and down to Rome. Got rid of the car in Rome, didn't want to drive there. Didn't regret it. Driving around the rest of the country to Cinque Terre (left car inland and took train in), Verona, Padova, Venezia (same), Tuscany, Assisi, worked out great. With one mistake we made parking in what I thought was the hotel lot in Lucca, and getting towed. That was a pain. The police in that town spoke only Italian and French, no luck with English or Spanish. So I did the best I could in broken half-Italian half-Spanish. I do not recommend.

The Italian countryside is wonderful to drive through.