For future reference on this thread, when driving in to Florence for the day, park at Piazzale Michaelangelo. This large, free lot is situated high above the city, on the south side of the river. Get some directions before you go and you will find it's pretty well signposted.

As a bonus, it has one of the best views of Florence you will find anywhere. There are a few cafes up there, and often other events in the evening.

My advice: walk down into the city, taxi back up at the end of the day.

To one and all: your responses are a GREAT help! I will be checking the websites and making sure I follow your advice. We did a 3-week drive around France in 2002 and a 2-week drive through Ireland this past May, and I couldn't agree more about the value of a good navigator. (I, by the way, do the driving...)

The website that you can request a free map of Chianti is:

http://monterinaldi.it/en/

We used it for our trip this past summer and it was great. Have a wonderful trip!