> >1. Is it smarter to rent a car in Florence, tour Tuscany, and then continue
> >down the road via auto to Rome? On the map it seems to be heading in the
> >right direction.>
> >2. Can we rent the car in Florence and drop it off in Rome?
pick up a car on your way out of town in Florence and then visit whatever
small towns you want to see on the way and drop it on the way into Rome.
We do this all the time -- it is easy and convenient.
Quote:> >3. Will it be a nightmare to find our hotel in Rome and return the car to
> >wherever it needs to go. I don't want to spend hours doing this.
you should be stayiing in the heart of old Rome e.g. Piaza Navona area for
best location -- and it is a nightmare navigating these streets -- we have
done it, but I think the best bet is to drop the car at the rental place
and take a cab from there to your hotel. My husband drove us into the
heart of Rome and unloaded - then drove back to drop the car and walked
back to our hotel -- but it does take a certain stamina for Rome driving
to do this.
Quote:> Yes. I would look to drop it off at the airport and then take the train into
> Rome. Getting into Rome is not for the faint of heart.
It costs a lot extra to pick up and drop at airports -- if not then this
is a good solution as it is easy to pick up the train at the airport --
but if it does cost extra, then it is no big deal to drop the car in Rome
-- the agencies tend to be near the ring road and on the outskirts which
is not that difficult to manage.
Quote:> >4. The alternate seems to be to return the car to Florence and hop on the
> >train again for Rome.
crazy -- it is common to pick up the car one place and drop it in another
with no extra fees.
Quote:> >5. I'm wondering how many sites we can hit in 3 days comfortably. The towns
> >of Pisa, Lucca, Sienna, Pienza, San Gimignano and Montepulciana all sound
> >interesting. Which ones would you pick and choose to visit?
Take a day for siena -- and spend the night there if you can -- it is
delightful at dawn and dusk -- it is not a big deal to find parking
overnight in Siena -- although you may have to get up early to move the
car.
Pisa is a 90 minute stop, Lucca is worth an afternoon at least -- I would
do either Pienza or my favorite Montepulciano, not both -- and San
Gimignano is worth an afternoon. With a car, you can make serendipitous
changes in itinerary if you decide to stay longer or skip something. Less
is more.
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