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Car rental

I can drive manual, my friend cannot. We are going to Tuscany and one of our bases is Montepulciano. Having never been there, how difficult is it to drive up and down the hill with a manual transmission?

Posted by
6733 posts

No different from anyplace else in the world with that has any terrain that's not perfectly flat: easy enough if you can drive a stick, not a good place to try to learn if you can't.

Maybe you get to do all the driving on this trip?

Posted by
15043 posts

Then you be the driver. Having an additional driver costs €10 to €15 extra a day. Since you know how to drive a manual you should be the designated driver.
The roads in that area are not any different than the roads in the hills of North Carolina. Just go west in the area around Asheville and you will find plenty of roads similar to the Montepulciano area. Just be aware that lanes in Italy may be narrower than the average American highway and roads often have no shoulders so you will be driving in slightly narrower roads than the typical two lane highway in the US.

Posted by
217 posts

Thank you for your replies. Our air BnB is up on the hilltop of Montepulciano in town, and my concern was with driving up and down (how steep is it?). Driving the hills in Pittsburgh with a manual was a challenge.
Roberto, I just returned from Asheville area 2 weeks ago and it was gorgeous and easy driving.

Posted by
5955 posts

You can use Google maps to “drive/walk” the street
It is steep but not unduly so

You’ll probably be parking outside the walls in a public lot anyway due to ZTL and honestly that’s what I would do
I wouldn’t want to actually drive IN Montepulciano
The streets are super narrow and often crowded with pedestrians
The hotel we stayed at in Montepulciano did provide parking but it was outside the wall/down a very steep hill just below the property

If driving in Pittsburgh with a manual was a challenge then I’d advise you to pay for the automatic

Posted by
6783 posts

Do you know how to do a hill start in a manual? If not, Tuscan hills might not be the best place to learn...

Posted by
211 posts

Most recent European cars with a manual transmission have a "hill-holder" function—my little Renault does. If you're going uphill and stop, a good tap on the brakes will keep the car from sliding back, and releases automatically when you let up on the clutch. Have a great trip.

Posted by
217 posts

After reading your comments, I don’t want a manual. And I watched a YouTube video on driving In Montepulciano, and Christine, you are right. The streets are very narrow and curvy. The Air BnB said we could park right next to it, but if the walk up to it from below is doable, maybe that’s a better option. What location in Florence should I pick up a car?
On a different note, I am so hoping May is not as scorchingly hot next year!
Thanks.

Posted by
15043 posts

www.autoeurope.com
select as pick up FLORENCE ALL LOCATIONS.
Several deals with come up with the various rental companies (Avis, Europcar, Hertz, etc.)
Make sure you checkmark the 'automatic transmission' box if you need that option.
Automatic cars are not as common in Europe as they are in the US and generally come only on larger vehicles (midsize, and some compacts). If you rent an economy size car, the automatic option will not be available. The automatic option will therefore be more expensive than a manual transmission car.
Also consider checkmarking the zero deductible option in the coverage section. Deductibles may be 1,000 euro in case of damage.

There are basically 2 pick up places in Florence:

1. City Center. Borgo Ognissanti.
A street where all rental agencies are located, about 10 min. walk from the SMN train station. The cars, regardless of agency used are housed in the multi-story garage below. The offices of the various rental agencies are all in the same street.
https://goo.gl/maps/Knf46KxULXBfrD6v7

INSTRUCTIONS TO DRIVE AWAY FROM BORGO OGNISSANTI are below:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/car-rental-in-florence-airport-vs-train-station
INSTRUCTIONS TO RETURN THE CAR TO BORGO OGNISSANTI are below:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/florence-car-rental-zlt-zone

2. Airport Car rental center. Via Palagio degli Spini.
This option carries more expensive rental costs, because of additional airport fees and taxes. Also it's farther, therefore it will require almost 30 euro in taxi cost to get there.

If you go toward Siena (south) the airport rental center is not very convenient because the airport is on the opposite side of the city from where you need to go.
If your first destination is Siena or anywhere south, I would pick up at Borgo Ognissanti (see no. 1).
If your first destination is Lucca, then the airport location is extremely convenient (although more costly as explained above), because the freeway to Lucca begins right there at the airport where the Airport Rental Center is located.

Additional Note:
Hertz also has a location also at Firenze Sud on via Ambrosoli next to the Toyota/Lexus dealership. This location would be very convenient to go South (Siena, Montepulciano), however it's a smaller office, therefore it may have limited automatic choices. If you choose this location, confirm that they have automatic cars.

Europcar also has a location on Via Forlanini, on the way to the airport. This location, being near the airport, is convenient to go to Lucca, and since it's not actually at the airport (but very close), it would not have extra airport rental fees. However the considerations made above on the availability of automatic cars at a smaller office also apply. I've rented at this location but I don't know about the availability of automatic cars here, as I've never rented an automatic car in Europe.

