Hi

We are hoping to spend two weeks in Italy with 5-7 days in Tuscany. I have been reading different reports on the towns and wondered if anyone can help with which towns lend themselves to using trains vs. the need to drive. We do want to spend some time in Florence, as well as the outlying areas. We aren't against driving around for part of the time, and would welcome different ideas about which towns work best with each type of transportation, as we have to decide soon! Thanks very much.

About the only two hill towns reasonably accessible from Florence by public transportation are Siena (by bus is better than by train) and San Gimignano (train to Poggibonsi, bus from there to San Gimignano). Lucca is a very easy train ride from Florence, but it is not a hill town.

For Pienza, Montalcino, Montepulciano and the abbeys of Monte Oliveto Maggiore and Sant'Antimo, a car is indispensable, and even more so if you want to see the tiny walled town of Monteriggioni or the ruined abbey of San Galgano.

More towns are available by bus if you base your stay in Siena instead of Florence, but with limited schedules, so a car would still be better for easier exploring.

I would allocate 2 to 3 days in Florence and rent a car to see the rest of the area. On our trip we flew into Milan, rented a car and drove to Bellagio, then Santa Margharita, San Gimignano and finally to Florence where we returned the car. So our trip was more in the reverse of yours but think about getting a car and seeing the Chanti area, San G, Siena, etc. Is this part of your trip on the front end? I ask since returning the car is an important part of the decision process.

It seems like we want a day or 2 in Milan, then two in Venice, then down to Tuscany for a week and then a few day in Cinque Terre.

Is there flexiblity in terms of renting in one place and returning in another? Also, who should we rent from and do we need to do that before we go?

Here's what I suggest:

Take the train from Venice to the town of Chiusi in Southern Tuscany. You can rent a car through autoeurope.com and pick it up across the street from the Chiusi train station. From there, it's a short drive to the Montepulciano/Pienza area where you can stay in a hotel or B&B in town or, better yet, a farmhouse in the countryside. This is in my opinion the most beautiful area of Tuscany and a great place to spend a week exploring.