This forum has been invaluable in my previous trips thanks everyone. Now for the new trip.

17 days in late September to mid October, Fly into Florence and out of Rome,and in between:

3days in Florence - Hotel Johanna1
3days in C.T. in Vernazza - Travel by train via La Spezia - Hotel Gianni Franzi
1 night in Pisa to pick up car - Hotel Royal Victoria- Travel by train from Vernazza
3 days in San Gimignano - Hotel Bel Soggiorno -Tour Hill towns, Sienna, Grieve
2 days in Spello - long drive 1st day- Assisi, Trevi, Norcia
1 day in Orvieto- via Todi - turn in car see city
3 days in Rome - travel by Train.

My concerns are.
Rental car pick up is at Pisa airport ,we arrive by train. Is there any shuttlle/ bus between the airport and the train terminal? I can't seem to find out.

The drive between San Gimignano and Spello doesn't look long on the map, but would it be a reasonable drive for one day with casual stops along the way?

I have been to Rome ,a long time ago and I remember the crunch in getting around. Would it make sense to hire a personal guide or is my memory exagerating the issue. We are seasoned travelers.

Any recommendations from Fordites or stuipd plans I've made, please I appreciate your comments.

Wayne

There's a train station at the airport. Do you mean you arrive Pisa Centrale or Pisa Aeroporto?

A bit too much moving around for me. I would skip the night in Pisa and add it to Orvieto.

I didn't think it was hard to get around Rome at all. In fact I remember thinking it was so much smaller than I thought it would be. There certainly is a lot to see, but it was easy to walk to the main sites, and we had our kids who were 4 and 5 with us at the time. One thing you might consider a guide for is the Vatican, simply because if you book this ahead of time you should be able to avoid the long lines. We went in March and the lines were still ridiculously long even though we arrived early. Luckily we found a group tour that needed a few more people and we were able to skip the line and get a good tour. Other than the Vatican, I don't think you need a personal guide unless you want some of the special tours of places not open to the general public.

I have a question for you:

Is there a reason for you to deviate eastward deep into Umbria in the midst of your trip?

IMO, you'd improve your itinerary - less time lost on a 'long drive' or two - by staying within Tuscany for those 2 or 3 days, specifically in the beautiful Val d'Orcia region.

I suggest saving Umbria for a future trip.

We will arrive at Pisa Centrale.

The reason for the one night stay in Pisa: the hotel in San Gimignano is fully booked the first night!

The reason for Umbria visit now is there won't be a future trip.