Not sure if Touring or Road cycling is the best forum for this, so it's posted in both.

I'm planning a couple of European trips to cycle in southern France and Tuscany (Italy) in the next few years and can't decide if it is better to bring my own bike, or to just bring my pedals and saddle and rent a bike.

Has anyone on bikeforums rented a bike in France or Italy and what were your experiences? I'm not planning to be part of a commercial bike tour, but I would like to rent something decent (say, equivalent to a mid-tier Lemond) for a couple of weeks?

Bringing your own bike over has a lot of risks associated with it, but might be ok if you were just going to be in one spot for the whole time.

Any suggestions?