So you're renting a car for only one day?

assisi and san marino in one day seems tight. 1 1/2 days there and 1 1/2 days in venice then.

hmmm..looks like it since we won't be needing car in rome and venice.

So you would basically be renting the car just to see San Marino? It will be tough to do it combined with Assisi anyways, so I would drop it and take the train to Assisi and then the train on to Venice. Saves the cost of the car!

You are definitely short-changing Venice to see San Marino. We have been to Italy 8 times and have yet to see SM; probably never will. But Venice is a treasure and deserves more time than 1 day.

I would do Rome and Venice, perhaps with a stop in Assisi.

Just want to reiterate what someone said about being sure you have a GPS in the car. Like your hubby, my hubby actually likes to drive and prefers to be on his own schedule rather than a trains. We have driven a few times in Italy (as well as other European countries), and have done it with and without a GPS. Trust me when I say that a GPS will be worth every penny, so much easier and better on the marriage too, if you are supposed to be the map navigator if no GPS!!

A word of warning about GPS: Some rental agencies will not guarantee availability. If you have a smart phone, you could get an upgrade for GPS in Europe.