Mad Cow's Italy trip discussion thread (2 Viewers)

[jamny]

i would finish in Rome. you say stress. there is no way you won’t be stressed waking up at 6a or so in Amalfi and trying to get to FCO. heck, you’ll be stressed trying to get to FCO while in Rome, but at least you’ll be closer. if you are arriving late, you are losing that day anyway, so just head to amalfi. You’ll likely be able to have a pleasant last breakfast in Rome the morning of your flight. also, you could take the Leonardo to FCO from Termini or a car.

Going to Rome first and then Amalfi is a good order but I would definitely spend the last night back in Rome so you can be close to the airport. We went to Positano in 2019, stayed in a hotel about an hour south of the airport after landing, went to Positano the next day and drove to a hotel outside Rome the day before departing to be closer to the airport. We should have just stayed in Rome for the night though.

We booked the Hilton Garden Inn at FCO for our last night coming back from Lake Como before leaving early the next morning. Figure it just makes it easier to be right at the airport.

We regretted staying near the airport for our last night. Being able to spend our last night strolling around Rome again would have been a much better way to end a great trip, even if it meant getting up an hour earlier.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

i would finish in Rome. you say stress. there is no way you won’t be stressed waking up at 6a or so in Amalfi and trying to get to FCO. heck, you’ll be stressed trying to get to FCO while in Rome, but at least you’ll be closer. if you are arriving late, you are losing that day anyway, so just head to amalfi. You’ll likely be able to have a pleasant last breakfast in Rome the morning of your flight. also, you could take the Leonardo to FCO from Termini or a car.

Going to Rome first and then Amalfi is a good order but I would definitely spend the last night back in Rome so you can be close to the airport. We went to Positano in 2019, stayed in a hotel about an hour south of the airport after landing, went to Positano the next day and drove to a hotel outside Rome the day before departing to be closer to the airport. We should have just stayed in Rome for the night though.

We booked the Hilton Garden Inn at FCO for our last night coming back from Lake Como before leaving early the next morning. Figure it just makes it easier to be right at the airport.

We regretted staying near the airport for our last night. Being able to spend our last night strolling around Rome again would have been a much better way to end a great trip, even if it meant getting up an hour earlier.

Yeah, we considered that but both my wife and daughter are nervous flyers so they voted for this option. Still should get to Rome from Milan in time to check in, take a cab to dinner somewhere closer in to Rome and then come back and go to bed.

 

[Judge Smails]

The high speed trains are glorious. Florence to Rome was an absolute breeze

 

[DA RAIDERS]

i did my last night in rome proper. i just got a quaint little hotel. it was perfect. i just made sure i was close to termini, in case of a random strike.

 

[Chemical X]

i would finish in Rome. you say stress. there is no way you won’t be stressed waking up at 6a or so in Amalfi and trying to get to FCO. heck, you’ll be stressed trying to get to FCO while in Rome, but at least you’ll be closer. if you are arriving late, you are losing that day anyway, so just head to amalfi. You’ll likely be able to have a pleasant last breakfast in Rome the morning of your flight. also, you could take the Leonardo to FCO from Termini or a car.

Going to Rome first and then Amalfi is a good order but I would definitely spend the last night back in Rome so you can be close to the airport. We went to Positano in 2019, stayed in a hotel about an hour south of the airport after landing, went to Positano the next day and drove to a hotel outside Rome the day before departing to be closer to the airport. We should have just stayed in Rome for the night though.

We booked the Hilton Garden Inn at FCO for our last night coming back from Lake Como before leaving early the next morning. Figure it just makes it easier to be right at the airport.

We regretted staying near the airport for our last night. Being able to spend our last night strolling around Rome again would have been a much better way to end a great trip, even if it meant getting up an hour earlier.

Yeah, we considered that but both my wife and daughter are nervous flyers so they voted for this option. Still should get to Rome from Milan in time to check in, take a cab to dinner somewhere closer in to Rome and then come back and go to bed.

i always stay in Rome proper, but i’ve done this numerous times with only my wife and we feel real comfortable with timing. i can understand wanting to be absolutely certain…i would definitely spend the evening in Rome though, a cab is prix fixed at i think €55 from fco to the city center. you could take the leonardo express from fco to termini, but it was around €16 pp, so it’s cheaper for a cab for 4 people. depending on time of day, it takes about 30 mins. i would make a reservation for a place in trastevere. walk around a bit and cab back to the hotel. you can’t just hail a cab on the street, so you need to know where the stands are located. a tip, if you are near a hotel, they can always call a cab for you…you don’t have to be a guest, just go to the front desk and ask.

 

[Chemical X]

for you firenze lovers;

ponte vecchio news

The restoration work on the bridge will take place in several stages. The floating platform that was just installed will be used to carry out surveys and take material samples as a preparatory measure. A bridge monitoring system is also being set up, and will stay in place for a year.

Thorough cleaning is next on the to-do list. This will include removing algae — what locals have been referring to as croste nere, or “black crusts” — lichen and vegetation. The focus will then move to repairing deteriorated sections below the shops and filling cracks in the pietra forte (hard stone) arches. A major goal of the project is to revive the bridge’s coat of arms and trim, which have been obscured from view by wear-and-tear over the years. Finally, the bridge will get a fresh coat of paint.

 

[jamny]

So I have a friend that is going to Italy next June with his family (Rome-Florence-Venice-Vienna) and is asking for advice. He'll be traveling with wife and two kids (8 & 12 now)
Since I don't have kids, any advice I could give him for kids stuff they might enjoy? They're mostly doing tours but have some off days.

 

[Chemical X]

So I have a friend that is going to Italy next June with his family (Rome-Florence-Venice-Vienna) and is asking for advice. He'll be traveling with wife and two kids (8 & 12 now)
Since I don't have kids, any advice I could give him for kids stuff they might enjoy? They're mostly doing tours but have some off days.

not too sure about venice and vienna and not super sure about rome and florence, but in rome i think they have a zoo, the vatican scavi underground tour and you can go to “gladiator school”, dress up and be a gladiator. also, rome is pretty famous for outdoor puppet shows i think i read somewhere. florence is tougher….you could climb the dome, hit the carousel (piazza della repubblica) or go to boboli gardens. da vinci museum and natural history museum might be kid friendly. venice, ride a gondola and vaporetto.

