Will be in Italy for 13 nights in June/July and looking for some advice. The first 5 nights will be in Venice (that part of the trip is set - both location and number of days). We will be ending in Rome and flying back to the States from FCO.

We had originally planned to spend 3-4 nights in Florence and 4-5 nights in Rome, with the thought being that we could do day trips from Florence and see some of the nearby towns, then once we got to Rome, just spend the entire time in Rome.

In researching both Florence accommodations and "stuff" to do in Florence, I'm starting to rethink this and would like some advice from those who have been there lately. (My last trip to Rome was about 10+ years ago and have never been to Florence.)

How would you divide the remaining 8 post-Venice nights and where would you stay? Data points:

• we are not "museum people," so I'm thinking that one full day in Florence should be plenty to see Florence. We can easily do this as a day trip from a base in Rome or some other city (SPG has hotels in Bologna and Rimini that would save a bit on the $ to put toward the pricier Rome hotels)
• would like to be slightly more frugal on hotel accommodations, as our likely hotels in Rome (Marriott or SPG) are all >$400/nt. We are open to non-chain hotels in whatever the intermediate city is (have been looking around venere.com)
• main desire of this intermediate stop is to see picturesque/quaint towns, people watch, do some photography, etc. The wine and other tours in Tuscany are appealing.
• as the town will be used as a base for day trips, decent rail connections or the ability to get a rental car are critical

So.... after reading the threads on FT, various guidebooks, etc., I am thinking about staying 3 nights or so in Siena, Lucca, Bologna, Rimini, or an as yet-unidentified town. I want to ensure we have at least 4-5 days in Rome but want to do all of the non-Rome sightseeing from a less-expensive base, if possible.

Thanks for any suggestions!