Travel tips for Italy?

I have 16 days to travel around Italy with a husband and three kids ages 17, 15 & 10. I would like to travel from Rome to Florence(or vice versa) and would like to know how long we should stay in each(major) city to see all the major sites w/o wasting time. Should we drive ourselves around to save money? Should we find one central location to sleep, cook, shower, etc. and venture out from there daily? Cost isn't a HUGE issue but we will be on a budget(don't know how much yet). Hostels are not an option having the kids with us. I am not that concerned w/luxury, pampering, etc. only comfort, convenience, privacy,etc. We certainly don't mind cooking most meals at 'home'. We are not mainstream tourist types and like freedom to do as we like; ie schedules, tours, etc. Any suggestions on where to stay, car rental, good sites to see,best time to travel, do's and don'ts, kid friendly,precautions and the like. Thanks a lot for any ideas you have!

Florence is an easy place to visit other towns like Sienna, Pisa, Lake Como, San Gimignano. You can take a train to many places from Florence and the city itself is wonderful.
You can probably stay there for a reasonable price for awhile and that would make it a lot easier rather than switching hotels a lot.
Milan is a great place to visit also and its easy to fly into there. not sure if you wanted to visit it.
Venice, you should of course stay in for a few nights. Make sure you bring bug spray (i know from experience) and getting a pass for the vaporetti is a good idea. It saves money and time.
In general, I dont think driving around yourself is a good idea. its easier to get a bus pass, take a train, subway, or in venice take the vaporetti.
Not much experience with Rome though.
Fun things to do in general:
-Climb any towers or cathedrals. Great views and lots of fun. Plus you can burn calories from those gelatos, which you do have to have.
-Any places with art
-Less touristy areas like in particular, Assisi
Hope this helps.

Trains are dirt cheap and very good in Italy, so I would recommend using those. I wouldn't bother with car rental in a country where public transport is so cheap and reliable.

Hostels do family rooms, you know. Try www.hostelworld.com for hostels, budget hotels and apartments, I've used it many times and only had one dud (in Barcelona).

I'd book a week in Florence and a week in Rome. Lots of walking in either place (especially Rome as it's quite spread out) so bring suitable shoes. I would avoid Italy altogether during July and August, it's too hot. Be careful of pickpockets on metros and buses, and use local restaurants rather than the big names, and stay out of McDonald's when you can eat real, delicious food.

Get a copy of the DK Eyewithness guide for the cities you intend visiting, they will tell you everything else you need to know.

When people talk about "hostels" in europe, they are not talking about dormitories - those are "youth hostels". A hostel is a lower budget lodging, much like a pension, a modest, motel-like place, generally privately owned, and clean, comfortable, with doors that lock, and you have no strangers coming into your rooms...and, btw, even the youth hostels have family rooms in some locations. It actually sounds like a hostel is exactly what you should be looking at. They also, are often right in the centers of towns, so they tend to be cheap, clean and convenient. THey don't really have motels in Europe, because no one uses cars the way we Americans do. If you are that many, you might want to check out driving, but remember, Gasoline in Europe is around $4 - 7US per gallon...oh, wait, with the way our gas prices are going...that's not that much! :) but then you have to think about parking, and getting in and out of lots, and finding your way around towns, and parking costs a lot!!! I paid around 30 - 40€/day in Spain last year. Still, I would probably go with the trains, they are quick and clean and convenient and simple to use.

In addition to the whole pension/hostel situation you could look into apartments. They are generally clean and can be centrally located. Even if you only cook breakfast, they can be perfect for that, and larger and more comfortable than many rooms. Just search the city in question, and there should be all sorts of options for lodging.

I would probably use both cities as a home-base and explore some of the smaller towns outside by train. I think renting bikes to do the Tuscan countryside is an excellent idea! I don't know how hard you can push the smaller child, though.

I would definitely try to spend a week in each city, using Florence as a home base for exploring Tuscany. You don't really need more than two days in Florence to see the basics, but a full week for Rome, for sure. (Oh, and you don't want to be driving in Rome at ALL!!! They have a reputation as the world's worst drivers for a reason...red lights, etc. are considered suggestions, and the last thing you want is to get stuck in one of those huge roundabouts, without knowing where to get off. If you DO decide to rent, DON'T take the car into the city, garage it outside of the central part of town, near both a bus stop or metro station and a highway, that way you avoid driving in the city.)

You would need to spend a minimum of two days in Rome in order to see all the major sights. You would also be advised to count on spending at least two days in Florence. However, you would need to book or plan museum visits around the fact that museums are closed on Mondays in Italy, and probably in some other European countries as well. Sunday is a holiday in Italy. Museum admission and admission to many major attractions is free on Sundays. However, if you run out of camera film or other emergency supplies on a Sunday, the locals know how to take advantage of the situation and soak you well. If you wish to visit a lot of museums and it happens to be Monday you will have to stay an extra day in order to see them and compensate.

Some places to see in Rome are the ruins, including the forum, the Colosseum and the Capitoline, The Vatican, otherwise known as Vaticano, including the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel , and the area with the fountains such as the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps with the boat fountain, and the Fountain of Wishes, as I believe it is called.

Places to see in Florence include The Dome cathedral, the corresponding baptistry, the Campanile, the Ponto Vecchio, the Academia, which contains the Statue of David and the Uffizzi art gallery.

You would probably benefit from staying in Florence and Rome separately. Florence is a good hub from which you can make day trips to places like Pisa, Sienna and Assisi in the Tuscany region. You will have a lot of difficulty finding accomodation in Pisa.

You should obtain a 'Let's Go to Europe', a 'Let's Go to Italy' or a Fodor's Guide. The Let's Go guides are very good about indicating places to stay overnight on a shoestring budget. Italy has a lot of pensiones for overnight accommodation. You could consider them.

Because you have the three kids with you, it would probably be cheaper to travel by car. One week or two week rail passes could be quite expensive. Otherwise, rail travel is great. You do not have parking considerations to worry about, and the main sights tend to be in the centre of the city or the old part of the city just like the central train stations are.

Italians tend to be quite conservative; therfore, you should remember to bring along capri length pants or a skirt that is easy to slip on. You may not be allowed admission into some of the public buildings if you wear shorts. In fact, wearing shorts in public is viewed with mild disdain. This consideration would apply to people of all ages.

If you are interested in going to Venice, you will have to inquire about how far into the city you can take your car. Internet searches might be valuable.