BandDTravel

He We are going to Italy in May for 2 weeks. Flying in/out Rome from the USA and considering taking the train to Florence and Venice. Does that fast train run on Sundays?

Do you recommend 3 days in Venice 3 days Florence and the rest in Rome?

I saw a post about renting a care in Florence to drive to Tuscany or Orvieto . Is it possible to rent a car in Florence?
Also, someone mentioned a Cave restaurant on the west coast, the Grotta Piana. Is it feasible to go there from Rome in a day?

Thank you for your advice. I truly appreciate it. Planning vacation is not fun for me.

Jean

The fast trains between Florence and Venice operate daily.

How many days you spend anywhere depends entirely on your interests. Recommendations from anyone will be based on that person's interests. You need to do some research to see what you want to see/do in each place and how much time that will take. As you plan, check the open days and hours of different sights. If your days in Florence would include Sunday/Monday, you might have trouble seeing everything because most of the popular sights are not open every Sunday/Monday.

You can rent a car IN Florence, but most people choose to pick up a car at the Florence airport. Florence (and essentially every city/town) has a limited traffic zone, and if you drive into the zone you risk getting an expensive traffic citation after you get home. The airport is outside of this zone. If you intend to visit towns as you drive around Tuscany, you should learn about these zones and how to avoid them.

https://www.italybeyondtheobvious.co...with-ztl-zones

If you visit Orvieto, there are cave restaurants there. I'm not familiar with the restaurant you mention, but anything on the "west coast" will be too far from Rome.

neckervd

There are 32 daily trains and 1 overnight train (with sleeping cars) between Rome and Venice (via Florence).
Only up to Florence, there are 6-8 trains every hr.
Most of these trains run on Sundays and holidays too.
Orvieto is midway between Rome and Florence, with direct trains to both.

It's possible to rent a car in all somewhat important Italian cities.
A car may be helpful if you plan to go to extremely isolated places. But driving in historic city centers is rather a nightmare.

bilboburgler

The Full Grotto Is way over near Bari. Not really sensible for this trip.

Car hire at airport or local train station as ZTL Is a pain in .......

If doing Florence then add extra days for Tuscany or Umbria. Local buses are the way to go in Tuscany. Roads are narrow, parking is a drag.

Jean

"Local buses are the way to go in Tuscany."

I disagree. Unless you stay in Florence the entire time or have many days to wander from another base, bus schedules can severely limit your sightseeing options. You can, in theory, reach nearly every Tuscan town, but the timetables are geared more for commuting workers and less for tourists. You may find there are no early morning buses going where you want to go and that the return bus is earlier than you'd like.

But there are several day trips by bus and train that you can easily take while staying in Florence: Lucca, Pisa, Montecatini Terme, Certaldo, Siena, San Gimignano, Bologna, Arezzo, Fiesole...

bvlenci

I don't understand this, since Rome is right on the west coast. However, I can't find a restaurant with that name. There's a location called Grotta Piana in Polignano a Mare, on the east coast, which is much too far from anywhere you'll be.

bvlenci

Another way to see a bit of the Tuscan countryside is to take a wine/gastronomic day tour from Florence. These usually pass through (or stop in) several Tuscan towns, with a visit at a vineyard or two, and lunch at a vineyard or local restaurant. It's best to choose a tour based on a small group.

Jean

There is a vigna grotta piana DOC white/bianca wine produced in the Ravello area.... Might there also be a restaurant with a similar name? Whatever. It's too far from Rome.

BandDTravel

Thank you so much. All this information is very helpful