Any advice for renting a car in Rome and driving through Tuscany. Is that too far? We really wanted to see the countryside and stop at our convenience. What is the status of gas stations along the way? We thought we would drive as far as Siena, and take day trips from there. We will then drive to Pisa to drop off the car since we fly out of that airport..

Tuscany is pretty large - how long do you plan to drive in the area? My favorite section is the Val d'Orcia - around Pienza. I've posted a driving itinerary through this region many times. If you want some more ideas of scenic drives, villages, & sites in Tuscany, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll send you my italy itinerary, which has a heavy dose of Tuscany in it.

Yes - there are gas stations in Italy. Many will be closed for a lunch hour or two, and on Sundays also.

Stu Dudley

It is an easy enough drive from Rome to Siena. When you say you want to take your time, does that mean that you want to stop overnight, or that you are looking for an interesting driving route from Rome to Siena?

Unfortunately, we will leave Rome on the morning of Sunday, April 2 and driving as far as Siena to spend the night (and hopefully do some exploring). Then on Monday, April 3, we were planning on driving to Florence for the day, and then back to Siena. On April 4, we are hoping to drive to Pisa to see some sights and spend the night. We fly out of Pisa in the afternoon on the 5th. Suggestions???????

I have a suggestion: don't! You don't need a car at all for this short of a time period.

Rome: Leave very early on Sunday morning by train or bus (whichever is quicker) for Siena. Spend the night.

On April 3, stay in Siena at least until lunch time, then take the train or bus (whichever is quicker) to Florence. Perhaps you can time it to get there comfortably for a late afternoon/evening visit to David and dinner. Spend the night.

April 4: spend the day and night in Florence.

April 5: take the train from Florence to Pisa very early in the morning. Check luggage (sorry; don't know if there is left luggage at the station). Taxi to Campo di Miracoli to the the sights, and maybe arrange for the taxi to pick you up, get your luggage and go straight to the airport.

It just doesn't seem worth your while at all to have a car, and driving from Siena to Florence seems such waste of time. Parking in Florence is very difficult. And Pisa is no snap, in my opinion.

Alternately, you could spend a couple of days in Siena, skip Florence, then do your last night in Pisa. But I still don't see the reason for a car.

I think tuscanlifeedit has a great plan. We used StuDudley's suggested drives and really enjoyed them last May when we stayed in Tuscany for a week.

Just remember....... most shops will be cosed on Sunday in Siena.

Stu Dudley

If all you plan to do is see Florence Pisa and Siena, you don't need a car.

But public transport in Tuscany, outside the larger towns, is mediocre and getting to places like Montepulciano or San Gimigniano is virtually impossible without a car.

Whatever you do, it helps to understand the layout of Pisa. Pisa airport is a three-minute bus ride (No 1 bus: seven times an hour) from the main station, whence the same No 1 bus takes a further 8 mins or so to the Piazza dei Miracoli. A one-hour ticket is €0.85: ticket outlets are listed at each bus stop (and include the airport left luggage office). Taxis are difficult to find on the Pisa streets, and really don't make any sense given the excellence of the urban bus system.

There is a left luggage at both the station and the airport. At the airport it's €7 per piece, and both depositing and retrieving are time-consuming. If you're getting a low-cost out of Pisa, you must allow time for this, since cutoffs are enforced savagely. Sadly, the low-costs mostly don't open checkin until two hours before takeoff. Some conventional airlines (like BA) start checkin earlier, so with them it's possible to check the bags in, get a bus to the Duomo, look round it, admire the tower and get the bus back in time to meander gently through security and catch your plane.