So we're renting a car in Florence on a Monday and driving some or all of the way to Rome to get there by Wednesday. This leaves 2 nights in the Tuscan countryside. 2 questions:

Do we dare attempting the entire drive to Rome? Should we drop the car in Orvieto and take the 2.5 hour train to Rome for ease?

If we're spending only two nights between Florence and Rome, where and what would you recommend doing? Vineyards and towns would be appreciated. Right now I'm thinking Siena and Orvieto might be best for lodging etc.

Any advice, tips, or anything would be very much appreciated!

In 2009 I did the reverse trip--drove from Rome to Florence. People had warned me not to rent a car in the city and they were right: it took me 2 hours of not being able to see street names, etc. to get to the autostrada entrance on the outside of Rome. Once on the autostrada it was fairly easy to follow the signs, which are large and easy to see. However, it is a 2-lane highway (the trucks in the slow lane and the big fast cars in the fast lane.) In my little Fiat 500 they were constantly tailgating me so close (10 feet?) that I was scared to death. It also started hailing big hailstones, but that's another story LOL. So...my point is, do what you've suggested (and what people suggested to me), take the train from Orvieto.

Stu Dudley, who is very generous with his advice and itineraries on this board, recommended the Val d'Orcia in Southern Tuscany as the most beautiful area in Europe. So that's where I stayed for a couple of nights--Montepulciano, Montalcino, Pienza and San Quirico d'Orcia. I picked Pienza because the center of the town is flat. Il Giardino Segreto is a beautiful little B&B that I can recommend without hesitation. Did not see Montepulciano because it's bigger than the other towns and didn't have time. Montalcino is the "capital" of the Brunello wine-growing region. Ask Stu on this board for his itinerary of the area (or google Val d'Orcia).

Buon viaggio!

I'll be blunt--- BAD idea. A rental car in Florence and Rome is a burden and a liability; zero advantages to having one. Two of the worst cities I can think of to drive in/around and also two of the best cities with public transport connections I can think of. The main train station in Florence (SMN) is walking distance from the main sights with frequent departures to Roma's Termini. I would STRONGLY advice you think this plan again from the perspective of public transport.

I should clarify that Autostrada uno (1) is 2 lanes in each direction. After 3 days of driving in Italy, I decided never again and took only trains and buses in the rest of my 6 weeks in Italy (and they are fine--run on time and quite decent). I just can't handle the tailgating (and I'm used to driving in LA, where I grew up and learned to drive on the freeways at age 16). Driving in Italy is another thing altogether.

I will say that I did think it was worth driving to the Val d'Orcia (also called Valle d'Orcia I think) because you can't really see the area well with the local buses and it's so extraordinarily beautiful (I went at the end of April where everything was green and lush).

Driving around Tuscany is quite easy, but I would agree - if you head into the larger cities it can get quite difficult. Living in Rome, we often drove to many locations outside of Rome. I don't think we ever made it to Florence without stopping somewhere.

Around Florence and heading to Rome (somewhat), you can take SS222 or SS2, two wonderful roads that give you great perspectives. If you drive to Siena, park OUTSIDE the walls (plenty of parking lots) and walk in... That way you'll avoid the ZTL's.

We also like Viterbo (again, park outside the walls). Orvieto is great and has plenty of parking. You could slide by Civita di Bagnoregio before it slides off the cliff. There are plenty of spots in Umbria and northern Lazio.

To avoid Rome city traffic, and a wait in Orvieto, you could always drop your car at the FCO airport and then train, bus, or taxi into Rome. We just dropped our cars off at Roma Termini, the train station...but we were very familiar with the city, having lived by the Vatican for a few years.

If you stay NORTH of Roma Termini, you won't hit any ZTL's. If you go more central than that, Rome has one of the largest ZTL areas in Italy. See this: http://tinyurl.com/Rome-ZTL

I'd get out a map and you'll see SS222 and SS2...You can actually ride SS2 all the way into central Rome (It becomes Via Cassia - we lived up there also). It's an easy ride until you hit the Tiber River... than you'll need a GPS to get you over to the train station or your car drop-off point...

Or you could ride SS2 until you get to the Roma ring road (GRA) and then head for the airport.

Oh, and don't forget about the Prada outlet, just south of Florence on the A1: http://tinyurl.com/Lo-Spaccio

So much to see - so little time!

Get the car at Florence airport, drive to your Tuscan base via San Gimignano, and stay in San Quirico for 2 nites. Drop the car in Orvieto near the train station[ Hertz via Auto Europe] and train into Rome. Have fun !

In san Quirico, look at Palazzzo del Capitano and Casa Lemmi.

>>>Do we dare attempting the entire drive to Rome? Should we drop the car in Orvieto and take the 2.5 hour train to Rome for ease? <<<

The train doesn't take 2 1/2 hours from Orvieto. It IC trains take 1:05 - 1:10 depending on train. The R trains take mostly take 1:24 with a few taking about 10 minutes more.

Agree with posters you don't want the car in Florence or in Rome but it is great to have in the countryside. It sounded like you may be considering two different spots to overnight. Given how close all of these are to each other, I would pick one hill town and spend both nights as day trips are easy without having to use up your day to pack and move hotels.

We have driven into Rome and I found it a little harrowing (and I'm fine with driving around LA and NYC) so think it would be more relaxing to drop car in Orvieto (and see the great Cathedral) and take the train into Rome.

What about dropping the car at Fiumicino airport in Rome? This seems to be just on the outskirts and should be simple enough?

Also, does anyone have a true favorite hill town to stay in for two nights? I would love any suggestions-

Thanks for all your help everyone!

In rank order, based on location:
1. San Quirico
2. Montalcino
3. Pienza