Originally Posted by dkelly1110

You are doing the exact same route that my wife and I did last May. We stayed at mostly Starwood hotels (including the Westin Excelsior in Florence) so I can't help too much with Hilton properties. However, I would be more than happy to answer questions you have. We did not rent a car anywhere, and took trains between Venice--Florence--Rome--Naples. We had a driver from Naples to Ravello on the Amalfi Coast and then the same back from Ravello to the airport in Naples. I would be more than happy to provide the contact info for him as he was well-priced and highly regarded.

As has been said on this forum before, if you plan on visiting a great deal of the usual tourist sites, an all-in city visitor card can provide $ as well as time savings (Roma Pass, Firenze Card).

I can probably be of most help for restaurants. We are "foodies" (but god i hate that term) and researched and planned our eating well in advance, and damn, we ate well. Also, if you have a serious interest in wine, I can provide a fabulous tour guide to some excellent small-production wineries in Montalcino. Do let me know, happy to help.