Travleing to Italy - your input needed

i just got home from Rome...but can not advise on the rest.  i would NEVER try to drive a car in Rome. traffic is crazy.  the country has a great high speed rail, and even cooler, a ferry system to get from city to city.

to see EVERYTHING in rome, it CAN be done in maybe 2 or 3 days.  it is very small and walkable, and the subway is cheap and easy.  if you do it on your own:  spanish steps are over rated (if you are picking between items and need to eliminate something), trevi fountain should be visited in daylight AND night, the vatican museum/st peters is breathtaking and will take you maybe 4 or 5 hours and should NOT be missed.  watch out for scams at restaurants - NOTHING they put on the table is free - bottled water, bread, etc.  be aware of closing times - i missed out on the pantheon because it closes at 5 the sun is the only source of light), and most chapels/churches/etc are active, so sunday morning is a BAD time to see them.  the forum and coliseum are on a combined ticket, the forum is sprawling and takes a while, but the coliseum can be done pretty quickly.  signing on for a guided tour is not a bad way to learn a ton, but you WILL feel like an awkward tourist, just a warning!

i went with a group so i had a hotel, but to go cheaper, you should just show up and find a hotel/hostel somewhere up a side street or random alley.

I'd plan several days for Rome, and the advice above is spot on.  We had the audioguide at the Coliseum and it was well worth it.  I think it came with the tour, but don't pass it up.

You can take a train VERY easily to major cities from there.  We went to Florence.  Nearly everyone I know says Florence is their favorite city.  Not for me, but you shouldn't miss out.

Also from Rome you can get a fairly easy day trip (like on a coach bus) to see Pompeii.  That's on my must do list next time.  We had to skip it becasue 4 days in Rome was just enough for us to see what we wanted and didn't have the extra time.

You wouldn't catch me driving in Italy.  I think it's manageable outside of Rome, but be aware it's very fast paced and the road are rough/narrow.  I think that would be the way to see the coast or the Tuscany area.

If you're into the idea of just seeing Italy, I'd recommend a bike tour.  It's a wonderful way to see smaller village and enjoy the scenery.  The food is pretty much good everywhere and part of the experience.

We did a day tour from Florence: http://ibikeitaly.com/

Lots of Italy options:  http://www.biketoursdirect.com/search/results/&country=11

Milan, Venice and Florence all must sees as well.  Many of the smaller towns in the interior (San Gimignano and Soreno are amazing for their beauty and history).  Driving in the country is not bad.  I drove fro several days from small town to small town.  However inside the big cities you are taking your life into your own hands.

From big city to big city (Milan to Venice, Venice to Florence, Florence to Rome etc..) the train is the way to go.

X2 for the smaller towns and cities. I've never been to the major cities of Italy, but really enjoyed some smaller ones such as Bolzano in the far north (incidentally, a run and bike paradise), the towns of the Cinque Terre, parts of Tuscany and Umbria,  and Verona. There's so much history that almost any small town you could point to on a map has some really interesting stories and architecture, and no doubt some fantastic places to eat/drink/slurp gelato.

Mom and I "liberated" city bikes in Bolzano as the good bike shop was rented out (most borrow for the day but we took them for a week) and rode, in a slightly inebriated fashion, for three or four days, all the way to Verona via Mori, the Paso del Gardo, Lago del Gardo, and Mantova. Highly recommended, though I would take a bike with more than three gears if I did it again!

X2 on bike tours, and biketoursdirect in particular. We've seen much of Europe with their self-guided tours; I believe the one above is offered by them but ours was very much DIY.

I was in Italy in 2011 (Rome,Naples,Pompei,Amalfi coast).

x2 on "do not rent a car"

x2 on the train

x2 on guided tours

x2 on hotels on side streets

x2 on Piazza Navona

x2 on the Spanish steps being overrated.

Enjoy your trip!

Back when I was an undergraduate (nearly 30 years ago - oh boy, now I'm depressed), myself and 3 friends used to save up our non-existent money, get a last minute cheap flight from the UK and rent a small apartment in Anzio for one week, which is located about 35 miles south of Rome.  We travelled everywhere by foot, bus or rail, and caught the train to Rome for about 3-4 days to see the sights.  However, we also got to relax at the lovely local beaches, ocean, meet local people, eat wonderful wines and foods (especially the local gelato), which were about 15-20 minutes walk away at the bottom of the hills, with amazing views of the ocean/town from our cheap apartment. We would get up early to catch a high-speed ferry to spend one incredible day on the local Pontine islands, which are just stunningly beautiful.  I remember very fondly travelling through a Roman-made "tunnel of love" to get to one gorgeous beach with 100 foot volcanic layered cliffs behind you, and beautiful caves and clear blue water.  My friends still remember my snide remark whilst walking through this Tunnel of Love, which was "these Romans were pretty damned short, weren't they?"!  We made tons of local friends, even though we spoke very little Italian , and we were around Italian tourists rather than foreign tourists, so it felt much more relaxed than being in a big city, but we had really easy access to the big cities via the railway.  Even thought my Italian is rudimentary, we got around pretty well by miming things or drawing pictures, which worked way better than my friends attempt at speaking French and adding an "o" on the end of everything!  Many many happy memories 

In addition, Florence is just amazing, and Venice is great too, if you can manage to go off-season (tons of tourists, and it's not too hot so that the canals smell.

Have fun and embrace the Italian craziness!  However, driving in the cities - oh boy.  Unless you've driven (and survived) driving in Paris, France, I would give it a miss.