I was asked about an itinerary, so here goes: We're starting with Milan for no other reason than we have 2 $400 United vouchers, and United flies directly into Milan. I've chosen to stay a couple of nights in the Cinque Terre region because of the seafood, pesto, and several people have said, Don't miss this area.

We then go to Rome to meet our friends who will also be flying in from the US. We'll stay there for 3 days.

We have booked a week at an agriturismo 30k south of Florence and a week at an agriturismo near Urbina in La Marche. I'm going only by the internet sites which look good for both places. I thought about taking the train until after Rome when we arrive inFlorence. At that point we'll rent a car.

By renting in Florence, we can return the car with no dropoff charge and take the train back to Milan for our return trip. I haven't checked any drop off charges however, so I don't really know what I'm talking about.

My husband and I both teach school and our 2 adult children have flexible schedules. Nothing is set in stone except for June 19 (Rome) through July 6 (the end of the stay in the agriturismos). Before and after are still completely flexible. My son would like to spend a day in either Parma or Bologna. As a chef, he's heard about these as two foodie places.

Sherry