Your trip sounds wonderful. I'm a big fan of staying in one place for a week - you really get to know the town. And your husband is absolutely correct - don't try to drive in Florence, Rome or even Milan. Sometimes it is easier to pick up cars in small towns, rather than having to drive out of Rome. The Rome airport is in the opposite direction from where you want to go, and you will need to drive the autostrada around Rome to get on your way to Assisi. You may want to consider taking the train to Terni and picking up your car at the station there. Or even to Perugia, or Assisi.

One problem I encounter with day trips is the down time from 12 to 3 or 3:30. Small towns, and not so small towns, close up tight during the midday lunch time. Since you have a car, you can use that time to drive to the next place, but often you have very little time to see much of a place before the midday break shuts everything down. And it takes longer to get to places than you might imagine from looking at a map. The autostrada can be very fast, but if you are on the regular roads, it can be very slow. These roads usually go through towns, complete with stop lights, traffic and pedestrians.

Just don't try to see too much. Take your time, relax and enjoy what you see. If you try to see everything, you will be frazzled and you'll never see everything anyway.

Have fun,

Callie in New Orleans