frimfrog

We are heading to Italy in October and want to drive around Tuscany. A friend told me when he rents cars in France they are almost always diesel and therefore you can drive forever on a tank before filling up. What type of gas do the cars take in Italy? Is it hard to get a diesel? Are there diesel stations around? We want to figure out what to budget for gas for our trip. We will rent the car when we leave Florence and I've heard it can take a long time to rent a car at the airport--can someone recommend another location in town to rent from?

As for our itinerary, we will spend the first night in Florence, then head to Levanto/Cinque Terre for 2 nights. Then we have 6-7 days to spend in Tuscany. I want to maximize our sightseeing so the thought was to stay in 2 different places during that time--one in the San Gimignano/Volterra/ Monteriggioni area and then one in the Pienza/Montepulciano/Cortona area. Does this make sense? Or is it better to just stay in one place for the whole week and then do a bunch of driving each day? We have to depart Italy on a Friday morning so we won't have a Sat.-Sat. stay like most places want for a week's stay. If we do rent a place Sat. to Sat. are there penalties to not stay the whole time?

We have a very early morning flight out of Florence airport Friday morning and were going to stay in Florence the night before but we'd rather stay in the country. If we stayed near San Gimignano for that last part of our trip how long of a trip is it from there to the airport? Is it reasonable to do to catch a 7:20 am flight?

Also, if anyone can recommend an agriturismo that is clean and comfortable for about $100 per night in the areas I've mentioned, that would be great.

Thanks so much for your input in advance!

jgg

We rented a car in Tuscany this June. I think most of the cars are diesel and all the gas stations we saw sold diesel. Yes, your friend is right - you can go for a VERY long time with a diesel car - it was great!!

We had to wait maybe 20-25 minutes in line to get our rental car at Hertz at the Milan airport. The other rental car agencies had no line, so I think it just depends. If you are spending the first night in Florence you might not want to pick up a car until the next morning anyway. I am not familiar with where you can pick one up in Florence but others on this board should be.

We stayed in Castellina in Chianti at Fattoria Tregolehttp://www.fattoria-tregole.com/index.htm. It was a wonderful Fattoria. We stayed in one of the apts. as we were travelling with our kids. They do have double rooms for 115 euro a night which includes a very nice breakfast. They do not require a Sat.-Sat. or a weeks stay.

We found Castellina to be very centrally located, if you decide to stay in one place. In addition to exploring Chianti we also visited Siena, San Gimignano and Pienza. We were there for 5 days, and will say by the 5th day we were a bit tired from all the driving - but we had our kids with us as well.

I don't think it is that far of a drive, but for such an early flight, I would recommend spending your last night in Florence. Drive to Florence drop off your rental car and have a nice dinner, before a good sleep before an early flight. Travel days are always so long, I prefer to make things as simple as possible.

StuDudley

>> then one in the Pienza/Montepulciano/Cortona <<

Cortona isn't that close to Pienza & Montepulciano. Also, the Pienza/Montepulciano area is much prettier - stay there.

Stu Dudley

TuckH

In '05 diesel was a bit less than gas in Italy, this year a bit more. All stations sell diesel. I figure that we spend about the same on fuel as we do in the US; the fuel in Europe is more expensive but the cars get better milage, so it evens out.

IMO, you have a good itinerary - I'd opt for the two stops you've selected. The first for the Siena/Chianti area and the second for the Val d'Orcia. Too much driving staying in one spot...

Near Montalcino (80€/night): http://www.larasina.it

TimS

You wrote that you've heard it can take a long time to rent a car at the airport and wonder about picking one up somewhere else. Are you saying that you intend to wait until you get to Italy to book your car--or are you simply referring to having to stand in line at the airport to pick up a pre-booked car?

To get the best price, book from home in advance. If you wait until you get to Italy, you'll pay more and the size of car you'd prefer may not be available. Many Fodorites, me included, recommend autoeurope.com, a consolidator that finds you the best rate from any of several companies.

FYI, an International Drivers Permit is offically required in Italy. It's not a license but a translation of the important information on your license into eleven languages. The car rental agency will need to see your drivers license and probably won't even ask if you have an IDP; but if you have an accident or are stopped by the police, you'll be glad you have one. Technically, you're subject to a fine if you don't have an IDP in Italy. Get one at your local AAA office. It costs $10 and requires two passport photos.

Underhill

Go to mapy.com, where you can put in your itinerary and have the site calculate gas costs for you based on mileage and the type of car you will be driving. Lots else, too, like time between place A and place B, etc.

artlover

Yes, most of the cars use diesel. We rented with Avis in Italy and were very pleased, Autoeurope in Spain and were pleased, Hertz in France and it was a nightmare.

