Hello!
I will be traveling from Tirano Italy to Florence Italy on August 28h. I have read other places that their may be train work being done and some routes will be closed. Does anyone know if this route would be affected? Also, we are staying in Florence for a few days and then renting a car to travel from Florence into Tuscany. Any suggestions on rental car companies?
Thank you!!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15441 posts
The Tirano-Milan railway line was temporarily closed in May due to a landslide in Fiumelatte (buses were used in the affected segment). There is additional line work being done in another segment at Sondrio, buses operate between Tirano and Sondrio.
For rental car companies I (and many people in this forum) use a consolidator/broker company called AutoEurope. It's a German born company now headquartered in Portland Maine.
The operate 3 websites. Check all for best deals available for your dates:
www.autoeurope.com
www.autoeurope.eu
www.kemwel.com
I like to purchase full coverage with no deductible as insurance coverage, since deductibles can be stiff.
You can click on the no deductible box under the coverage option. In the .eu website, that would be "refundable excess".
Posted by
Green Bay
20361 posts
There is a train replacement bus operating between Tirano and Sondrio around construction work, where you will board the train to Milan where you will change to a Freccia train to Florence. What time do you want to depart Tirano?
See the schedule at https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html
Posted by
OP
6 posts
Thank you, so much! I will look into the train and bus. May look into a taxi or uber from Tirano to Sondrio.
Posted by
OP
6 posts
Thank you for the rental car info. I will check out those websites. I did read somewhere that it is better to get a car just outside of Florence if you are traveling to Tuscany. Any thoughts on that? Any suggestions on must see stops on our
drive from Florence to Tuscany?
Posted by
Green Bay
20361 posts
Why you would want a taxi or uber instead of the replacement bus, I have no idea. With the replacement bus, the connection is guaranteed, not so with a taxi or uber.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15441 posts
Tuscany is a Region, Florence is the capital city of Tuscany, so when you are in Florence you are already in Tuscany, therefore you will not be driving from Florence to Tuscany. It is like saying driving from Boston to Massachusetts.
I don’t know where in Tuscany you intend to drive to from Florence, but the only rental car offices in Florence are either near the train station or at the airport, which is at the northwestern edge of the city. Picking up at the airport generally costs more because of airport extra charges, also if you plan to go south (most people go to towns south of Florence), you are on the wrong side of the city. But you can pick up at either. Hertz is the only company that has a franchise office near the south side.
Posted by
Sweden
6589 posts
May look into a taxi or uber from Tirano to Sondrio.
Why would you pay extra to complicate things and get and unprotected connection in Sondrio?
Posted by
Italy
3812 posts
Why would you pay extra to complicate things and get and unprotected connection in Sondrio?
Maybe the OP did not get that the replacement bus is also run by Trenitalia/Trenord and that they can buy a through ticket from Tirano to Firenze SM Novella station in single transaction. Using the English version of trenitalia.com
drive from Florence to Tuscany?
This sentence makes me think you should really get a good travel guide with warnings about ZTL areas and speed traps. A guide with a long chapter about driving in Italy, not just about geography.
It's a little expense compared to the overall cost of this journey, but it could make you save hundreds in ZTL fines.