips when it's absolutely necessary.

I note that no one has mentioned the cost of renting a car in Italy, which is certainly a deterrent as far as I'm concerned. I recommend trains all the way. Use the money you save to take taxis from train stations and you will miss none of the convenience of having a car.

Hi RRT25
The others may be right that you're planning too much. Our trip to Italy was the first for us, too, and like you we were there for three weeks. Here's what we did:

One week in Rome, with no car.

We picked up our rental car on the way out of Rome, and drove to Montepulciano where we had an apartment for a week. We used that as a base for day trips to other towns including Pienza and Siena. The week in Montepulciano was a very different pace from the go, go, go of Rome. We generally slept in, relaxed in the morning, had lunch in town and wandered around the shops or the church, and then late in the afternoon we'd get in the car and drive to a nearby town where we'd explore and have a late dinner. It was lovely.

The next week we drove to Florence where we dropped off our car first thing. (I think I'd rather drive for a year in Rome than a week in Florence!) We spent three days in Florence and then took the train to Venice.

We spent another three days in Venice and took the train all the way back to Rome where we stayed overnight and flew home the next day.

I did like the train travel but I think I would have found it hard not to have a car for much of the trip. You certainly don't need one in Rome or in the small towns, but you really do need it to get between the towns. I suppose there are ways to take the train between the towns but I'm not a light packer and having the car was a big convenience in that way alone.

I know it's tempting to see everything but if you wear yourselves out racing from place to place, you won't have a chance to enjoy anything. Take your time, see fewer places longer, and then come back for another visit. That's what we're going to do!

I agree with most of the advice so far. Rent a car for Tuscany (assisi), but ditch it i the cities (Venice, Rome, Mlan, Florence and the train takes you into Varenna and you get ferry right over to Bellagio). I would highly consider trimming back your itinerary.
We spent 14 days on the go and are very active. We focused on N and Central Italy and saved Rome/amalfi for another trip. I highly recommend a few nights in a tuscan farmhouse with a car to explore the countryside-just amazing. www.tuscany.net