Tell me about driving in Tuscany

The tolls can add up but if you book it into the cost of the vacation it's not that big of a deal. The toll roads save you so much time it's worth it. We had no problems with car breakins, but we didn't really leave anything in our car either. Some of the roads are very narrow, but you probably already know that.

If you're driving within Tuscany, you will not be driving on toll roads.

Most of the roads are two-lane roads, but they are not particularly narrow or dangerous, and traffic is generally quite light on them.

Parking is difficult in some Tuscan hill towns, and you may have to park outside the town walls. There is a thread at the moment about free parking lots outside of Siena; the last time I looked, no one had reported being robbed.

But you should not invite robbery by leaving things in the car that are visible to anyone walking by.

Crime and robbery are really not a major problem in Tuscany.

I wouldn't worry about crime while driving in Tuscany! Maybe a cow will step in front of your car...

Some of the bigger cities might have vadalism, etc., but, depending on where you are coming from, not that bad.

Just don't leave things visible on the car seats, don't leave anything valuable in your glove box or the trunk, just the usual things to be aware of.

This is the thread about free parking lots in Siena:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34735634

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Thats what it's like - it's wonderful!

Well robbery is when you are are held up..that doesn't happen much in Italy.
Burglary, when cars are broken into can happen and do happen all over Italy, radios stolen etc. I have a lot of friends that leave nothing in their cars when they are parked due to that problem.

As a traveller leave nothing in sight that will indicate you are a tourist, no maps etc etc and no luggage of course.

Roadways in Tuscany do not have tolls. Autostradas do. Parking in cities can be a problem. If you are staying at a hotel either pick up your rental car when you are ready to leave the city or make arrangements with the hotel as to where you can park your car while staying there.

Tuscany outside Florence is basically an easy region to be in. As others have said it is generally easy driving. Have a beautiful time!

WE enjoyed driving in Tuscany! Had a rental car for a week and went all over; it DID help that there were two adults and one could be the navigator/map person. But you'll have a great time...we have travelled a great deal and consider our week in Tuscany to be a highlight.

Before going I was a little aprehensive about driving there, but spent 10 days doing it, and it was not at all intimidating [of course, I live in Southern California!].
I also was leery of a diesel engine, but was surprised at the spunk my car had.
One thing which can be confusing is the signage on roads. They don't usually give you road numbers, but instead tell you which cities are ahead for each road option. The bad part about this is that if you are headed toward smaller towns, they won't necessarily show up on the list of towns. To ameliorate this, you can go to a michelin website about driving in Italy [just google "driving in Italy" and look for it] and once you input a route it will give you the specific signs to look for.
Driving around Tuscany was one of the highlights of our whole vacation history [fifty years worth]!

Thanks everyone...as a follow up, could anyone suggest good pick up and drop off locations for a loop through Tuscany stopping in Viterbo, Siena, San Gimignano, Volterra and Florence. I will be heading out from and returning to Rome. I'd prefer to pick up in one location and then drop off in another for the trip back to Rome.

I agree with Eloise, no tolls most likely unless you get in the express ways. Always consider that a distance that might look short in the map could be full of hills and would take more time you might expect.. Always consider that most cities are at the top of a hill. Only logical during the Renaissance or Miiddle Ages That is why Eloise tells you that you might have to leave the car down the hill on the other side of the city walls. Usually it is free. Like in Cortona, you can leave the car at the bottom of the old city, by the walls, and then go by foot up a couple of blocks.
Not that difficult not that easy either.
Usually we drive to the hotel, leave the luggage, and follow the hotel 's directions to the best place to park.
I believe that the best way to visit Tuscany is by car. Good luck.

Nobody answered your diesel question completly. Diesel is less expensive than regular gas, and the diesel cars get better mileage. We've driven through the Alps, Pyrenees, with no problems at all.

Our closest friends have an apt within the medieval walls of San Quirico in Tuscany. They park in a public lot outside of town and in the 6 months or so their car has been parked there, they have not had any problem with break-ins.

Stu Dudley

We've driven all over Tuscany, Umbria, and down to Rome. We stay on the Autostradas just long enough to get on a little road, such as SR 222, the Chianti Road. Driving in Tuscany and Umbria is like driving in rural Ohio. Two lane roads, little traffic, but the scenery is much more beautiful and the roads have more curves. We never drive into cities except to turn the car in. The hill towns don't allow most cars, you have to park outside the town and walk in. I have driven into a couple of hill towns to drop off luggage, but you can't park there. We did park in Montalcino this year and in Siena in 2001.
We always opt for diesel engines and manual transmissions. Great gas mileage, lower fuel price, and shifting gears is handy on some of the curves and hills. Get yourself a good map of the roads in Tuscany and goooo!
WE've never had a problem with anyone breaking into our cars, but of course we put everything in our hotel room when we arrive, and when we go to a hill town, we take what we'll be carrying and leave nothing in the car.

Hi C,

I loved driving in Tuscany and Umbria and have done it twice now for a total of 15 days. No problems whatsoever. I don't go on the toll highways, because I'm interested in meandering around the countryside, stopping for photo ops (lots) and discovering REALLY out of the way places!

My first trip was with a friend who helped navigate. The second was all on my own. Just know the names of the towns along your route and you'll be fine. You may do a few U turns, but who cares?

Yes, park in the free car parks just outside the walls, you'll be fine.

You might like to pick up in Orvieto, walking distance to the train station, and drop in Chiusi or Siena. I've done all these and they were fairly easy. Just make sure the offices are open on your days of choice.

On my last trip I had a little VW Golf diesel -Autoeurope. Super fun to drive and I only used 2/3 of a tank in 8 days, zipping all over southern Tuscany and Umbria. Painful to fill up EEEEE's!

Buon viaggio!

We drove all around Tuscany, Lazio and Umbria in summer 2004. I definitely recommend getting a diesel - we had a diesel Peugeot (maybe a standard size car) and got much better gas mileage than other family members who had regular gas and a smaller car! In my opinion, toll roads were generally worth the cost but always check your Michelin map before travelling. Also, a pleasure in Italy is stopping at AutoGrill. Very Italian and Italian lifestyle. We had a ball travelling around to villages and we always looked forward to our Auto Grill stops. As far as cities, we always drove to an outlying train station and took train in to city-no parking fees, no vandalism, no worries. Many larger villages (like Siena) had major parking lots outside the center. Be sure to hit Montalcino and drink Brunello or Rosso di Montalcino!

Have a great time!

Hi cc,

We drove through France in a Peugeot 307 diesel. 40 mpg and enough pep to go up hills in 3rd. Diesel was about 20% cheaper than petrol.

Use the maps at www.viamichelin.com and www.mappy.com to supplement your road maps.

I also recommend pickup and drop off in Orvieto.

Check rates at www.novarentacar.com and www.autoeurope.com.

My wife and I have never had any problems with having our cars broken into in our last 7 trips to Europe.
One thing we did do differently on our driving trip in Italy in October was rent a GPS with our way cool Alfa Romero (diesel) through AutoEurope. Instead of The Navigator having to spend too much time with her nose in the Michelin road maps, we just plug in the destination and way points and enjoy the scenery. Especially nice returning to our Tuscan agritoursimo at night, just dial in "home".