 

[Brony]

So I have a friend that is going to Italy next June with his family (Rome-Florence-Venice-Vienna) and is asking for advice. He'll be traveling with wife and two kids (8 & 12 now)
Since I don't have kids, any advice I could give him for kids stuff they might enjoy? They're mostly doing tours but have some off days.

To be clear, I'm not Jamny's friend.

But, I'm also not not Jamny's friend.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

So I have a friend that is going to Italy next June with his family (Rome-Florence-Venice-Vienna) and is asking for advice. He'll be traveling with wife and two kids (8 & 12 now)
Since I don't have kids, any advice I could give him for kids stuff they might enjoy? They're mostly doing tours but have some off days.

So I have a friend that is going to Italy next June with his family (Rome-Florence-Venice-Vienna) and is asking for advice. He'll be traveling with wife and two kids (8 & 12 now)
Since I don't have kids, any advice I could give him for kids stuff they might enjoy? They're mostly doing tours but have some off days.

To be clear, I'm not Jamny's friend.

But, I'm also not not Jamny's friend.

I am also not @jamny's friend since we're also going to Umbria and Lake Como. But would be interested in good ideas for teenagers in those regions.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Also, please talk to me about car rental in Italy. It seems like it's difficult to do in smaller towns? We'd like to rent a car in Orvieto but it looks tough to do that.
Do they have the same US chains there or are there other local rental places? I'll search the thread as well but wondered how people have done it.

 

[ex-ghost]

So I have a friend that is going to Italy next June with his family (Rome-Florence-Venice-Vienna) and is asking for advice. He'll be traveling with wife and two kids (8 & 12 now)
Since I don't have kids, any advice I could give him for kids stuff they might enjoy? They're mostly doing tours but have some off days.

So I have a friend that is going to Italy next June with his family (Rome-Florence-Venice-Vienna) and is asking for advice. He'll be traveling with wife and two kids (8 & 12 now)
Since I don't have kids, any advice I could give him for kids stuff they might enjoy? They're mostly doing tours but have some off days.

To be clear, I'm not Jamny's friend.

But, I'm also not not Jamny's friend.

I am also not @jamny's friend since we're also going to Umbria and Lake Como. But would be interested in good ideas for teenagers in those regions.

Look at bike tours in Florence. My kids were a bit older, 12 and 14, but had a great time. Did some biking, stopped for a great group lunch at a vineyard and then biked some more. Great active day and the biking was mostly flat. Well worth it to see the countryside slowly.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Any opinions on Todi or Assisi?

 

[jamny]

Also, please talk to me about car rental in Italy. It seems like it's difficult to do in smaller towns? We'd like to rent a car in Orvieto but it looks tough to do that.
Do they have the same US chains there or are there other local rental places? I'll search the thread as well but wondered how people have done it.

We've usually rented cars when going to Italy and go with Avis. They have the usual ones there, although I'm not sure about in smaller areas. Just be aware of additional one way fees if you aren't returning to the same place.

 

[Chemical X]

Any opinions on Todi or Assisi?

give me a bit to get my bearings here again…..coming off a 2 month ban.

i am looking to buy my forever home in todi and i love love assisi. will post more in a bit.

 

[Chemical X]

So I have a friend that is going to Italy next June with his family (Rome-Florence-Venice-Vienna) and is asking for advice. He'll be traveling with wife and two kids (8 & 12 now)
Since I don't have kids, any advice I could give him for kids stuff they might enjoy? They're mostly doing tours but have some off days.

So I have a friend that is going to Italy next June with his family (Rome-Florence-Venice-Vienna) and is asking for advice. He'll be traveling with wife and two kids (8 & 12 now)
Since I don't have kids, any advice I could give him for kids stuff they might enjoy? They're mostly doing tours but have some off days.

To be clear, I'm not Jamny's friend.

But, I'm also not not Jamny's friend.

I am also not @jamny's friend since we're also going to Umbria and Lake Como. But would be interested in good ideas for teenagers in those regions.

i saw a bunch of your posts here…como and umbria. when are you going and for how long? i’ll be there most of may and my place is in umbria, so i am well versed about the region.

 

[Chemical X]

Any opinions on Todi or Assisi?

todi no, assisi absolutely! todi is just a hill town, a very nice one, but nothing to hit on that side of umbria. assisi was fabulous. obviously having st francis in your history helps, but assisi has a feel of reverence that can’t be explained. the church is magnificent and it houses the original church built by st francis and his disciples. his old clothing is also on display. the frescoes of his life adventures are well maintained. the town is quaint, with some nice shops and one of our favorite sandwich locations. also, i forget her name, but there is a female st. that mirrored francis and that church is at the top of assisi, has some great views (lol) and is worth a visit. the parking is easy.

 

[Chemical X]

Also, please talk to me about car rental in Italy. It seems like it's difficult to do in smaller towns? We'd like to rent a car in Orvieto but it looks tough to do that.
Do they have the same US chains there or are there other local rental places? I'll search the thread as well but wondered how people have done it.

sixt is a smaller euro chain. i have always used sicily by car, which has off the beaten path locations. i asked in a different post, if you provide your itinerary, i can be more useful. ie orvieto has a nice train station, where are you coming from, yadda…..

 

[gianmarco]

Any opinions on Todi or Assisi?

church is at the top of assisi, has some great. jews and is worth a visit.

:Reported:

 

[Chemical X]

For those who frequent Rome, we have toured with Katie and she is quite the knowledge base;

Where to Eat & Drink & Shop for Food in Rome in 2024 | Katie Parla

Where should you eat, drink, and shop for food in Rome? Get Katie's tips for the top trattorie, gelato shops, wine bars, delis, and more!

katieparla.com

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Also, please talk to me about car rental in Italy. It seems like it's difficult to do in smaller towns? We'd like to rent a car in Orvieto but it looks tough to do that.
Do they have the same US chains there or are there other local rental places? I'll search the thread as well but wondered how people have done it.

sixt is a smaller euro chain. i have always used sicily by car, which has off the beaten path locations. i asked in a different post, if you provide your itinerary, i can be more useful. ie orvieto has a nice train station, where are you coming from, yadda…..

OK, here is what we are doing.
Wife and I and two teenage daughters all weeks.
Mother in law (78) first two weeks (and she is paying for a lot of the trip so making most of the decisions)
BIL and girlfriend, our age, first week.

Week 1 in Orvieto at a house with a pool - Will do some day trips. Sienna for sure. Probably Montepulciano. Certainly a day in Orvieto. Bagnoregio. Looking for other ideas. Fly into Rome and likely getting a car there to drive to Orvieto. Don't want to keep getting a car service when we'll want one 4-5 days of the week.

