Hello,

You are planning to cover quite a lot of territory, but it can be done fairly easily with the good Italian train system.

From Venice you will take train through Florence to Pisa to Cinque Terre. Just check on trenitalia for routing. You won't be able to purchase tickets until 3 months before trip.

Return to Florence and rent car when you are ready to leave if you won't to stay night in the city. If you aren't saying in the city proper, then yes you can rent a car before that. One way rentals are very easy, but when you plan be aware that most rental offices are closed Saturday afternoon and Sunday.

I notice that you are from Santa Cruz. Although Cinque Terre is very beautiful it will not knock you out compared to the California coast, so if you have limited time you might want to be in the cities/area that are different from nothing back home!

Makes more sense to do this in a different order. Venice to Florence (two hours on train). Day-trip to Siena from Florence on train or bus - very easy. Rent your car for touring smaller towns in Tuscany, and return it in la Spezia. Train from there to Vernazza in twenty minutes. Train to Rome from Vernazza, with just one change of train in la Spezia.

A car is not a good idea in Vernazza.

Thanks for the suggestions and the tip that car rental offices have limited hours on the weekends! I think we've settled on this:

-Venice (2 nights)

-Train to Florence (1 night)

-Trains to Cinque Terre (3 nights)

-Train to La Spezia & pick up a car, (Hertz), drive to Pisa or Lucca, then to Siena (3 nights)

-Day trips around Siena

-Return car to Orvieta, then train to Rome (3 nights)