4 days in Tuscany
 

My mother and I will be visiting Italy in May 2013 (She is 55 and I am 26) and would like to spend 4-5 days in Tuscany. Our tentative plan is that we will be arriving via train from Rome and departing via Train for Zurich. We are hoping for a more foodie/vino experience while we're there - see the gorgeous countryside, see some vineyards and experience the great small towns that Tuscany has to offer. As we've not been there before, we aren't quite sure which towns to visit and how to get around. It sounds like a car is a good way to see the countryside. Any recommendations on where to get a rental and where to go? Any advice is appreciated! Thank you!

We have had good experiences renting cars through a broker in the US, AutoEurope,www.autoeurope.com. They will book your rental with a company like Avis, Hertz or Europcar and will help you if there any problems. Go to their website and you can find out where cars are available for pick-up, drop off.

AutoEurope, for sure. Been using them for 35+ years. Wonderful customer service. But don't JUST go to their website; it's a good place to start, but call them and talk and ask all your questions, especially since this sounds like a first European car rental experience for you.

Next, get a guidebook or two or three and start reading. Tuscany is full of lovely places to visit. Do you want countryside or towns and cities? Florence of course is the capital city (but you don't want a car there). On a first visit I would guess you'd want to see Siena, San Gimignano, Montepulciano, Pienza - but really, the options are myriad. Just be sure you educate yourself ahead of time about where you can drive without incurring huge fines (that show up on your credit card sometimes a year or more after your trip). There are zones you cannot take a rental car into in every city and most sizeable towns.

Yes, you will need a car or driver to see Tuscany well.
And, start to read before you decide where to stay. Tuscany is large and is really 5 geographic areas in my mind. You pick what sounds good to you. I prefer the area near and south of Siena, but that is my opinion. Good luck !

cc,
Consider a train to Chiusi, rent a car then tour the Val d'Orcia, southern tuscany. See http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/tuscany/hs_planning.htm

Thanks for your help, everyone! We will be checking out autoeurope.com.