Then we return the car to Rome Airport, say goodbye to BIL and his girlfriend and the 5 of us take the train to Venice.

Week 2 is a Tauck tour of Venice, Florence and Rome. MIL insisted on this week and she's buying. 24 people in the tour total. Some free time in each city but not a ton.

Then we say goodbye to MIL at the Rome Airport, rent another car and start driving up toward Como. I think I want to take the coast road, is it 84? We stay in Lucca for the first night. Want to spend late afternoon and dinner there and then late breakfast. Back on the road up to Como.

Week 3 is a house with pool in Bellagio on Lake Como. Have the car for some side trips but more about relaxing and doing a boat tour or two. Might do a day trip down to Milan to see the Last Supper.

Finally we drive back to Milan and drop the car at the airport there. May see Last Supper this day if needed. Then high speed train from Milan to Rome. Spend one more night in Rome and fly back the next day.

 

[Chemical X]

Also, please talk to me about car rental in Italy. It seems like it's difficult to do in smaller towns? We'd like to rent a car in Orvieto but it looks tough to do that.
Do they have the same US chains there or are there other local rental places? I'll search the thread as well but wondered how people have done it.

sixt is a smaller euro chain. i have always used sicily by car, which has off the beaten path locations. i asked in a different post, if you provide your itinerary, i can be more useful. ie orvieto has a nice train station, where are you coming from, yadda…..

OK, here is what we are doing.
Wife and I and two teenage daughters all weeks.
Mother in law (78) first two weeks (and she is paying for a lot of the trip so making most of the decisions)
BIL and girlfriend, our age, first week.

Week 1 in Orvieto at a house with a pool - Will do some day trips. Sienna for sure. Probably Montepulciano. Certainly a day in Orvieto. Bagnoregio. Looking for other ideas. Fly into Rome and likely getting a car there to drive to Orvieto. Don't want to keep getting a car service when we'll want one 4-5 days of the week.

Then we return the car to Rome Airport, say goodbye to BIL and his girlfriend and the 5 of us take the train to Venice.

Week 2 is a Tauck tour of Venice, Florence and Rome. MIL insisted on this week and she's buying. 24 people in the tour total. Some free time in each city but not a ton.

Then we say goodbye to MIL at the Rome Airport, rent another car and start driving up toward Como. I think I want to take the coast road, is it 84? We stay in Lucca for the first night. Want to spend late afternoon and dinner there and then late breakfast. Back on the road up to Como.

Week 3 is a house with pool in Bellagio on Lake Como. Have the car for some side trips but more about relaxing and doing a boat tour or two. Might do a day trip down to Milan to see the Last Supper.

Finally we drive back to Milan and drop the car at the airport there. May see Last Supper this day if needed. Then high speed train from Milan to Rome. Spend one more night in Rome and fly back the next day.

what time of year?

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Also, please talk to me about car rental in Italy. It seems like it's difficult to do in smaller towns? We'd like to rent a car in Orvieto but it looks tough to do that.
Do they have the same US chains there or are there other local rental places? I'll search the thread as well but wondered how people have done it.

sixt is a smaller euro chain. i have always used sicily by car, which has off the beaten path locations. i asked in a different post, if you provide your itinerary, i can be more useful. ie orvieto has a nice train station, where are you coming from, yadda…..

OK, here is what we are doing.
Wife and I and two teenage daughters all weeks.
Mother in law (78) first two weeks (and she is paying for a lot of the trip so making most of the decisions)
BIL and girlfriend, our age, first week.

Week 1 in Orvieto at a house with a pool - Will do some day trips. Sienna for sure. Probably Montepulciano. Certainly a day in Orvieto. Bagnoregio. Looking for other ideas. Fly into Rome and likely getting a car there to drive to Orvieto. Don't want to keep getting a car service when we'll want one 4-5 days of the week.

Then we return the car to Rome Airport, say goodbye to BIL and his girlfriend and the 5 of us take the train to Venice.

Week 2 is a Tauck tour of Venice, Florence and Rome. MIL insisted on this week and she's buying. 24 people in the tour total. Some free time in each city but not a ton.

Then we say goodbye to MIL at the Rome Airport, rent another car and start driving up toward Como. I think I want to take the coast road, is it 84? We stay in Lucca for the first night. Want to spend late afternoon and dinner there and then late breakfast. Back on the road up to Como.

Week 3 is a house with pool in Bellagio on Lake Como. Have the car for some side trips but more about relaxing and doing a boat tour or two. Might do a day trip down to Milan to see the Last Supper.

Finally we drive back to Milan and drop the car at the airport there. May see Last Supper this day if needed. Then high speed train from Milan to Rome. Spend one more night in Rome and fly back the next day.

what time of year?

Sorry, June 9 - July 2

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Also, please talk to me about car rental in Italy. It seems like it's difficult to do in smaller towns? We'd like to rent a car in Orvieto but it looks tough to do that.
Do they have the same US chains there or are there other local rental places? I'll search the thread as well but wondered how people have done it.

sixt is a smaller euro chain. i have always used sicily by car, which has off the beaten path locations. i asked in a different post, if you provide your itinerary, i can be more useful. ie orvieto has a nice train station, where are you coming from, yadda…..

OK, here is what we are doing.
Wife and I and two teenage daughters all weeks.
Mother in law (78) first two weeks (and she is paying for a lot of the trip so making most of the decisions)
BIL and girlfriend, our age, first week.

Week 1 in Orvieto at a house with a pool - Will do some day trips. Sienna for sure. Probably Montepulciano. Certainly a day in Orvieto. Bagnoregio. Looking for other ideas. Fly into Rome and likely getting a car there to drive to Orvieto. Don't want to keep getting a car service when we'll want one 4-5 days of the week.

Then we return the car to Rome Airport, say goodbye to BIL and his girlfriend and the 5 of us take the train to Venice.

Week 2 is a Tauck tour of Venice, Florence and Rome. MIL insisted on this week and she's buying. 24 people in the tour total. Some free time in each city but not a ton.

Then we say goodbye to MIL at the Rome Airport, rent another car and start driving up toward Como. I think I want to take the coast road, is it 84? We stay in Lucca for the first night. Want to spend late afternoon and dinner there and then late breakfast. Back on the road up to Como.

