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Best one day rental car parking option - Villa Costanza or Train Station?

Sorry if this has been asked before, but I didn't see any threads that had compared these two options.

My wife and I are flying into FLR (on a sunday) and will eventually head towards Pietraviva for a wedding that day.

We want to spend a half-day exploring Firenze a little bit but are trying to figure out what to do with a rental car and luggage.

I've done some research and narrowed it down to two options:

  1. Rent a car at the airport (hope/request for a car with a trunk) > drive to villa costanza > take train into the city center > take train back to villa costanza > continue drive to Pietraviva.

  2. Take train from airport to Firenze Santa Maria Novella > put luggage in storage via bounce > walk from train station to city center to explore > return to train station and rent car via Sixt (this is the only rental agency open past 2pm on a Sunday) > drive to Pietraviva

Which option will be the least stressful and most efficient? My only concern about #1 is leaving our luggage in a parking lot for a whole day. My concern about #2 is if Sixt truly stays open to 6pm and if I am teh last person to get my rental car, will they still have a car with (a) a trunk and (b) automatic.

Any suggestions or thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Posted by
5449 posts

Do you have to be in Pietraviva that day? Spending a night in Florence and leaving fresh in the morning would be my choice.
I would have major qualms about leaving luggage in a car unless you can find a place where a guard is confirmed.
Although an hour drive on arrival is within the "done it" zone for me, I have found that delaying the drive in any way drastically increases the chances of jet lag taking over on the drive.

Posted by
206 posts

We were in Tuscany last month and parked at the big Villa Costanza lot right off the A1 and it was great. Easy access in and out, Tram 1 ran about every 5 minutes and took us right to SMN station. Even if you get an SUV it will probably have a pull-out cover in the back to hide your luggage. Good luck!

Posted by
16331 posts

I would visit Firenze before picking up the car, and, as Valadelphia said, I'd go to Pietraviva the next day, if you can. I wouldn't drive there after a long overnight flight (I presume you arrive from North America). The road is largely freeway, but the last portion is a narrow two lane highway between Levane and Pietraviva (I've been to Ambra many times since I friend of mine had a country house there) and after a long flight and a long day touring the city, you will be tired.

Also Villa Costanza parking lot has been plagued by constant car break-ins so I wouldn't leave the car there with luggage inside. I know last December the City finally decided to have more security cameras surveilling the place, but the lot is unguarded by humans except for the occasional patrols, so security cameras are not necessarily a panacea.

Posted by
8 posts

Do you have to be in Pietraviva that day? Spending a night in Florence and leaving fresh in the morning would be my choice.
I would have major qualms about leaving luggage in a car unless you can find a place where a guard is confirmed.
Although an hour drive on arrival is within the "done it" zone for me, I have found that delaying the drive in any way drastically increases the chances of jet lag taking over on the drive.

Yes, it's for my cousins wedding and he has rented a villa for all of the families and that's the first night we are all getting together.

We are flying to Paris first for a week, so we will be flying from CDG to FLR and won't be too tired to start the day.

Posted by
5449 posts

Great--I wish we had that pertinent information to start with!
So, I would go with #2. When you rent a car, you provide the pick-up time, so although things can certainly go awry, I would book with confidence.

PS Don't think a trunk guarantees your belongings--it is just a psychic reassurance, a thief can pop a trunk in seconds.

Posted by
8 posts

We were in Tuscany last month and parked at the big Villa Costanza lot right off the A1 and it was great. Easy access in and out, Tram 1 ran about every 5 minutes and took us right to SMN station. Even if you get an SUV it will probably have a pull-out cover in the back to hide your luggage. Good luck!

did the lot feel safe? This seems like the easiest option, i just don't know how safe the lot will feel.

Posted by
16331 posts

Feelings don't mean anything, facts do, and facts say that break ins at Villa Costanza happen, and not infrequently.
A safer alternative would be to park near the airport at a safer guarded car park. These are some options
This one is in front of the T2 Tramway stop
https://maps.app.goo.gl/E3dV7zFh5Bfg3oPj9
This one is also nearby the airport. It is the parking garage of the Hall of Justice of Florence, so plenty of security cameras. If I were a thief I wouldn't break into a car in the garage under the Hall of Justice, too much police around, although you are there on a Sunday. The T2 tramway stop is 5 min walk
https://maps.app.goo.gl/BtnsQtd1MW1TiAJs6.
I presume you could also use Bounce bags or similar service at the airport, and pick up later before getting the rental car at the airport rental center.