Venice to Chianti area and Chianti to Rome route sugestions...please?
 

Hello-

We're traveling to Italy in September and there's just so much to see....how do you pick? We're flying in to Venice, spending a few days there and we're then looking for the most scenic route to Florence/Chianti area. Do you have any suggestions of beautiful towns or drives to take to get to Florence?

We'll be in the Chianti area for 1 week....so day trips are a whole other overwhelming nightmare. If you have any suggestions on that as well.... I'd appreciate it.

From the Chianti area, we're driving to Rome for a few days and would love to take the most scenic route as possible. If you have route suggestions and must see thins, please let me know.

Any advice would be appreciated. I'm so excited....yet overwhelmed. Thank you!!

<i>"how do you pick"</i>

Italy is a beautiful country, especially by car. An experienced, seasoned traveler will do extensive research and plan with care. She will not bite off more than she can choose. Since time ticks away pretty quickly, one MUST pick in order to make the most of any trip.

I've made the drive from Venice to Florence several times, and the Chianti region is one of my favorites. There are numerous places one can stop along the way to explore but you could easily drop days from your itinerary doing so. Certainly hours.

The Chianti region, particularly in September, IMO, is a special treat, and in every direction there are many little scenic towns worth visiting. The drives are so lovely, I find it difficult to stay in one place too long.

A week in Tuscany will go by quickly so I tend to hop on the A13/A1 and get to Chianti as quickly as possible. Italy's autostrada is not the most scenic route even though the landscape can be breathtaking at times.

Getting lost in Chianti will matter less because that will be your base. Small towns are often 10-20 minutes apart. Getting lost, driving slower roads, or stopping along the way from Venice to Florence could easily add hours to your journey and then you could find yourself driving at night. Unless you know your way around and speak the language, I don't recommend driving at night. Many roads in Chianti, as well, do not have street lights. Navigating in the dark in unfamiliar territory is no fun.

I recommend you plan your daylight driving with realistic care.

Just got back from a trip Venezia to Roma

stop offs

www.sirmione.com Garda Hotel Eden close to where u will be

Florence www.assisi.com Orvieto Rome wonderful stops my fav

betterbidding.com Intercontinental Vill Spanish Steps $180

seat61.com nice trains cheaper better less car hassle

in big areas in rural areas have done tigercarrentals.com

a bit more but better for ruralroad tripping.

Happy Planning,

Do not drive to Tuscany---train to Florence to get the car. Then, drop the car after Tuscany at Orvieto and train into Rome. Your week in Tuscany is another story, but Chianti is not my favorite part of Tuscany--do you want to see the best of Tuscany or just Chianti?

Thanks so much for the suggestions! NYCfoodsnob (love the name) - thanks for the advice. We're always stuck driving in the dark, lost and with bad communication skills....so thanks for the reminder. qwovadis - I cant wait to check out all of your links...thanks!! bobthenavigator -- We really want to drive rather than take the train so that we could stop and take pictures, look around, etc. We're staying in the Chianti area but want to see the best of Tuscany...not just Chianti. Cinque Terre is an all day thing (I think) that we are doing for sure. We could like to go to Bologna, Umbria if possible. The rest is up in the air. I hear nothing but amazing things about the val d'orcia area....but don't know which towns and if thats all day day trip that's doable, etc. Any suggestions would be great. Especially on routes and cities that cant be missed in route. Thank you all for taking the time.

You can play with Google maps to check out potential routes. I've been enjoying this, myself. Compare driving the highways vs scenic routes, avoid tolls, etc. then choose your course based on where you want to save time vs. explore.

Where are you staying in Chianti?
If you want to stop and take pics then get to Tuscany sooner---there is no reason to stop on the autostradas.