Week 3 is a house with pool in Bellagio on Lake Como. Have the car for some side trips but more about relaxing and doing a boat tour or two. Might do a day trip down to Milan to see the Last Supper.

Finally we drive back to Milan and drop the car at the airport there. May see Last Supper this day if needed. Then high speed train from Milan to Rome. Spend one more night in Rome and fly back the next day.

what time of year?

Sorry, June 9 - July 2

It will be hot.

 

[Chemical X]

Also, please talk to me about car rental in Italy. It seems like it's difficult to do in smaller towns? We'd like to rent a car in Orvieto but it looks tough to do that.
Do they have the same US chains there or are there other local rental places? I'll search the thread as well but wondered how people have done it.

sixt is a smaller euro chain. i have always used sicily by car, which has off the beaten path locations. i asked in a different post, if you provide your itinerary, i can be more useful. ie orvieto has a nice train station, where are you coming from, yadda…..

OK, here is what we are doing.
Wife and I and two teenage daughters all weeks.
Mother in law (78) first two weeks (and she is paying for a lot of the trip so making most of the decisions)
BIL and girlfriend, our age, first week.

Week 1 in Orvieto at a house with a pool - Will do some day trips. Sienna for sure. Probably Montepulciano. Certainly a day in Orvieto. Bagnoregio. Looking for other ideas. Fly into Rome and likely getting a car there to drive to Orvieto. Don't want to keep getting a car service when we'll want one 4-5 days of the week.

Then we return the car to Rome Airport, say goodbye to BIL and his girlfriend and the 5 of us take the train to Venice.

Week 2 is a Tauck tour of Venice, Florence and Rome. MIL insisted on this week and she's buying. 24 people in the tour total. Some free time in each city but not a ton.

Then we say goodbye to MIL at the Rome Airport, rent another car and start driving up toward Como. I think I want to take the coast road, is it 84? We stay in Lucca for the first night. Want to spend late afternoon and dinner there and then late breakfast. Back on the road up to Como.

Week 3 is a house with pool in Bellagio on Lake Como. Have the car for some side trips but more about relaxing and doing a boat tour or two. Might do a day trip down to Milan to see the Last Supper.

Finally we drive back to Milan and drop the car at the airport there. May see Last Supper this day if needed. Then high speed train from Milan to Rome. Spend one more night in Rome and fly back the next day.

that is a lot of up and down traveling, sheesh.
week 1; get up with avignonesi for a full day, cooking class, tour and lunch…i always recommend. perfect for teens and tauck tour lovers. assisi for sure. perugia is great and i highly recommend you research a tour of the perugina factory there….baci and chocolate is fun for all. assisi can be paired with a trip to lungarotti winery in torgiano. siena is a day. pair montepulciano with pienza. in that area is podere il casale. they have a lunch, working farm, cooking demos and cheese making tour. san casciano dei bagni is near and it is an outdoor open air hot spring. depending on the spryness of MIL you could hit Marmore Falls and also maybe Terme Sensoriali. Terme is awesome, but you gotta be a bit daring…..one price and you access indoor and outdoor hot tubs, saunas, ice showers, aromatherapy cone of silence and a mud bath. for extra money you can get massage, facials. my tip, when you hit siena, assisi, perugia, montepulciano, etc., look up toursbylocals.com and use them. guides are great, prices reasonable and someone to organize your day saves lots of what do we do nows. guides will customize if you want to be foodies, slow pace, etc. plus, they are private for your group. Valdichiana Village is an outdoor outlet mall and time waster. Do you have to bring the BIL back to FCO? Would be easier to drive to Florence and return car then train to Venice.

 

[soothsayer]

Wife and I are going to Italy next week . Going to spend 6 days in Florence with 6 other people and then 3 in Bologna by ourselves.

This thread has been helpful - some good stuff in here. Will be our first trip to Italy so excited about the experience. Have always been fascinated with the Emilia-Romagna area after seeing the Anthony Bourdain episode there. I bet I've watched that episode 5-7 times at this point - it's the ultimate food/travel porn. Also really enjoyed the two episodes of Master of None that take place in Modena. As a result we have a food tour of that region scheduled for our last day in Bologna.

I'll try to give a trip report upon my return. Happy to share what end up doing right and what we screw up along the way.

 

[Chemical X]

Wife and I are going to Italy next week . Going to spend 6 days in Florence with 6 other people and then 3 in Bologna by ourselves.

This thread has been helpful - some good stuff in here. Will be our first trip to Italy so excited about the experience. Have always been fascinated with the Emilia-Romagna area after seeing the Anthony Bourdain episode there. I bet I've watched that episode 5-7 times at this point - it's the ultimate food/travel porn. Also really enjoyed the two episodes of Master of None that take place in Modena. As a result we have a food tour of that region scheduled for our last day in Bologna.

I'll try to give a trip report upon my return. Happy to share what end up doing right and what we screw up along the way.

Florence - Gusta Pizza. Also, find the Mercato Centrale and go upstairs to the food court.

 

[soothsayer]

Wife and I are going to Italy next week . Going to spend 6 days in Florence with 6 other people and then 3 in Bologna by ourselves.

This thread has been helpful - some good stuff in here. Will be our first trip to Italy so excited about the experience. Have always been fascinated with the Emilia-Romagna area after seeing the Anthony Bourdain episode there. I bet I've watched that episode 5-7 times at this point - it's the ultimate food/travel porn. Also really enjoyed the two episodes of Master of None that take place in Modena. As a result we have a food tour of that region scheduled for our last day in Bologna.

I'll try to give a trip report upon my return. Happy to share what end up doing right and what we screw up along the way.

Florence - Gusta Pizza. Also, find the Mercato Centrale and go upstairs to the food court.

We're staying in an Airbnb a couple blocks north of the Arno between the Ponte alla Carraia and the Ponte Santa Trinitia. We definitely plan to spend time at the Mercato Centrale and the food stalls there. It looks to be a 12 minute walk away from our home base.

 

[AcerFC]

:seehorn:

Going for two weeks. Mother in law rented two villas. One in Tuscany and one on Napoli Coast. Need to look this thread over

 

[Chemical X]

Can't go wrong with Gelateria Santa Trinita. We always wind up eating at Baldovino (Trattoria or Bistrot), which is on the left side of Santa Croce as you stare it. Also, we love Ristorante Accademia.
Also, Gusta is in the Santo Spirito area and i recommend just wandering this area, pretty cool and lots of little places to hit. Across from Boboli Gardens there are some cool wine bars. If you get time, try to find some old timey Wine Windows, Santo Spirito area has some that still serve. If you are craving mediterranean, Santo Falafel is the place.

