Driving in Italy
 

For a first-time traveler to Italy, should I consider driving between Rome, Florence and Venice (10-day tour), or should I travel by train?

You could do these trips easily by train.

You should also post this query on the Europe board.

I love the challenge of driving in foreign countries.
Italy is "no problema" when it comes to driving, though most people will tell you to avoid driving in Rome due to the fast traffic and roundabouts.
The autostradas are very well maintained and easily navigated.
Italian drivers are more aggressive on average than US drivers (though Bostonians give them a run for their money) and you need to read up on signage and customs before you take off on a driving tour of Italy.
If you don't mind the challenge, I highly recommend it as it maximizes your freedom to come and go and stop into out of the way places.
I've taken some really memorable driving tours through Rome, Florence, Tuscany, the Lakes, Milan, etc, and don't pass up Switzerland if you're in the Lakes region.

Thanks for your detailed reply. I was concerned if a lot of time would be spent trying to figure things out.

The simple answer there is, yes, it takes quite a bit of reading and planning ahead.
The train is the low maintenance way of touring Italy.

It also depends on where you are staying in these cities. If you are staying right in the heart of Florence or Rome, it will be difficult to drive the narrow city streets (and compete with the scooters in Florence). Just call your hotels and make sure there is a place to park the car and leave it for the duration of your stay. In Venice, you park outside the city in a garage and take a boat in. Don't let some helpful guy lead you to the boat, make sure you take the legitimate shuttle boat. We ended up on an old private boat and paid more than we would have for the nice modern shuttle boat.

I live in Europe and would not consider driving from Rome, Florence to Venice to be part of a relaxing holiday. I would take the train from Rome to Florence. You will not need or want a car in Rome. You can rent a car in Florence if you want to explore country areas, and drop it off when you move on to Venice. You can then take the train to Venice, where you can't use a car anyway and the train will take you right to the public pier in Venice. You will save drop off charges this way as well as traffic hassles.

Don't forget that gas will cost you about US$4 a gallon. Parking is usually not included in hotel rates (and smaller hotels will not offer parking). Parking in cities like Florence will be hard to find and expensive.

One major difference in driving here is that unless otherwise indicated by triangles painted on the road, at an intersection drivers coming from your RIGHT have priority. That means at a "T" intersection where there is an intersecting road on your right, a car approaching the intersection on your right has the right of way, even if you are driving on the main road and he is coming off a side road!

I spend 1 - 2 months in Rome each year. FYI - the city center is generally closed to private auto traffic and even if you had the right permit, driving within Rome is miserable and parking even worse. Plus the transit system is great and you can easily get around on the subway or bus system. And forget about a car in Venice or Florence. But as one writer noted, you can rent a car and explore the Tuscan hilltowns for a few days and drop off the car before heading back into Florence. The train is much more pleasant for getting between the cities in Italy.