2Italy

Yes, rent a diesel and stick shift and you will get some amazing mileage. We had NO trouble getting diesel fuel anywhere in Tuscany.
Check out www.autoeurope.com for cars. Just south of SMN station about 400 yards is an office for Hertz/AutoEurope. When you pick up the car, they give you a very good map and directions for getting out of Florence to A1. Once there, find SR 222, the Chianti Road, for a great drive through Tuscany to Castellina. It's truly a beautiful drive.
We've never taken the car BACK to Florence and I hear that's a nightmare. We've dropped it in Orvieto and Rome and taken the trains from there.
I would take the train to CT and then rent the car once you get back to FLorence SMN station. You won't need a car in CT.
I would not risk trying to get from San Gimignano to the airport to catch a 7:20 am flight. You would need to be at the airport at 5:20 or so and that means a pretty early rising, trying to get some breakfast, and driving.
We've never stayed there but check out
http://www.tuscany.net/buoninsegna/pages/gallery.htm or
http://www.tuscany.net/castellanamontal/index.html

[email protected]

Saraho

ttt

frimfrog

Thanks to everyone who replied on this!

We plan on reserving the car here before we leave on the trip, but wanted to know where the best place was to pick up the car.

I didn't know about the international drivers license! That was great info.

Also, if we don't rent a car until we are done in Cinque Terre, is it backtracking to go all the way back to Florence to rent a car or is there another town somewhere on the way to San Gimignano or that area where we could rent a car (and then be able to drop it off in Florence at the end of the trip)?

StuDudley

We just returned a car in La Spezia, but it was not pleasent at all. The office was not at the train station, and it was very hard to find. However, a taxi would have no problem finding it. It was a small office, and their selection might not be that great. Check with AutoEurope
www.autoeurope.call
Call them, don't only inquire on-line

Stu Dudley

cupspinner

Regarding the rental car. Go to InItaly.com. Click on the car rental link. It will take you to AutoEurope, HOWEVER, you will save money by going there thru the InItaly link as I said. Plus we got a free cell phone rental to boot. We also chose the GPS option. Diesel rental, economy, stick shift (you save big if you drive a stick). For tips on gas stations go to Slowtrav.com. It is a different experience filling up "over there".

We just got back from Tuscany a few weeks ago. We picked up our car in one of the downtown Florence rental agencies, drove out, kept it for 2 1/2 weeks and returned the car in Chiusi...hopped a train to Rome and flew home.

We stayed 2 nites in Florence, and our 1 1/2 days there wasn't quite enough. (Although, with temps being 100, perhaps it WAS enough) Hotel Europa was great for us. So nice and welcoming! You are choosing to bypass Florence sites, I guess?

We did 2 nights in Volterra, at Villa Porto all'Arco, too short for the best accomodations in our 3 week stay. Volterra was great. The drive very twisty and hairpin turns abound.

We also stayed in Cortona. You can see Montepulciano from there. 15 miles away or so. 5 days in Cortona, and loved every minute of it. Stayed at Hotel San Michele. Yes, eggs w/breakfast, how rare.

We were very happy that we did stay a longer time in Cortona, and although we could have visited nearby cities, we stayed put!!! Really got to feel a part of things, tried all the restaurants, etc. Lots of strolls, time at cafes, really relaxing. Driving was time consuming, and even w/GPS and 2 good maps, we got turned around a lot. The Autosrada was actually the easiest to drive, because you couldn't wander off it accidentally!

We stayed a week near Colle d'Val d Elsa, in Certaldo, at a pottery school. The views there were amazing as well.

With all of your trip planning details, worrying about diesel availability can be removed from your list. Just be sure to find out which your car takes when you pick it up, and make sure that is what goes into the tank!

frimfrog

What we have decided to do is go to CT at the end of our trip just before we fly out of Florence, so we'll rent the car in Florence, spend our week in Tuscany, then return it in Pisa on our way to CT. From reading other posts it sounds like returning the car in La Spezia is kind of a pain. If we rent with AutoEurope, is the rental office anywhere near the train station in Pisa?

Do we need to purchase train tickets ahead of time to go from Pisa to Manarola (where we're staying) or is it ok to purchase them the day of the trip? Is it necessary to change trains to get there? Is Trenitalia.com the best place to get tickets?

Also which AutoEurope office in Florence might be convenient to rent from? We will be staying very close to the Duomo.

Thanks for everyone's help, this is a great forum!

ira

Hi ff,

>Is Trenitalia.com the best place to get tickets?<

Yes.

It will also give you schedules.