I'm re-posting my message with a change! We have 8 days at Thanksgiving. Where to go in Italy? We like the smaller towns with less hassles. Is Rome a must though? Fly into Rome or Florence? Accomodations? And, do we rent a car? If those of you that have been there had one week, what would be your choice? Thanks, Kathie

Smaller towns and no hassle leaves out Rome. You can fly into that airport but rent a car (before you go, we used Hertz) and head into Tuscany/Umbria. Better yet, Fly into Florence.
I'd stay 2 nights near SPoleto, then 4 nights in an agriturisimo in S. Tuscany near Siena. www.tuscany.com. Start or end with a few days in Rome or Florence, depending on where your flight is. Ciao!

with weather iffy in November and days short, I don't know that I'd plan most of the trip for sightseeing in the country.

I personally think of doing a lot of driving as a major hassle, but that's me. What would be my choice under these circumstances?

Splitting a week between Florence and Rome, or Rome and Venice.
The Florence idea does allow for daytripping into Tuscany if weather is fair--you can do that by car or by bus or even by organized tour. However, don't choose Rome if you don't at all like large busy cities.

We spent a week in Italy last October. Flew into Milan, took bus/boat to Lake Como. Then took train to Venice (my favorite). Then train to Florence. Then train to the Cinque Terra (my other favorite)on the west coast. I have heard great things about the smaller towns around Tuscany like Sienna and several of the inns in that area. We found the trains to be very reliable and cheap and flying into Milan was hassle free. We skipped Rome this trip as we were told it needs a week itself. Could definitely see a week in Florence and the surrounds, esp if you like art. I hear you can take tours or just local buses or trains to the surrounding towns quite easily. And the food in that area is so delicious... The only thing to consider is what will the weather be like at the end of November. For early Oct is was still relatively warm, with some rain in Florence and lovely sunshine on the coast. Good luck!

IMHO, I think Rome is a must. Yes, it is a big city, but how can you pass up the Forum, the Pantheon, St. Peters and the Vatican, numerous public sculptures by Bernini and wonderful renaissance palazzos, squares and churches? If you love history, art or architechture, you will love everything about Rome. I have also been to Florence and Venice and I think you could do all 3 in 8 days traveling by train. Fly into Rome, train to Florence, train to Venice, then fly out of Venice (or Milan if cheaper). You would see a lot if you did it that way but, then again, it might be tiring.

We were there in April for 8 days, flew into Rome for 4 days (must see), then took the Eurorail to Venice for 2 days, then train to Florence for 2 days, and back to Rome to catch our return flight.
Do not rent a car in italy, traffic and parking is terrible there. They have great transportation system and besides, italy is a very walkable city.
If your are planning to do train travel, you can go on the eurorail site and plan out your schedule first and purchase your tickets once your in italy. Beware with the gypsies in Rome though. Have fun!

Like the proverbial elephant in the room, the weather cannot be overlooked as a factor in your planning.

Unlike a typical summertime trip, when sunny skies can be reasonably counted on, late November can be grey, cold and damp. You wouldn't want to be out on countryside roads in that case; Rome would be the logical place to be under those circumstances.

Therefore, I think you should keep loose and adapt to the circumstances as they present themselves to you upon your arrival there.

We were in Italy last year about this time for nearly two weeks. Our favorites were Venice, Florence and Cinque Terre. However, we liked Rome a lot more than we expected. It's a tough call, but in a week, I'd probably hit Rome, Florence and Venice (not necessarily in that order).

My husband and I are in the same boat, but we have less time. Consequently, we decided to do Florence. I have been there twice and didn't like it because it was choked with tourists. I think it will be a dramatic difference during Thanksgiving.

We opted for Florence because it's a great museum city. If the weather is bad, there are plenty of indoor places to go and things to see. Rome is more outdoorsy, but the weather is better. Venice is fantastic, but it might be cold and dreary in November. (I was there in October and loved it.)

Good luck@

My husband and I did the usual Florence, Venice, Rome trip 2 years ago and quickly decided that the 4 days we spend in Rome was NOT enough. We're spending the full week of Thanksgiving there this year. (And yes, weather did factor into that decision - there's a good mix of indoor and outdoor things in Rome, but the odds of better weather are pretty good there versus Flo. or Ven.)
Good luck!

Rome is a must!!