First off, the information on this board has been fantastic! I have been feeling very overwhelmed in trying to plan our first trip to Italy on our own but the suggestions have been great.
Our plan thus far is as follows:
Fly into Rome and take the train to Florence
Stay in Florence at the Hotel Caravaggio for 2 days
Rent a car in Florence and tour into Tuscany. Stay at the Hotel Pescille (outside San Gimignano) for 2 nights - day trips over the 2 days.
Leave and stay at the Residenza d'Arte - 2 nights - day trips to Montelpuciano, etc.
Drive to Orivieto and possibly stay one night here or drop the rental car off and head back to Rome via the train.
Rome for 4 days (we are meeting a tour so have no choice)
ANy feedback would be appreciated

My first thought is that it's a lot of checking-ins and checking-outs.
If you break it down, your first day is mostly travel. This means only one full day in Florence.
Two nights at San Gim is okay and I like your idea of working your way back to Rome . I would not sacrifice a nights stay in Rome for Orvieto, but others might disagree.
If you want to keep on the move this plan works, but I probably would recommend 2 three night stays over 2 two night ones.
Have fun planning.

Hi L,

I think your trip sounds great! Personally, 2 or 1 1/2 days in Florence was enough for me. 2 nights near San Gimignano will be wonderful and I highly recommend staying a night in Orvieto! It's a very unique town with much to offer. You can easily spend an entire day and evening there.

Buon viaggio!

Looks good to me. Be sure to check if you can drop in orvieto now.

Does anyone know how far Orvieto is from Montelpuciano by car?
thanks .
Wendy A.

Hi w,

Go to www.viamichelin.com and www.mappy.com for maps, routes, etc