Posted by
258 posts

We also had an Air Bnb at the top of the village. Look for "Parcheggio S Donato". It is not free, but it's at the top, where it's mostly level. We found it on the third day, and it was well worth using that lot to haul our luggage. It is accessible from the outer rings, do not go up the middle as Google will send you into the ZTL zone. Have fun, you can do this!

Posted by
217 posts

Roberto,
Thank you for the detailed report on car rentals. We will be headed to Siena, so I now which office to go to.
Joan, I’ll be on the look out for that parking area. The Air BNB has parking right next to it as I may have already mentioned. If that is too difficult, the area you mentioned may be a better choice.

Posted by
154 posts

Apart from the freeways (tolls) a lot of the roads in Italy & Europe in general are very narrow and you need to learn very quickly the extremities of your car. You may have noticed that more expensive cars in North America now have external rear view mirrors that automatically fold back. I first saw this in Europe where drivers would manually fold back their mirrors when they parked in side streets and there were a number of cars with damaged dangling mirrors.
In Tuscany, there are lots of cyclists on the narrow roads, particularly on weekends which is another thing to watch out for.
Watch out for the PROHIBITED ENTRY SIGNS as the fines can get expensive. You may miss seeing the signs as you try to navigate using the map programs and then try to find a parking space. First, you will pay the rental car fee ($50+/-) that they charge to determine who had the car and advise the local parking authority. Then the fines aren’t cheap and disputing them officially has to be done in Italian.
I’ve fought them twice and won but it takes time. In Siena 2012, you were allowed inside the Zone to unload your luggage but the B&B didn’t advise the authorities so I had to provide copies of my reservation and copies of my credit card statements, which they accepted. The second was in 2019 in Ostuni, and after a few emails, getting copies of the photos showing my vehicle but no definitive statement as to where the zone started, I used Google street view and took screen shots along my route and got a shot that was almost identical to their camera shot but it was before a Y junction where the right hand fork was OK but the left fork had the NOGO sign but no proof that my car went up the left fork. All this in English with Google translation into Italian with both being sent with street shot photos. They just dropped the fine as their photos were inconclusive.
This time in October in Northern Italy, we’re using buses and trains so we just have to worry about connections and pickpockets.

Posted by
217 posts

Hi all. I spoke with Autoeurope today and was given a quote of $871.00 for 8 days rental, for an automatic Renault and no deductible. No deductible is correct, right? Is this a good price? When should I book it for our May 2023 trip? I know prices fluctuate. I’ll pick it up in Florence City Center as per Roberto’s advice. We will drop the car off in Rome but what location is best? We are staying in the Piazza Navona area.
Thanks.

Posted by
2791 posts

With AutoEurope you can book now, lock in that rate as a placeholder, then continue searching periodically to see if prices go down. If they do you can cancel your original booking without penalty and rebook at the lower rate.
One of many reasons to book with AutoEurope.
Yes, zero deductible is the way to go.

Posted by
217 posts

Thank you Roberto. She mentioned car insurance is mandatory in Italy, of course. Should I get it through Autoeurope….never mind. See my comment to Joe. 🤦🏼‍♀️Where should I drop off in Rome please?

Posted by
11033 posts

...even if State Farm covers me out of the US

It would be EXTRAORDINARY ( unheard of actually) if a State Farm policy covered you anywhere but the US and Canada.

Posted by
217 posts

Joe, I’m going to claim brain fog, lol. I was thinking about health insurance. 🤦🏼‍♀️

Posted by
62 posts

Hi Kathy,
We stayed a week in Montepulciano at the end of September and rented a car in Chiusi through AutoEurope. We rented a manual transmission with zero deductible. Our Airbnb was located just off of Via di S. Biagio, on Vicolo dei Grassi. We were told by our host that we could park just outside the apartment. However, that's only if the spot was not taken. You don't want to drive into the ZTL or any part of the city. If you drive through an archway, you are basically in the ZTL. But don't worry, it really isn't difficult AT ALL. Our drive was a gradual uphill, and it was narrow. At the top, we turned around at the archway and headed back down the road to park. Since it was a "side road" we just parked wherever we could fit the car (per the host's instructions). There are also parking lots outside the city, depending on where you are staying. NOTE: Make sure you study the road signs before you drive.
(Edited to add: If you don't want to drive to Rome, consider dropping off at Chiusi and taking the train to Rome. Then take a taxi to your hotel.)
Enjoy!
Sheila

Posted by
217 posts

Hi Sheila,
Did you stay at Luca’s Air BnB? I have reservations on Via dei Grasse so maybe it’s the same apt. I rented an automatic because of the narrow, hilly streets. Is there an entrance up to town that isn’t into a ZTL zone? Someone mentioned earlier that there is a parking area that is flat somewhere.
What towns did you visit, and did you go to more than one a day?