 

[Chemical X]

From this thread it appears many people have wealthy MILs.

 

[Chemical X]

Also, please talk to me about car rental in Italy. It seems like it's difficult to do in smaller towns? We'd like to rent a car in Orvieto but it looks tough to do that.
Do they have the same US chains there or are there other local rental places? I'll search the thread as well but wondered how people have done it.

sixt is a smaller euro chain. i have always used sicily by car, which has off the beaten path locations. i asked in a different post, if you provide your itinerary, i can be more useful. ie orvieto has a nice train station, where are you coming from, yadda…..

OK, here is what we are doing.
Wife and I and two teenage daughters all weeks.
Mother in law (78) first two weeks (and she is paying for a lot of the trip so making most of the decisions)
BIL and girlfriend, our age, first week.

Week 1 in Orvieto at a house with a pool - Will do some day trips. Sienna for sure. Probably Montepulciano. Certainly a day in Orvieto. Bagnoregio. Looking for other ideas. Fly into Rome and likely getting a car there to drive to Orvieto. Don't want to keep getting a car service when we'll want one 4-5 days of the week.

Then we return the car to Rome Airport, say goodbye to BIL and his girlfriend and the 5 of us take the train to Venice.

Week 2 is a Tauck tour of Venice, Florence and Rome. MIL insisted on this week and she's buying. 24 people in the tour total. Some free time in each city but not a ton.

Then we say goodbye to MIL at the Rome Airport, rent another car and start driving up toward Como. I think I want to take the coast road, is it 84? We stay in Lucca for the first night. Want to spend late afternoon and dinner there and then late breakfast. Back on the road up to Como.

Week 3 is a house with pool in Bellagio on Lake Como. Have the car for some side trips but more about relaxing and doing a boat tour or two. Might do a day trip down to Milan to see the Last Supper.

Finally we drive back to Milan and drop the car at the airport there. May see Last Supper this day if needed. Then high speed train from Milan to Rome. Spend one more night in Rome and fly back the next day.

So, after week 1 you are going back to FCO and ditching car and then taking a train to Venice for a tour that ends in Rome, then heading back to FCO for another car and driving to Como, dumping car at Malpensa and heading back to.....FCO?

 

[ConstruxBoy]

From this thread it appears many people have wealthy MILs.

What can I say?

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Also, please talk to me about car rental in Italy. It seems like it's difficult to do in smaller towns? We'd like to rent a car in Orvieto but it looks tough to do that.
Do they have the same US chains there or are there other local rental places? I'll search the thread as well but wondered how people have done it.

sixt is a smaller euro chain. i have always used sicily by car, which has off the beaten path locations. i asked in a different post, if you provide your itinerary, i can be more useful. ie orvieto has a nice train station, where are you coming from, yadda…..

OK, here is what we are doing.
Wife and I and two teenage daughters all weeks.
Mother in law (78) first two weeks (and she is paying for a lot of the trip so making most of the decisions)
BIL and girlfriend, our age, first week.

Week 1 in Orvieto at a house with a pool - Will do some day trips. Sienna for sure. Probably Montepulciano. Certainly a day in Orvieto. Bagnoregio. Looking for other ideas. Fly into Rome and likely getting a car there to drive to Orvieto. Don't want to keep getting a car service when we'll want one 4-5 days of the week.

Then we return the car to Rome Airport, say goodbye to BIL and his girlfriend and the 5 of us take the train to Venice.

Week 2 is a Tauck tour of Venice, Florence and Rome. MIL insisted on this week and she's buying. 24 people in the tour total. Some free time in each city but not a ton.

Then we say goodbye to MIL at the Rome Airport, rent another car and start driving up toward Como. I think I want to take the coast road, is it 84? We stay in Lucca for the first night. Want to spend late afternoon and dinner there and then late breakfast. Back on the road up to Como.

Week 3 is a house with pool in Bellagio on Lake Como. Have the car for some side trips but more about relaxing and doing a boat tour or two. Might do a day trip down to Milan to see the Last Supper.

Finally we drive back to Milan and drop the car at the airport there. May see Last Supper this day if needed. Then high speed train from Milan to Rome. Spend one more night in Rome and fly back the next day.

So, after week 1 you are going back to FCO and ditching car and then taking a train to Venice for a tour that ends in Rome, then heading back to FCO for another car and driving to Como, dumping car at Malpensa and heading back to.....FCO?

Yes, as of now. I'll explain in next post.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Also, please talk to me about car rental in Italy. It seems like it's difficult to do in smaller towns? We'd like to rent a car in Orvieto but it looks tough to do that.
Do they have the same US chains there or are there other local rental places? I'll search the thread as well but wondered how people have done it.

sixt is a smaller euro chain. i have always used sicily by car, which has off the beaten path locations. i asked in a different post, if you provide your itinerary, i can be more useful. ie orvieto has a nice train station, where are you coming from, yadda…..

OK, here is what we are doing.
Wife and I and two teenage daughters all weeks.
Mother in law (78) first two weeks (and she is paying for a lot of the trip so making most of the decisions)
BIL and girlfriend, our age, first week.

Week 1 in Orvieto at a house with a pool - Will do some day trips. Sienna for sure. Probably Montepulciano. Certainly a day in Orvieto. Bagnoregio. Looking for other ideas. Fly into Rome and likely getting a car there to drive to Orvieto. Don't want to keep getting a car service when we'll want one 4-5 days of the week.

Then we return the car to Rome Airport, say goodbye to BIL and his girlfriend and the 5 of us take the train to Venice.

Week 2 is a Tauck tour of Venice, Florence and Rome. MIL insisted on this week and she's buying. 24 people in the tour total. Some free time in each city but not a ton.

Then we say goodbye to MIL at the Rome Airport, rent another car and start driving up toward Como. I think I want to take the coast road, is it 84? We stay in Lucca for the first night. Want to spend late afternoon and dinner there and then late breakfast. Back on the road up to Como.

Week 3 is a house with pool in Bellagio on Lake Como. Have the car for some side trips but more about relaxing and doing a boat tour or two. Might do a day trip down to Milan to see the Last Supper.

