You guys are great! Okay we are thinking of renting a car for the first half of our trip. Picking up the car in Rome, driving to Fiesole, hanging out in Florence for two days (probably use bus for this) then making day trips to Gravagna, Pisa, Lucca, La Spezia, Seina and maybe Chianti. Then driving back to and dropping of the car in Rome. WE received a quote of $282.15 for a Fiat Punto for the entire time. To rent for one day was $153 Alfa Romeo, two days $169.90 Alfa Romeo, three days $225.22 Fiat and four days $255.82 Fiat. So we figured with all the buses, trains, etc renting the car would be cheaper. So what are your experiences driving in Italy? We know gas is pricey but the fiat gets (converted) .0119 gallons to the kilometer.

Driving in Rome is not stress free. If you have ever driven in Paris then you may be up for the challange. Driving in Florence is not as stressful, but keep in mind that much of the center is closed off to traffic and there is extremely limited and v. expensive parking. You need a special pass to enter the center with a car and you will not be able to get one. Taking the bus or taxi in both Florence and Rome would be my personal recommendation and then renting the car for the rest of the trip.

We just returned and had a car for more than half of our trip. We picked it up in Florence as we were leaving and dropped it off in Rome. In between we drove through Chianti, through Tuscany to Coronta, Pienza, San Gimingano, Montulpulciano and Montalcino, along with many photo stops along the way. We had the car in Siena but didn't drive in Siena. We would never had seen as much as we did without a car. We also drove to the Amalfi Coast before going to Rome. I would do it the same way again. That being said, don't try to drive in Florence or Rome, just park and stay parked. My husband didn't think driving in these cities was any worse than driving in a big US city (we live in Chicago) as long as you have a good map (we didn't in Rome). That price is not bad-we booked through autoeurope and had a small Ford AK for about 280.00 for 8 days. Also, when driving to Florence, there is an American WWII cemetary between Florence and Greve in Chianti (about 10 miles S of Florence) where we stopped and were so glad we did. It was incredibly moving. We would have never made it there without a car and are so glad we didn't miss it.

Ingridshawn,
We returned from Italy almost 2 weeks ago and rented an Alfa 156 for 10 days for $680. We picked it up in Venice and drove to Florence for 2 days and then onto Umbria for a week and then dropped it off in Rome. Having a car just gives you great freedom to do what you want when you want.
We live outside Washington, DC and we are used to crazy traffic, so we were fine driving. My husband drove and I was the co-pilot. Things that might be helpful: get a good driving map,have one person drive and one be the co-pilot, do not park yourself the in left lane-pass and move over quickly if you are not driving at the proper speed, when in the left lane even if you are going at a fast rate be alert to someone coming up on you and move over--they do drive fast and hard, so pay attention. Parking is impossible in Florence and Rome is crazy, but if you are just picking up on the way out of town, you should be okay. Where are picking the car up in Rome? Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.

I posted a similar question.

Leslie, where did you pick up your car in Venice? What company did you rent from?

Thanks very much!

Daria

excellent!! We are picking up our car around 1:30 at Termini. Thank you for all your insight we have decided to rent the car to give us more flexibility. Thanks alot

As a helpful hint, I have a section on my site http://www.cristinasweb.com that has all of the road signs and a lot of rules of the road. While knowing how to drive in large cities is helpful, not knowing what the signs mean can cause serious problems for all involved.

We picked up a car in Rome drove all over Tuscany to Florence and eventually to Venice. A car is great plus that?s the only way you can get to the Prada & Gucci Outlet stores in Tuscany. I would recommend learning what the road signs mean too plus it will give you a heads up on where you can and can't park. On the gas issue, I didn't find it to be too bad but we had a diesel. One thing you should be aware of though is that when the stations are closed the automatic pump machine is quite a trip to figure out. You put the money in the machine (which is not at each pump its in the center of the station), cash or whatever and then select which pump you are on to pump the gas, however you have to do all of this before you take the handle off the pump or the machine won't work. It sounds simple enough but when you've never seen one before and everything is in Italian its not so easy. It took 6 people to figure out how to use it. (just imagine two south Africans, an American and 3 British all trying to figure it out. In the end each person figured out a piece of the puzzle it was very funny.)

Don't forget to budget for the cost of tolls and have cash Euro's on hand if you are going to be using the Autostradas! Those tolls can be a killer! Also, budget for parking in tourist areas. We found we spent more money on parking and tolls than we spent on most things during our 15 day Italian driving adventure. A Fiat Punto is a great option - everyone here drives one - great for blending in, they get fantistic gas mileage and can fit in almost any parking spot. Thats why the Italians all drive them! Have a wonderful time!

ingridshawn, I don't know if anybody's suggested this, but why not take the train to Florence from Rome, sightsee in Florence, then pick up the car as you leave for Gravagna etc? I think trains from Termini to Florence take about 2 hours. Save you the aggravation of negotiating Rome and a long drive right after a long flight. Then drop off car in Rome, pay dropoff charge but save 2 days in rental.

Hi Ingrid - I wouldn't drive in Naples either, where red lights are only optional. some of the hilltop medieval towns have very little parking space - we tried to stay in Orvieto but literally couldn't park - ended up in a hotel way down the bottom of the hill, which wasn't quite the same.

Going to Rome, Florence, Pisa and Venice in Spring, 2004 - really don't want to drive (will utilize train, etc) Question: Once in Florence, are there day excursions available (would appreciate web/e-mail addresses for these vendors) to view the countryside (Siena, Cortona, etc.) or what about hiring a private driver. Also, can anyone direct me to a web site re train schedules? First time for Italy and I've so many questions.

Thanks for your help.

Naturegirl

Be prepared, the road signs are part of the adventure. Many signs either don't have the info you need or have way too much. You will learn which signs are for local attractions(brown ones) and which are for towns (blue) or the the green for the Autostrada.

It helps to have a navigator and a good map is an absolute must.

This is a picture of a sign cluster in Montepulcano.

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/20521/photo11.html

You are correct to leave your car in Fiesole. Florence city buses run to Fiesole on a very regular basis.

To Swalter:
We too are planning drive through Tuscany to Siena for a stay, then on to Amalfi Coast. Could you tell me your thoughts on Siena to Amalfi Coast--time it actually took, your final destination there, etc?
Thank you
Aleta