lghammill

Hi,
These forums are full of terrific advice- and I am so looking forward to your insight and experience! My friend and I are joining my daughter who is studying in Italy for a trip to see and experience as much as we can in 11 days. We have the itinerary- but are really stuck about train and car arrangements.
We are spending time in Rome, then taking a train to Florence and then would like to have more flexibility in our travel for tuscany - 2 days in Pienza (home base) and the surrounding area. To that:
1. We are concerned about trying to get a rental car in the City of Florence and getting out of the city easily. Should we get a rental car outside of Florence? if so, where? Would we be best off taking a train for example to Chiusi and getting a car there?
2. For the two days in Tuscany- we want to spend time at great restaurants in the hill towns- would we be best off getting a car service in Pienza for that? Are those outrageous in price?
3. AFter the two days in Tuscany we are heading to Cinque Terre. Should we drop off our Rental at La Spezia or somewhere much closer to Siena? How hard is the drive to La Spezia ?
4. Any suggestions as to the "must do" towns and restaurants in Hill towns of Central Tuscany?

So excited to do this trip- on our own!
thanks very much,
Lisa H.

tuscanlifeedit

I'm not sure that renting a car AND using a car service makes a ton of sense, unless you will only be using the car during the day and want to dine out with wine at night. Seems like a lot of expense to me.

You can eat very well in Rome and Florence, and Pienza, too. Using a service for two dinners will be quite expensive; you'll be paying by distance and time spent.

What is the price range for the great restaurants? That can play into your itinerary. There are destination restaurants in Tuscany, but I'm unfamiliar with what is currently recommended. Way outside my budget category.

You can get your car in Chiusi, or you can pick up at the Florence airport. Driving to La Spezia is relatively simple, but I'm always a passenger, so don't go by me.

I'm sure you will get a lot of feedback here.

kybourbon

I would put Pienza before Florence. Take a train from Rome to Chiusi-Chianciano and pick up a car there. Two days in not much for Tuscany. Three would be better.

Drop your car in Florence or La Spezia. Depends on your flight departure which to put first. Do you need to return to Rome for your flight?

What time of year is this trip?

lghammill

Hi,
Sorry let me clarify; This is middle of october. We fly into Rome to spend time with my daughter, then 3 nights in Florence (hopefully with a day trip to Bologna). Then we have 2 nights in Pienza Tuscany- from which we will be traveling to see Montalcino, Montepulciano, Bagno Vignoni and possibly Siena.
We then need to figure out how to get to Cinque Terre- my understanding is that it is best via Train. It was suggested to drop off the car in La Spezia- but if there is another suggestion we will absolutely do it!

So am I understanding this- from Florence- better to take a train to Chiusi and pick up a car there. Am I best off using one of the car consolidators for rental or Hertz or AAA?

Are the trains from Tuscany to La Spezia/CT only the regional trains? And those don't need to be booked ahead? Any advantage in doing so?

Re restaurants: we care most about good food- not fancy. Two or three fancier dinners over the 11 days between Rome, Florence and Tuscany will be plenty! Nothing crazy in the price range-- just good creative food !

And the only reason I am considering a car service would be at night in Tuscany would be for a wine filled dinner. Should we be considering a car service instead of a car rental? We want to relax and enjoy and while I enjoy driving- I want to be able to find parking- and see the landscape as well.
thanks again!

letsgeaux

The drive from Florence to LaSpezia is easy. We did the Cinque Terre as a day trip by driving from a villa near Florence to and from LaSpezia. Drop the car off in LaSpezia and take the train to the towns. We had the rental car for a week in Tuscany and considered it a necessity.

bilboburgler

Use Auto Europe they will prove cheaper and sort out a lot of problems if you come into any.

Once you have a car I'd probably keep it and certainly getting to CT would make sense. Yes you can use the train and certainly you don't need a car there but can use one.

If I was staying in Pienza I'd eat there and not drink and drive. Walking is the way to get around and adds the pleasure of eating Gelato on the way home under a sparkly sky.

Pick up at Chiusi or Florence airport, or maybe as simple as outside the No-car-Zone in Florence.

Basically you will find walking is the norm in a lot of Europe ;-)

sandralist

I suggest you look for creative food in Rome and otherwise eat traditional food in Tuscany (soups and grilled meats) and spend your money there on high quality wine and cheese.

bobthenavigator

Get the car at the Florence airport and drop it in La Spezia---keep it simple. I suggest Kemwel or AE.

hulio

I was just in Florence and spent a week in the hill towns of Tuscany. We rented a car through Auto Europe and ended up with Hertz. I chose the pickup location Via Sansovino. There is a tram stop right in front of it and it is only 2 or 3 stops away from the train station. It was so easy to access, and this way you avoid the additional charges at the airport. It was fairly simple getting out of Florence from that location and they gave us good directions at the Hertz office. In all it was a very painless process and we were in the hills of Tuscany in no time!

Mimar

The Cinque Terre is iffy in mid-October. Check the weather forecast before you go. Nothing to do there if it rains. Also not all the trail between towns is open. And bad weather may close more of it.

Jean

If you're spending two nights in Pienza, you only have one full day plus some hours on the arrival day and perhaps a couple of hours before you drive to La Spezia. It isn't realistic to plan on seeing Pienza, Montalcino, Montepulciano, Bagno Vignoni and "possibly" Siena all in 1+ days. (Just getting to the center of Siena and seeing the main sights could take most of a day.) When thinking about travel times, keep in mind that you can't drive into and park inside any of these towns. You park outside and walk in/out.

FYI, wherever you decide to rent and return the car, make sure you know what the open/closed hours of the agency are. Many close for a few hours in the middle of the day. As you comparative shop, look for mention of a possible fee for picking up and dropping off in different locations. This is becoming more common.

FWIW, I recently shopped for a 1-week rental in Italy in mid-October, and AAA (if you're a member) had the best rates for a mid-size car. I didn't look at sub/compacts.

tuscanlifeedit

Sandralist is, IMO, spot on in saying eat traditionally in Tuscany and creatively in Rome.

And some of the dishes you will find in Tuscany, Florence included, will be quite different that any Italian food you may have had in your own country. It's a unique cuisine and I like it a lot. Do just a little reading so that you'll know what to order.