Finally we drive back to Milan and drop the car at the airport there. May see Last Supper this day if needed. Then high speed train from Milan to Rome. Spend one more night in Rome and fly back the next day.

that is a lot of up and down traveling, sheesh.
week 1; get up with avignonesi for a full day, cooking class, tour and lunch…i always recommend. perfect for teens and tauck tour lovers. assisi for sure. perugia is great and i highly recommend you research a tour of the perugina factory there….baci and chocolate is fun for all. assisi can be paired with a trip to lungarotti winery in torgiano. siena is a day. pair montepulciano with pienza. in that area is podere il casale. they have a lunch, working farm, cooking demos and cheese making tour. san casciano dei bagni is near and it is an outdoor open air hot spring. depending on the spryness of MIL you could hit Marmore Falls and also maybe Terme Sensoriali. Terme is awesome, but you gotta be a bit daring…..one price and you access indoor and outdoor hot tubs, saunas, ice showers, aromatherapy cone of silence and a mud bath. for extra money you can get massage, facials. my tip, when you hit siena, assisi, perugia, montepulciano, etc., look up toursbylocals.com and use them. guides are great, prices reasonable and someone to organize your day saves lots of what do we do nows. guides will customize if you want to be foodies, slow pace, etc. plus, they are private for your group. Valdichiana Village is an outdoor outlet mall and time waster. Do you have to bring the BIL back to FCO? Would be easier to drive to Florence and return car then train to Venice.

So the issue is that even though we knew the tour was from North to South and the middle week, the BIL is only there for the first week and he wanted to be in Tuscany region. The original plan was also to stay south the 3rd week and hit Amalfi Coast but Lake region won out even though logistically it makes no sense. Now we plan to do a Amalfi Coast/Greece two week trip sometime in the future. We weren't sure when the Lake Region would be near something else we wanted to see, nothing against the Swiss.
In terms of returning to FCO after week 1, the issue is more than we'll have two cars based on arrival times (my family; MIL-BIL-GF) and packing 5 of us in it to go to Florence sounded tough. But you're making me re-think that.
In terms of after week 2, we do want to drive the coast. When my wife did a semester in NL in college she came to Italy for a 2 week break and really enjoyed driving through the smaller towns and just stopping when she wanted.
Might be worth re-thinking cars though, thanks.

 

[Chemical X]

Also, please talk to me about car rental in Italy. It seems like it's difficult to do in smaller towns? We'd like to rent a car in Orvieto but it looks tough to do that.
Do they have the same US chains there or are there other local rental places? I'll search the thread as well but wondered how people have done it.

sixt is a smaller euro chain. i have always used sicily by car, which has off the beaten path locations. i asked in a different post, if you provide your itinerary, i can be more useful. ie orvieto has a nice train station, where are you coming from, yadda…..

OK, here is what we are doing.
Wife and I and two teenage daughters all weeks.
Mother in law (78) first two weeks (and she is paying for a lot of the trip so making most of the decisions)
BIL and girlfriend, our age, first week.

Week 1 in Orvieto at a house with a pool - Will do some day trips. Sienna for sure. Probably Montepulciano. Certainly a day in Orvieto. Bagnoregio. Looking for other ideas. Fly into Rome and likely getting a car there to drive to Orvieto. Don't want to keep getting a car service when we'll want one 4-5 days of the week.

Then we return the car to Rome Airport, say goodbye to BIL and his girlfriend and the 5 of us take the train to Venice.

Week 2 is a Tauck tour of Venice, Florence and Rome. MIL insisted on this week and she's buying. 24 people in the tour total. Some free time in each city but not a ton.

Then we say goodbye to MIL at the Rome Airport, rent another car and start driving up toward Como. I think I want to take the coast road, is it 84? We stay in Lucca for the first night. Want to spend late afternoon and dinner there and then late breakfast. Back on the road up to Como.

Week 3 is a house with pool in Bellagio on Lake Como. Have the car for some side trips but more about relaxing and doing a boat tour or two. Might do a day trip down to Milan to see the Last Supper.

Finally we drive back to Milan and drop the car at the airport there. May see Last Supper this day if needed. Then high speed train from Milan to Rome. Spend one more night in Rome and fly back the next day.

that is a lot of up and down traveling, sheesh.
week 1; get up with avignonesi for a full day, cooking class, tour and lunch…i always recommend. perfect for teens and tauck tour lovers. assisi for sure. perugia is great and i highly recommend you research a tour of the perugina factory there….baci and chocolate is fun for all. assisi can be paired with a trip to lungarotti winery in torgiano. siena is a day. pair montepulciano with pienza. in that area is podere il casale. they have a lunch, working farm, cooking demos and cheese making tour. san casciano dei bagni is near and it is an outdoor open air hot spring. depending on the spryness of MIL you could hit Marmore Falls and also maybe Terme Sensoriali. Terme is awesome, but you gotta be a bit daring…..one price and you access indoor and outdoor hot tubs, saunas, ice showers, aromatherapy cone of silence and a mud bath. for extra money you can get massage, facials. my tip, when you hit siena, assisi, perugia, montepulciano, etc., look up toursbylocals.com and use them. guides are great, prices reasonable and someone to organize your day saves lots of what do we do nows. guides will customize if you want to be foodies, slow pace, etc. plus, they are private for your group. Valdichiana Village is an outdoor outlet mall and time waster. Do you have to bring the BIL back to FCO? Would be easier to drive to Florence and return car then train to Venice.

So the issue is that even though we knew the tour was from North to South and the middle week, the BIL is only there for the first week and he wanted to be in Tuscany region. The original plan was also to stay south the 3rd week and hit Amalfi Coast but Lake region won out even though logistically it makes no sense. Now we plan to do a Amalfi Coast/Greece two week trip sometime in the future. We weren't sure when the Lake Region would be near something else we wanted to see, nothing against the Swiss.
In terms of returning to FCO after week 1, the issue is more than we'll have two cars based on arrival times (my family; MIL-BIL-GF) and packing 5 of us in it to go to Florence sounded tough. But you're making me re-think that.
In terms of after week 2, we do want to drive the coast. When my wife did a semester in NL in college she came to Italy for a 2 week break and really enjoyed driving through the smaller towns and just stopping when she wanted.
Might be worth re-thinking cars though, thanks.

if you are training between the major cities, hit www.italotreno.it and sign up. they are an alternate to trenitalia and have awesome prices and nicer trains on the same lines. always running specials.

