livefromtuscany

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offerendum

Indeed! But it´s a Question of faith. Some will mostly prefer trains and I´m frequently told "you can´t drive in Paris", "you shouldn´t drive in Berlin" and so on. Why?????? You are much more flexible with a car and you are able to do side trips. In a train it´s hard to store laguage ao I avoid if possible. It doesn´t mean I always travel by car if possible but as far as I can judge returning a car and then taking a car to Venice (if not several days between) doesn´t sound preferable for ,me.

SanDiego1K

What is this?

erik123

Train is very easy in Italy for travel between cities and combined with Uber and the mytaxi app works well. There is also a very good intercity bus system. For countryside it doesn't work as well but one idea is to pick up a car for a day or two in one of the main cities on your itinerary I would also consider some of the smaller cities, Bologna, Verona, etc. as they tend to be less overrun, more relaxing and special in their own right.

Tellerwaescher

We just came back from a week in Val d'Orcia, where we stayed at the Adler Thermae and Grand Hotel Continental in Siena. The Adler Thermae is a great hotel with a large hot thermal pool and great wellness areas. Early spring is a good time to explore towns like Pienca, Montalcino or Montepulciano. The towns are not crowded and the nature is light green. We stayed at Fonteverde two years ago, but Adler is more interesting and offers guided e-bike tours daily, which is great fun.

offerendum

SojournsOf

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dylanc

Your itinerary sounds good for a general overview of Italy. Trains are very easy to navigate between Rome and Florence and then onward to Venice. You wont have any trouble with availability due to the time of year. The railway lines are high speed which is an advantage. Maybe you might want to stop at Pisa for a few hours when travelling between Rome and Florence, luggage can be stored at Pisa railway station.

Best hotel, as you say is Hotel Eden in Rome. I would recommend to book this through Dorchester Diamond Club travel agent as then you are guaranteed a room upgrade, breakfast and room credits etc. It is also only a 15 minute walk to the Rome Railway station which would take you on to Florence.

Best Tuscan hotel is the Rosewood Castiglion, which I see members above have said as well. The good thing about going to this hotel in March is that the pool is heated so usable. Spectacular views from all parts of the property. You can hire a car to get here (2hr drive) and then use that car to explore the local area, lots of wineries and the like. You could also do this through a Rosewood Elite agent to get a possible upgrade. Try to do two nights here if possible.

Florence has a number of hotels - your idea of Four Seasons and St Regis is sensible. The Belmond is good as well but not as central.

Venice has many hotels. I do not have any feedback on the The Gritti Palace but I had a client who is a designer recently stay at the Aman and he loved it - rating the interiors and views very highly. Enjoy!

bhrubin

In Rome we loved the St Regis--especially after its recent renovation, its public spaces are unquestionably the nicest in town. The Eden is nice, too, just a 15 min walk away. The restaurant at the Eden was fabulous, too. We actually thought the St Regis was well located and not too far from any of the major sites.

In Tuscany, I wouldn't advise the Rosewood--there's a MacMyDay review out there somewhere, but I know just too many people who found it overpriced and underdelivering in its promise. We had a fantastic stay at La Bandita Townhouse in Pienza, and there are many other lovely boutique properties in/around Montalcino, Montepulciano, etc. Locanda dell'Amoroso was a place we loved in a previous Tuscan country stay, in a small town, Sinaluga, between Siena and Cortona.

In Florence, we totally loved the St Regis more than the FS. The FS is a better option only if you must have a pool, but we decidedly preferred the St Regis. There are many in this forum who poo-pah all things not Four Seasons or Aman, so I'm not sure as many have experience with the St Regis. I wouldn't think twice and would stay again at the St Regis in a heartbeat. The St Regis is one of our all time favorites in the world.

In Venice, we totally loved the Gritti. We loved it even more than the Aman Venice. The Riva bar and Riva experience, as well as its location and style, make the Gritti the perfect hotel in the city. The Gritti is another of our all time favorites in the world.

We drove a lot in Italy, but the trains make it very easy to get around between the cities. (We trained from Venice to Milan.) In Tuscany, it's not hard to hire a car and driver to take you around. We did a lot of that and for our transfer between La Bandita in Pienza and the St Regis in Florence.

ABG

Since the hotel is closed until April I'd disagree on how usable or even heated the pool would be.
No spa, no restaurant, no front desk, no staff. No hotel services (except Golf club)
Only the multi-bedroom villas are open.

BLV

bhrubin

livefromtuscany