I'm just starting to plan a trip to Italy in March/April and looking for some suggestions. It will be my families first trip to Italy and we are carving out about 20 days. I'd love to road trip a loop, so that we can visit several places and not have to pay a one way car rental, but in and out of different cities is also an option. We are a small group of 6, active 60's, to 17 year old. Foodies, wanderers, less interested in museums, more interested local shops, churches, and out of the box adventures. I'm ok with researching hotels and what to do in the various stops, but I'm stuck on where the stops should be.

Renting a car for six plus luggage might be a problem.

You could start in Rome and tour Umbria and Tuscany and finish in Rome. We did a similar trip, picking up the car at the airport and going up the coast to Tarquinia for the first stop. We ended the trip in Rome.

That's the beginning of our trip: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...14974923/show/

I think planning the driving part is premature. You've got to get the route at least partially mapped out first, as I imagine you'll be using trains for more than you think and then renting a car (or cars) for portions where more appropriate (think exploring Tuscany's more rural areas, not cities).
My tips for narrowing down places for a trip like this:
1) poll everyone going and have them list their top 3.
2) read trip reports, articles, blogs--I am often inspired this way.
3) make lists--I think by scrawling, it really helps, and keep maps handy
4) Consider time--don't present a list of 15 places for 20 days. A good rule of thumb is three nights per place, but there's no rule other than to not try to do too much.
5) Remember you can go back--if you want to see Venice, Florence, Rome, etc. then by all means do so, but if you like out of the way places, that is Italy, too.
good luck planning!

Your challenge will be the vehicle----you will need a 9 passenger van and still have them all to pack lite.

Given the time of year, I would fly into Venice or Milan and home from Rome. I would plan on a max of 5 destinations and would consider apartment/Villa rentals at key destinations.

Read some good guide books to get a feel for what you most want to see. I would include Venice, Rome, Tuscany/Umbria, a

Oops! I hit something early.

I would include Venice, Tuscany/Umbria, Rome, either the Dolomites or the Amalfi coast, and one other destination. Do not try to drive in Rome or Venice. That should give you a good start.

Did you actually look at the quotes to come to the conclusion about the one way rental premium? For non specialty cars, I have not noticed rental car differences whether I do FCO-FCO or FCO-VCE,etc. Even if there is a difference, you still need to compute the total impact on the trip as opposed to looking at just this part of the overall trip finance. Not having to backtrack usually worth something both in terms of time and cost in other areas.

Also, if you insist on cars, putting large cities with traffic and parking issues in the middle of the trip would complicates or increases your cost. How would you like your car(s) sitting in a paid parking lot racking up rental and parking fees doing nothing?

I know I've read a few posts here recently from people who were charged something extra for picking up in one place and dropping off inn another (but same country), but I'm not sure if it's all that common, and even if it is, don't think it's that big of an extra charge (certainly nothing like the whopping fees for picking up in country A and dropping off in country B). Anyway, I haven't had that experience and have done a lot of rentals.

Agree about the 9-passenger van - and those are a PITA to drive on narrow streets! I'd plan the trip, then worry about transportation. If you do need a rental, get two cars.