Provence, France/Italy Itinerary Check
 

Any comments on this itinerary would be greatly appreciated. Based on other helpful suggestions I've read on these boards, we may be over doing it. Here it is.

City/Nights
Avignon 3
St. Saturnin-Lès-Apt 3
Lyon 1
Venice 3
Montepulciano 6
Cernobbio 2

We are interested in beautiful drives, wine, hill towns and Roman ruins. The trip is planned for this April/May. We plan to drive in both Provence and Tuscany. Favorite day trips/excursions from each location would be very helpful. Thank you.
Cedartrail

That is very confusing--is that your sequence?
Why not Lake Como after France?
Where do you depart Europe?
Why Lyon for only one nite?
Do you plan to drive or fly from Lyon to Venice?
I assume you are planning on 2 car rentals--correct?

bob,
Yes, it is the sequence, so far. I'm having trouble getting a reasonably priced flight to Venice. We don't want to drive that link. I may be wrong, but it seems like EasyJet is the only budget airline and they fly out of Lyon. We depart Europe from Milan (Malpensa). You are correct, we will be driving in Provence and Tuscany. I'm definitely open to suggestions.
Cedartrail

You could fly low cost airlines Baboo from Geneva to Venice, leaving your rental car at the French side of the Geneva airport:

http://www.flybaboo.com/

Instead you could drive to Nice, turn in your car, and take the train to San Remo, Italy (1 hour) to pick up another car and continue on to Tuscany. Then you either have to let your rental car sit in a Venice parking lot, or give up your car when you arrive in Venice, and subsequently take the train to Como and a ferry or transfer to Cernobbio. From Como, it's easy to take a Ferrovie Nord Milano train (different company from Trenitalia, different station in Como) with one change to Malpensa.

Another possibililty is to drive to Nice, drop off your car, and take the train. It's about a 7:30 hour trip with a change in Milan. The fare is 56.50 Euros according to the French rail website.

Easyjet is one of a dozen discount airlines in Europe. Look at www.whichbudget.com and see about flights from Nice or Marseille.
Why not this order:
Provence[France]drop car in Nice
Train to Lago Como via Milan
Train to Florence--get car--to Tuscany
Drive to Venice--drop car
Either depart from Venice--or, if not possible, then train to Milan for last nite--depart MXP