 

[Chemical X]

Also, please talk to me about car rental in Italy. It seems like it's difficult to do in smaller towns? We'd like to rent a car in Orvieto but it looks tough to do that.
Do they have the same US chains there or are there other local rental places? I'll search the thread as well but wondered how people have done it.

sixt is a smaller euro chain. i have always used sicily by car, which has off the beaten path locations. i asked in a different post, if you provide your itinerary, i can be more useful. ie orvieto has a nice train station, where are you coming from, yadda…..

OK, here is what we are doing.
Wife and I and two teenage daughters all weeks.
Mother in law (78) first two weeks (and she is paying for a lot of the trip so making most of the decisions)
BIL and girlfriend, our age, first week.

Week 1 in Orvieto at a house with a pool - Will do some day trips. Sienna for sure. Probably Montepulciano. Certainly a day in Orvieto. Bagnoregio. Looking for other ideas. Fly into Rome and likely getting a car there to drive to Orvieto. Don't want to keep getting a car service when we'll want one 4-5 days of the week.

Then we return the car to Rome Airport, say goodbye to BIL and his girlfriend and the 5 of us take the train to Venice.

Week 2 is a Tauck tour of Venice, Florence and Rome. MIL insisted on this week and she's buying. 24 people in the tour total. Some free time in each city but not a ton.

Then we say goodbye to MIL at the Rome Airport, rent another car and start driving up toward Como. I think I want to take the coast road, is it 84? We stay in Lucca for the first night. Want to spend late afternoon and dinner there and then late breakfast. Back on the road up to Como.

Week 3 is a house with pool in Bellagio on Lake Como. Have the car for some side trips but more about relaxing and doing a boat tour or two. Might do a day trip down to Milan to see the Last Supper.

Finally we drive back to Milan and drop the car at the airport there. May see Last Supper this day if needed. Then high speed train from Milan to Rome. Spend one more night in Rome and fly back the next day.

that is a lot of up and down traveling, sheesh.
week 1; get up with avignonesi for a full day, cooking class, tour and lunch…i always recommend. perfect for teens and tauck tour lovers. assisi for sure. perugia is great and i highly recommend you research a tour of the perugina factory there….baci and chocolate is fun for all. assisi can be paired with a trip to lungarotti winery in torgiano. siena is a day. pair montepulciano with pienza. in that area is podere il casale. they have a lunch, working farm, cooking demos and cheese making tour. san casciano dei bagni is near and it is an outdoor open air hot spring. depending on the spryness of MIL you could hit Marmore Falls and also maybe Terme Sensoriali. Terme is awesome, but you gotta be a bit daring…..one price and you access indoor and outdoor hot tubs, saunas, ice showers, aromatherapy cone of silence and a mud bath. for extra money you can get massage, facials. my tip, when you hit siena, assisi, perugia, montepulciano, etc., look up toursbylocals.com and use them. guides are great, prices reasonable and someone to organize your day saves lots of what do we do nows. guides will customize if you want to be foodies, slow pace, etc. plus, they are private for your group. Valdichiana Village is an outdoor outlet mall and time waster. Do you have to bring the BIL back to FCO? Would be easier to drive to Florence and return car then train to Venice.

So the issue is that even though we knew the tour was from North to South and the middle week, the BIL is only there for the first week and he wanted to be in Tuscany region. The original plan was also to stay south the 3rd week and hit Amalfi Coast but Lake region won out even though logistically it makes no sense. Now we plan to do a Amalfi Coast/Greece two week trip sometime in the future. We weren't sure when the Lake Region would be near something else we wanted to see, nothing against the Swiss.
In terms of returning to FCO after week 1, the issue is more than we'll have two cars based on arrival times (my family; MIL-BIL-GF) and packing 5 of us in it to go to Florence sounded tough. But you're making me re-think that.
In terms of after week 2, we do want to drive the coast. When my wife did a semester in NL in college she came to Italy for a 2 week break and really enjoyed driving through the smaller towns and just stopping when she wanted.
Might be worth re-thinking cars though, thanks.

forgot to mention bowling….i always drive by, but have never gone.

PISTE PER BAMBINI

PISTE PER BAMBINI

www.bowlingchiusi.com

 

[Chemical X]

LAM i am spur of teh moment flying over to see potentially my forever home just outside orvieto. we did a virtual tour, love the house and have a verbal price agreement with the sellers. it just needs to pass the sniff test. will be in umbria 1/26-2/3, rome 2/4-6. flights were not hideous.

 

[Chemical X]

My MIL is deceased and will not be providing any funds…..

 

[ConstruxBoy]

My MIL is deceased and will not be providing any funds…..

I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[Chemical X]

Reminder, for those of you traveling to Italy and other countries, it is worth it to obtain an International Driving Permit IMO. The only place i know that issues them (they do it on the spot) is a AAA office, which actually have offices all over. it’s valid for 1 year from when you want it to take effect. You need a pair of passport photos, but they usually take the photos at the AAA if you need. Cost is $20, extra for the photos, maybe $12-. Worth the piece of mind to carry it if ever stopped, which happened to me once at a checkpoint. Essentially, it’s a document that verifies you have a valid license and translates privileges into multiple languages.

 

[Mr. Mojo]

This spring, we fly into Da Vinci airport in the late afternoon and have 2 nights before we board a cruise in Civitavecchia. This leaves one full day and a few hours here and there for sightseeing. We were in Rome for several days in 2019 so we have seen some of the highlights.
I am trying to decide whether we should head into Rome for the 2 nights and take the train to Civitavecchia on the day of the cruise or hang around Civitavecchia for the two nights, but wasn't sure which sights were around there.
Thanks in advance for any advice from the Italy travel experts here.

 

[Chemical X]

This spring, we fly into Da Vinci airport in the late afternoon and have 2 nights before we board a cruise in Civitavecchia. This leaves one full day and a few hours here and there for sightseeing. We were in Rome for several days in 2019 so we have seen some of the highlights.
I am trying to decide whether we should head into Rome for the 2 nights and take the train to Civitavecchia on the day of the cruise or hang around Civitavecchia for the two nights, but wasn't sure which sights were around there.
Thanks in advance for any advice from the Italy travel experts here.

no brainer, stay in rome. rather than the train, have you inquired for a car service to drive you? i did this when i cruised out of civitavecchia and having a car waiting for me at the port to take me to the airport was gold.
as a referral, i usually stay at hotel ponte sisto in rome. prices are fair and the location is a+, right across the ponte sisto you are in trastevere.

edit, i used these guys, but it’s 145 each way now; however, if you are flying to italy to take a cruise, you can afford the peace of mind. alternatively, i think the train to civitavecchia from rome leaves from trastevere and not termini (think i remembered this), so staying in that location could get you to the station easier.

