bike rental? Tuscany?

[Jayhawk]

We are considering booking a Med cruise in late September with stops in Marseilles, Nice, Citavecchia (Rome), Naples, & Livorno(Florence)- do any of these ports have bicycle rentals for independant (but safe) sightseeing? Also, seems like a lot of the ship's tours are 1/2 day and then they bring you back to the ship...we don't want to "waste" the rest of the day being stuck in the port and missing out on local attractions. Finally, we REALLY want to go to Tuscany - but not thrilled with the ship's offering - any suggestions for doing this on our own?

[Crown Prince]

Jayhawk, i regret to say that due to my opinion none of the ports or cities you're going to visit is recommendable for biking. Sightseeing in Nice (or Monaco respectively), Rome, Naples is best done by tour, or, if you're a strong hiker, on your own with a good guidebook and map. For Marseilles i'd recommend a tour anyway as the city is nothing special.

For Tuscany, i'd suggest a train ride to Pisa or Florence if you're out for the most popular sights. There are also trains to Lucca, Pistoia or Prato, if you prefer beautiful, less Touristic cities. If you want to see the typical small towns and landscape of Tuscany, i'd suggest to rent a car and drive to Volterra and San Gimignano (the Manhattan of the Middle Ages). Driving takes its time there but is worth the effort.

[Palazzo]

Jayhawk, instead of bikes, why not rent a small car when you exit the port of Civitavecchia and take off for the inland area near Tarquinia (Unesco patrimony of humanity site for its magnificent painted Etruscan tombs dating from 800-600 B.C.), In the morning drive through the rolling countryside as far as Viterbo to see Europe's best preserved medieval quarter (many films made here), stop for lunch in a typical trattoria. The area inland from Civitavecchia (unfortunately bombed badly during WWII) port is on the border of Tuscany & Umbria. The foreign community is slowly growing, not everyone can afford the prices in Tuscany.