We are flying into Milan and arriving around 3 p.m and will be renting a car. We need to get to Grosetto around 4 p.m. the next day and wondered what town we should stay in to get to Grosetto on time. We like to spend some time walking around looking at the scenery wherever we are staying.

It's at least 5 hours to Grosseto. How long do you feel comfortable driving from Malpensa after landing?

Why not train from the airport to Parma or Genoa, spend the night and pick up the car in the morning?

Thanks Jean. We are actually flying into the Linate airport, and will be getting directly into our rental car at that point.

Upon arrival at Linate, we will be just then completing a long day/night of travel that will have started in Florida.

Probably do not want to drive more than an hour or two before dropping anchor for the night.

Parma and Genoa look like good candidates if someone can recommend some good hotels (NOT luxury) with easy and free parking.

Genova is not a good place to drive a car and the road to get there from Linate is very difficult, over a mountain.

Parma is easier. The Hotel Daniel has parking and one of the best restaurants in the city.

You will not get to Parma any sooner than 6pm, starting from Linate after 3pm. You can walk through the park near the Hotel Daniel before dinner. The next morning you can see the Duomo and the Bapistery in the center of town.

But you need to leave Parma before noon to get to Grosseto by 4pm.

I also suggest that you switch your car rental plans. It would be easier if you arrived in Linate, went to the central station in Milan, and took the fast train to Firenze (Florence) to have dinner and sleep. The next day, you can take a train to Grosseto in 3 hours and rent the car in Grosseto. It is faster and easier to take the trains than to drive, especially if you have a very long flight. The car rental companies will usually let you change your arrangements without any problem.

I agree---no need to drive with jetlag.

I agree with matera. People have no idea how easy (and cheap) it is to get around by train in Italy until they have done it. And on no account drive into Genova, the road system in the centre feels almost sci-fi.

Jet lag:

The A1 in that area is very, very straight and very, very boring.

I was caught out on a driving trip from Manchester (UK) to Siena. Ended up on the A1 at the wrong stage of a tiring journey (12 hours). I couldn't mentally cope with the A1 and had to take an unplanned stop overnight.

Piacenza is nice enough or Parma.

Be careful of where and when to cross over to the coast. Some of the Tuscany roads around Monte Amiata are horrible. The E78 between Siena and Grosseto is the least "bendy" but is single carriageway and known as Il Bruto locally, due to the Italian propensity to overtake whenever physically impossible.

Also don't cross before Florence as you will end up in the Northern Tuscan hills on the way to La Spezia which is beautiful but liable to eat up a couple of days travel.