Based on following itinerary, best day to rent classic car and which scenic loops would be best?

I think the first thing you need to do is to find out where, exactly, you can rent the type of car you're looking for. It makes no sense to plan your drive from Lerici or any of the others towns mentioned if they don't have this type of car for rent.

Donna

Very true- I guess I'm getting ahead of myself lol. There's a couple of places that I'm going to call and will update this post once I have their answer- most likely it's looking like Florence is our best bet for a rental (as you said, Lerici/La Spezia seems limited in what's available- although I'm still reaching out and inquiring- and I'm not sure if I want to take any more time away from Rome).

I know nothing about cars, but I'm guessing that you're talking about sporty little things with not much trunk space. If that's the case, I think the special rental would be best for a day trip rather than on a day when you're switching hotels. In the latter situation, will you be able to keep all your belongings out of sight when you stop for lunch and sightseeing? Will the spiffy car (possibly identifiable as a rental by professional thieves) look like an interesting target even if everything is hidden in the trunk? If you're just jsing it as a day-trip, you won't need to worry about theft of the contents when the car is parked.

You might could find an A-R Guilia for rental for the whole trip. Pretty sure I saw that as a rental. It's a modern A-R, but likely the full luxe and not as expensive when you factor the hassle/expense of the classic car and the normal rental.

acraven and Max- excellent points on both of your parts!

I didn't even think of the luggage and/or theft issue and after researching, it seems like getting a modern AR might be as much as (or even a little less than) us having the classic car for a day of joy riding and then an additional regular car for the rest of the time.

My first plan is to see if any of the modern ARs can be guaranteed (because a couple of rental places had the or similar disclaimer), and try to go that route. Otherwise, I think I'll aim for a day trip during our last day of Florence (obviously picking up and dropping off in the airport area so we don't even go near the traffic zones).

I'll keep you updated if we end up with the classic car for a day because I might want some good loops from Florence (as I said- we're probably already doing the chianti/Siena scenic drive at some point anyway, so maybe something north or east of Florence?).

Keep in mind that each driver in Italy will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. These are easily available at any AAA/CAA office for a small fee, and valid for one year.

You'll also have to be extremely vigilant to avoid the ZTL (limited traffic) areas in Italian towns and also the speed cameras, including the devious Traffic Tutor which measures not only instantaneous speed but also average between two points.

Alfa Romeo and Maserati are two totally different categories. Check the Europcar fleet in Italy.
The Maserati Cabrio is an option available only in major locations like Florence or Rome.
The Alfa Giulia could be available in La Spezia too, I don't know. But maybe you could try to rent the Alfa Giulia in Florence for your 4 days in Tuscany. The Giulia certainly would have no cargo issues.

If your husband likes to speed, be aware that Italy is no longer a speed anarchy zone as it used to be decades ago. There are like 30 or 40 thousand speed cameras hidden all over the place which will automatically snap a photo each time you go above the limit by more than 5 km/h. Except for the freeways from La Spezia to Florence, or the A1 to Rome, where the speed limit is 130km/h (80mph) all other roads you are planning to be on will have speed limits ranging from 50km/h to 70km/h (about 30 to 45 mph). Often you will be on pretty narrow two lane roads where passing is impossible, so you might be often on your maserati trailing some agricultural tractor or truck at 15 mph. The Maserati Cabrio with the open capote will however give you the unique opportunity to smell the Tuscan manure everywhere you go. An unforgettable olfactory experience.

https://www.europcar.it/la-nostra-flotta

clap clap clap for Roberto da Firenze.

Lol Roberto! I’ll make sure to include that experience in detail when I write my trip report :)

Definitely good to know about the speed traps (I knew about the ZTLs, and that there were cameras in the city areas, but didn’t realize about having so many throughout in the countryside as well- plus, I had absolutely no clue about the Traffic Tutor- yikes!). Although I’m sure my husband would like to wish that he could speed in the car a little bit, he’s level-headed enough to respect the rules (and our bank account lol). That being said, let me ask you this:

I know that ultimately we are responsible for checking the speed, but for people who have driven there recently: do you find that the flow of traffic is generally close to the speed limit anyway and can be used as a good gauge for correct speed ? And if it isn’t, is there pressure for you to go with the flow of traffic instead of at the speed limit? I mean ultimately, we can pull to the shoulder to let people pass as needed, and we can also just make sure we stay in the right lane of two-lane roads. That being said, I wasn’t sure if I needed to prepare for any potential aggression from other drivers because we’re actually following the rules of the road (mind you I live on Long Island and have driven in and through the city on numerous occasions- I’m not saying I necessarily care if drivers get annoyed that we’re sticking to the rules of the road lol, but just wanted to know what to expect).