Rome Airport to Civitavecchia Cruise Port transfers - Rome airport: Fiumicino (FCO) & Ciampino (CIA) airports

Rome airport to Civitavecchia port transfers. Our drivers are allowed to enter the port and pickup & drop off by the ship. Rome airport taxi to the port of Rome

www.rome-airport.net

 

[Chemical X]

My MIL is deceased and will not be providing any funds…..

I'm sorry for your loss.

fyi, spending a lot of time around orvieto this week (in process of buying a forever home). i drove by an “autonoleggio” (car rental), 5 minutes outside orvieto scalo. i think you were asking previously. weather has been low 40s. if you want the name, i think i can figure it out.

 

[Judge Smails]

What are homes going for?

 

[Chemical X]

What are homes going for?

honestly, a full range. but IMO if you drop under €150k you are looking at junk for a house. you can find a decent apartment at that range.

 

[Chemical X]

hit a carabinieri stop this morning on my way out of town…..again. just random, but i had my international license and copy of passport on me. guy was nice, didn’t bother with insurance knowing car was likely rented.

 

[zoobird]

What are homes going for?

honestly, a full range. but IMO if you drop under €150k you are looking at junk for a house. you can find a decent apartment at that range.

I loved Orvieto when we visited (for less than day). Would be very interested to hear about your home search. Not sure this thread is the place for it, but would definitely be interested if you posted updates/details in another thread.

 

[Chemical X]

What are homes going for?

honestly, a full range. but IMO if you drop under €150k you are looking at junk for a house. you can find a decent apartment at that range.

I loved Orvieto when we visited (for less than day). Would be very interested to hear about your home search. Not sure this thread is the place for it, but would definitely be interested if you posted updates/details in another thread.

My impending Italian Ex-Pat adventure....2023 Version 2.01

Looking to see if your company has transferred you to Europe.....if so, did they help you relo and assist with visa? Interested in stories, experiences and looking for advise.

forums.footballguys.com

 

[Chemical X]

Also, please talk to me about car rental in Italy. It seems like it's difficult to do in smaller towns? We'd like to rent a car in Orvieto but it looks tough to do that.
Do they have the same US chains there or are there other local rental places? I'll search the thread as well but wondered how people have done it.

sixt is a smaller euro chain. i have always used sicily by car, which has off the beaten path locations. i asked in a different post, if you provide your itinerary, i can be more useful. ie orvieto has a nice train station, where are you coming from, yadda…..

OK, here is what we are doing.
Wife and I and two teenage daughters all weeks.
Mother in law (78) first two weeks (and she is paying for a lot of the trip so making most of the decisions)
BIL and girlfriend, our age, first week.

Week 1 in Orvieto at a house with a pool - Will do some day trips. Sienna for sure. Probably Montepulciano. Certainly a day in Orvieto. Bagnoregio. Looking for other ideas. Fly into Rome and likely getting a car there to drive to Orvieto. Don't want to keep getting a car service when we'll want one 4-5 days of the week.

Then we return the car to Rome Airport, say goodbye to BIL and his girlfriend and the 5 of us take the train to Venice.

Week 2 is a Tauck tour of Venice, Florence and Rome. MIL insisted on this week and she's buying. 24 people in the tour total. Some free time in each city but not a ton.

Then we say goodbye to MIL at the Rome Airport, rent another car and start driving up toward Como. I think I want to take the coast road, is it 84? We stay in Lucca for the first night. Want to spend late afternoon and dinner there and then late breakfast. Back on the road up to Como.

Week 3 is a house with pool in Bellagio on Lake Como. Have the car for some side trips but more about relaxing and doing a boat tour or two. Might do a day trip down to Milan to see the Last Supper.

Finally we drive back to Milan and drop the car at the airport there. May see Last Supper this day if needed. Then high speed train from Milan to Rome. Spend one more night in Rome and fly back the next day.

that is a lot of up and down traveling, sheesh.
week 1; get up with avignonesi for a full day, cooking class, tour and lunch…i always recommend. perfect for teens and tauck tour lovers. assisi for sure. perugia is great and i highly recommend you research a tour of the perugina factory there….baci and chocolate is fun for all. assisi can be paired with a trip to lungarotti winery in torgiano. siena is a day. pair montepulciano with pienza. in that area is podere il casale. they have a lunch, working farm, cooking demos and cheese making tour. san casciano dei bagni is near and it is an outdoor open air hot spring. depending on the spryness of MIL you could hit Marmore Falls and also maybe Terme Sensoriali. Terme is awesome, but you gotta be a bit daring…..one price and you access indoor and outdoor hot tubs, saunas, ice showers, aromatherapy cone of silence and a mud bath. for extra money you can get massage, facials. my tip, when you hit siena, assisi, perugia, montepulciano, etc., look up toursbylocals.com and use them. guides are great, prices reasonable and someone to organize your day saves lots of what do we do nows. guides will customize if you want to be foodies, slow pace, etc. plus, they are private for your group. Valdichiana Village is an outdoor outlet mall and time waster. Do you have to bring the BIL back to FCO? Would be easier to drive to Florence and return car then train to Venice.

So the issue is that even though we knew the tour was from North to South and the middle week, the BIL is only there for the first week and he wanted to be in Tuscany region. The original plan was also to stay south the 3rd week and hit Amalfi Coast but Lake region won out even though logistically it makes no sense. Now we plan to do a Amalfi Coast/Greece two week trip sometime in the future. We weren't sure when the Lake Region would be near something else we wanted to see, nothing against the Swiss.
In terms of returning to FCO after week 1, the issue is more than we'll have two cars based on arrival times (my family; MIL-BIL-GF) and packing 5 of us in it to go to Florence sounded tough. But you're making me re-think that.
In terms of after week 2, we do want to drive the coast. When my wife did a semester in NL in college she came to Italy for a 2 week break and really enjoyed driving through the smaller towns and just stopping when she wanted.
Might be worth re-thinking cars though, thanks.

fyi, i used alamo at fco and was hyper impressed. they team with enterprise and locauto here at the same rental desk, but operate as one entity. alamo is the cheapest of the 3……i rented a 4 door automatic suv for under $300 and they gave me vw tiguan with 1,000 miles, still smelled new. quick, friendly. x recommended.