Planning a trip to Italy and my choices for non-stop flights are Delta or Alitalia. I've read some negative comments about Delta- just wondering your thoughts. Also, I am going to Tuscany, staying in Florence. Should I rent a car to see some of the other cities, or take the train?

Every airline has its problems so I can't condemn or praise any particular one. I have flown both Delta and Alitalia recently to Italy. If the proposed Alitalia flight is on one of thier new planes, that def. makes for a comfortable experience - including personal tvs in the back of each seat.

Do you happen to know what kind of new plane that Alitalia uses? When I flew from London on a 777, they had the TV screens on the back of the seats, but the 767 to Paris did not.

Hi - re: airlines, Alitalia is partners/affiliated with Delta so I don't think it will matter... I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

So far as renting a car vs train, I guess this depends on what cities you'll be traveling to.

Personally I don't like to drive in Italy and I would not want a car in Florence. I think Italy has a great train system to get from point a to point b, but again it depends on where you want to go.

Really need more info about how long you are in Tuscany, where coming from to get there, where going after - - to advise you on whether to rent a car.

Keep in mind that car rentals of less than three days are generally a bad deal. A one day rental often costs about the same as a three day rental. And does your use of the word "I" mean that you are solo? It will be hard to find a rental car that isn't twice the cost (or more) of train travel. Car rental becomes a better bargain when it replaces the train fares of two or three people.

Best wishes,

Rex

I'm just now beginning to plan the trip - have some guidebooks handy. I'm going with a friend from work. Our tentative plans are to fly from Indianapolis to Venice, stay there two days, take the train to Florence, stay there four days, take the train to Rome, stay there four days and then come home. In Tuscany, we'd like to see Pisa, Sienna, Florence so far. Haven't researched it enough to know what else we could see in the time we have there.

With four days in Florence, you can easily achieve what you want to do without a car. Train/day trip to Pisa; bus to Siena, either as a day trip, or as an overnighter, subtracted from your four nights in Florence.

Hi b

These links might help you

Ira?s Trip Report
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34451044

Helpful Information: Italy http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34443340

Trenitalia Tickets Online
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34465647