My husband an i will be going to Italy for the first time. We are planning on 10 days including travel. We would like to do Rome, Florence, Lucca and the CinqueTerre. I could use help planning this..we will be flying roundtrip LAX to Rome..should we take the train to Florence...rent a car? I am planning on 3 days in Rome 2-3 days in Florence and maybe 2 in Cinque Terre..and maybe a day in Lucca?? Any suggestions?

A car is not need or recommended in Rome nor in the Cinque terre where travel is best by train or bus.

However, around Florence it gives you great flexibility whether short trips to Fiesole or to Arcetri (Gallileo's observatory) and lunch at the Trattoria Omero - see http://www.ristoranteomero.it/lacucina_eng.html - so old it was frqented by Gallileo and Leonardo (see plaque on one of the houses opposite).

Further afield it enables you to visit a number of spots - Pisa/Lucca (can be done together as a single day trip), Siena and San Gimigniano (also as a day trip if you have little time) as well as general meandering across the Chianti landscape. If shopping is of interest consider going west of Florence to the factory outlets of Gucci (and related coompanies), Dolce & Gabbana, and Prada (Miu Miu etc). If you are interested I can provide more specific details.

Thank you..would you recommend taking the train from Rome to Florence, then renting a car in Florence use it for day trips..then turning it in and taking the train from Florence to Cinque tere and then a train back to Rome to go home? I am just trying to figure out the best route to take since we will be flying in and out of Rome...any suggestions?

Hi M,

Is there a reason that you are not visiting Venice?

I suggest that upon arrival in Rome you take the train directly to Florence for your first few nights.

Visit Lucca as a day trip from Florence using the train (1 hour each way).

After Florence, take the train to the Cinque Terre.

Take the train from Cinque Terre to Rome and spend your last few nights in Rome.

There is no need for renting a car on this trip.

With 3 nights Rome, 3 nights Florence and 2 nights Cinque Terre, I don't think you will have time for day trips from your bases (except Lucca from Florence).

Thank you..I will take your advice!!

I agree with ira ..Why not Venice??? I took his advice three years ago.. Happy to hear from ira... we are going back this year and i am searching for suggestions on northern italy.Seven days in September. and we want to venture into Switzerland for a day..

curly, we stayed overnight in Vicenza in northern Italy and really enjoyed it. You can see the theater designed by Palladio. He used perspective in such a clever way, I still talk about it years later.

Italy is nto such a small place and with so few thigns to see so that you can do so many places in one week.
The plan thatmiasma wnat do is really more then enough for 1 week, if you consider that just in rome one week is few, so add other places to her plan is surely nto adviced and would be only a big run.
Miasma your plan is ok, i'd advice just 4 nights in rome and 2 in florence.
Florence is really smaller then rome and you can reach easily the most impornat places walking in few minutes.
Hav eyou thoiught to palces to stay in rome and florence?Instead of cold hotels i'd advice to reant some central beautiful apartment to enjoy the real italian life