And skip all the plane transfers in London. Fly to Italy if that is where you want to visit.

Very good ideas from everyone. You will keep me busy reading and planning for the summer.

The reason we are going BA is AirMiles and upgrades. Otherwise, you are correct - fly straight into Rome from Toronto for instance.

I have been reading alot of sites about hotels. We are looking at September and willing to spend around 130 Euros a night. Any suggestions for Rome, Florence, Tuscany area and Santa Marghareti Ligure? And of course, Venice, just in case we do decide on going there.

Our likes are quiet and clean locations. Easy access to the sites in Rome and Florence.

Thanks everyone. You all sound like you have had a great time in Italy.

Byron,
When we were in Florence in 2006 we stayed at Residenza il Villino. It was very close to attractions and very friendly. www.ilvillino.it

Thanks KSD. I had seen your recommendation and it looks nice. The writeup says the rooms are quiet so I assume you don't hear alot of street noise.

I can second the Il Villino in Florence. Lovely rooms, very updated. Sergio and Elizabetta were the most gracious hosts I've ever experienced. It may be slightly over your budget, but you can save in Tuscany.

We stayed at wonderful little agriturismo just out of Pienza. If the 1-bedroom apartment is available, it is only 90eu per night.
I wrote a report here.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35125304

If you search on "agriturismo Pienza" (or San Quirico, or Montalcino) you'll find many trip reports on apartment and farm stays.

Byron: at the Il Villino the courtyard is set way back off the street. I didn't hear a thing while we were there.

The only thing we heard while staying at il Villino were the church bells on Sunday morning.
We had the least expensive room there on the first floor and it was wonderful.

Byron, Il Villino does look nice, but we have enjoyed staying at Relais Cavalcanti, which is even closer to the Uffizi and is not as expensive. We are returning this year. Probably not as upscale, but clean and modern facilities inside a very old building. We thought it was charming!

Thank you everyone on your ideas for Florence. What about Rome? Any recommendations there? And then Tuscany - still to be determined where we stay. Someone told me that we should not stay in the same location in Tuscany for 4 days. We should see a specific area for around two days then move on to another. For instance, somewhere down near Siena and see that area. Then somewhere in Chianti to see that area.

We are still trying to find something nice in Santa Marghareta Ligure.

Thank you all. You are a big help.

As everyone has such good ideas I was just going to read and not put in my 2 cents. However, when the idea of Venice entered the discussion I decided to jump in! You want to experience the Italian "lifestyle" and don't want to rush - but you seem to be moving around too much to really do that.
My husband and I travel to Italy every year and every year we go back to places we've been and add a new place. We stay in the each place for at least 4 -5 days..that is MINIMUM for experiencing the "lifestyle" of the city or village. Venice - skip it if you can't stay more than 5 days - in my opinion that holds for Rome as well. I'm not crazy about Florence but one really cannot get to know either the people or the place in 2 days/nights - if, in fact that is what you want to experience. Italy has so many extraordinary treasures both natural (scenery) and historic (art) and music (opera in Verona and Lucca -Puccini, etc.) Plan to go back as the trip you are planning for this year will be a nice overview and give you a taste of the Italy that you can look forward to experiencing in more depth on another trip.

Autofrance and Sodexa are great sources for cars. You actually lease a new car for a certain number of days but can turn it in early. There are several cars to choose from and I find them better and more economical than the regular rental agencies. An agent met me at Malpensa with my car and I returned it to the airport when I was finished. No hassles and you get roadside assistance and extra insurance.

Thank you everyone. I know now I cannot see all of Italy in just one trip. You all make valid points.

I would still like to hear more suggestions on hotels please.

So far, I am landing on Il Villino in Florence, Hotel Nuova Riviera in SML and Residenze Arco dei Tolomei in Rome. Has anyone got any comments about these three or any other suggestions in the 130-180 euro range? Thanks again.

if you can't find a hotel you can look into vacation apartments. check out www.craigslist.org the also have B&B listings as well. check out www.casaspinelli.com they are good too.

In Rome, you might check with Hotel Parlamento. It's a more central location, equidistant to the Pantheon, Trevi fountain and Sp Steps. It's a more bustling area (lots of upscale shops, so window shopping was fun). I think they may be in your price range.
http://www.hotelparlamento.it/index.html

Ask them for rates on terrace and standard rooms. The desk is manned round the clock. Staff all seemed to be of the same family and were very helpful.

Byron-

Wow...your list is way too long. Venturing to Venice is possible, but it is a long haul from SML. I'd stick with staying in the Rome-Florence-SML-Milan corridor (A1 autostrada), and save Venice for another trip. The roads are good, but sometimes the traffic can be tedious, especially the route from Milan to Venice. From our perspective, Milan doesn't offer a lot to see other than the cathedral...Milan is truly Italy's business center; shopping at the Galleria is interesting, but other than that not particularly rich in tourist spots. Malpensa airport is a hefty hike (or drive) west of Milan; dropping off the car there makes sense to us. Malpensa terminal 1 is a new, very nice and an easy terminal to navigate, and to return your rental car (termed 'car hire return' in English signage). After all, you want to enjoy Italy and not come feeling like you drove a thousand miles! As many have mentioned, Pisa in 3-4 hours is all you need. We've used SML as base camp for the CT and Portofino, which was perfect. After some of our Italian (driving) adventures, this is absolutely the best advice we can offer. And, as other have mentioned, not to be missed is Orvieto. New and more recent discoveries for us were Pienza and Citta di Pieve. Also, think carefully about the number and which 'hill towns' you really wish to visit; as one soured friend once said to us, "Once you've seen one hill town, you've seen 'em all!" Ciao!

Thank ou Norcal. We are sure we need to split the trip a bit so as to really enjoy and not over do it. By the way, where did you stay in SML? How did you do CT? Did you take the train from SML and go to the furthest village and make your way back up?

JeanneB - thanks for another choice in hotel. It looks quite nice.

If you get a quote from the Parlamento, please let me know. It's been a couple of years since we stayed there. They were remodeling and I've wondered if the rates would go up.

Byron1,

I'm not the operson you asked but did stay in SML a few years ago and did day trips to CT and Portofino. Stayed at the Continel Hotel there and liked it. Took the train, as you mention, to the furthest town in CT, then took a combo of boat and feet to get back to the main train stop. It was a great way to see the towns from the water too and was a wonderful day.

Kathy

Thank you Kathy. We figure that boot and walk and train combo is what we need to do.

Byron,you are certainly receiving a lot of wonderful advice. One thing is certain: you will want to revisit Italy again! Think about your next trip as you travel there. You need a good, high resolution map and a dairy. You should pick the areas you wish to see again (you are biting off a lot on one trip) then THINK ABOUT RENTING A VILLA. The Parker Company in Lynn, MA is one that does Italy very well.Their website will get you an exhaustive catalog of properties. Pick a villa that will afford you day trips of 1-1 1/2 hours driving time. The car should be searched @ Hertz Italy, 1-800-FLY EUROPE (they guarantee the lowest price or will match or refund you the difference) and Maggiore, in Ireland, an excellent site. Economically, it is best to travel as a foursome, renting the car at one site and returning it at point of departure. Splurge on the car: a C-class MB Estate wagon, diesel, automatic. It is worth it. The best time to plan your next trip is while you are there!