Finally, besides the obvious that I stated, are there any other courtesies or "unofficial rules" that we should consider while driving in Italy?

Thanks so much as always!

Have you done much research on driving in Italy? If not, you might take a look at this advice and Google for more.

Not being familiar with the kinds of high performance cars you are lusting after, I may be totally wrong, but they are likely to be standard shift with multiple gears. Can you both drive such a car? Even if your husband will do the driving, anything can happen, so you might have to drive it for some reason.

Finally, if your husband would really like to drive fast on a closed track, I highly recommend that you go to the Nürburgring in Germany and rent a race prepared car to do that some time on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. They have 2 seats so you could ride along. Normal rental agencies do not allow their cars to be driven there. Here's a link to learn about that. My husband did 8 laps and had a blast in a little Suzuki Swift, but they do have much fancier cars.

Locals know where the Autovelox cameras are, so they know where they can speed and where they must slow down. By law there must be a sign warning you of an upcoming autovelox, unfortunately, by the time you see the sign, it might be too late for you to slow down. Generally they are located inside built up areas when you enter a town.
Also tell your husband to keep on eye on signs alerting of pedestrians along the roads

Italians are not patient drivers, so if you are too slow for them, they will pass you even in the most dangerous of circumstances. There aren't "turn outs" on Italian roads, so you can't easily pull aside. Just keep the right when they pass you and slow down while they do, to let them pass you quickly. Generally they will warn you that they are about to pass you by hitting the horn first.

On the freeway it's very important that you keep the left lane free and move back to the right as soon as you pass a vehicle. You are not allowed to cruise in the left lane, which is passing lane only.

Yes, i did chuck at the Maserati being excluded from the Lamborghini/Ferrari category and stuck with the Alfa Romeos!!! Don't tell their branding/marketing folks!!

Lo, That sounds awesome- I wish we could get over there for this trip because it sounds like he would LOVE that! :) I've been thinking about getting over to Germany as maybe our next trip, but that would definitely sell my husband! :) Also, luckily we're okay with stick shift (it was SO much cheaper than automatic).

As for researching about driving in Italy, I mean I've researched the technical/legal aspects (the road signs, ZTL stuff, the surcharge from the rental company for every time the police has to pull your driving info, plus the really expensive tickets on top of that), but I wanted to get more insider info. That article you sent was very helpful and and everyone else's input has definitely helped as well! :)

Roberto- thank you for the heads up, that kind of stuff is exactly what I wanted to know (for example, we tend to coast in the left lane over here so that is certainly good to know).

Also, one more question- is there a resource/website that might have a collection of maps/locations/GPS coordinates/etc. of the various hill towns' parking lots which can be found right outside of the ZTLs? I want to make sure we are really never "in" the cities with our car (as much as possible) and want to do whatever I can to stay away from the ZTLs.

"Italians are not patient drivers, so if you are too slow for them, they will pass you even in the most dangerous of circumstances."

Yep! Been there and had that happen! They passed us in our own lane with oncoming traffic! Lots of gasping and yelling by the passenger ( that would be me!) but, we survived and didn't even lose a side mirror!!

Have driven in Tuscany several times. All the advice given above is very accurate. To add, some of the Tuscan roads, though not mountains, have lots of blind curves. The time of year you're going also brings out cyclists and motorcycles.
Not fun if they're on the blind side of a curve. Or coming at you in your lane.

If you know which towns you're visiting, print out individual maps using

https://www.viamichelin.com

They give you some advance warning of speed cameras and where the speed limits change.

If you haven't driven in Italy before, this will be an adventure.

Have fun😂

I believe that Rick described Italy as a country full of frustrated would be race car drivers. Seems to jive with people's experiences.

be aware the often an Italian driver will have a different sense of following distance than you might have -- in other words, they drive in your trunk. trucks too.....

Nigel:

Italians have a different concept of personal space. They like to be closer, mainly for human warmth.