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Car Rental Florence

We have heard all the " terrifying" tales of driving in Florence and now we are not looking forward to picking up our car. We have not driven in Italy before this trip which adds to the nervousness. Since we are coming into S. Maria Novella, we do not want to go to the airport.
We will be picking up on a Saturday morning after an early train from Venice. Hertz gives two choices of where to pickup the vehicle -VIA BORGO OGNISSANTI or VIA DEL SANSOVINO. The second appears to be the easiest route for us to get out of the city heading Southwest to Montespertoli.
Not sure if the return is to this spot or not. The first address you pick up at one spot and return to another. We don't want to have to navigate around restricted areas.
Our other concern is getting to rental agency on time, Via del Sansovino closes at noon. We plan on getting an early train (8:00 ish) so we would get into Florence by a little past 10:00.
Thank you for any advice you can give us.

Posted by
11793 posts

You can easily access the Autostrada from Borgo Ognisanti.

Posted by
368 posts

We've used the Avis just across the street on Borgo Ognissanti on 2 separate trips with no problems getting in & out.

Posted by
32411 posts

jute,

Hopefully Roberto or one of the Italian members of the forum spot this post, as they will be able to provide information on the two locations you mentioned. One of them may be inside a ZTL area, which is cause for concern.

Your profile doesn't indicate your home location, so I wasn't sure if this advice applies to you. Note that for driving in Italy, each driver listed on the rental form will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. You'll also have to be extremely vigilant to avoid the ubiquitous ZTL (limited traffic) areas which are common in many towns in Italy. Each pass through one of the automated cameras in Florence will result in a €100+ violation ticket, which you won't know about until several months after you return home. There are also automated speed cameras, including the devious Traffic Tutor system which measures both instantaneous speed as well as average between two points. Violate on or both and expensive tickets will follow.

Posted by
1832 posts

Driving out from:
VIA BORGO OGNISSANTI

is fairly easy. You are inside a ZTL at this point but are fine to drive out. If you somehow took a wrong turn, exited the ZTL and re-entered it or another one you would be in trouble but that is very unlikely.

From where you pickup the car on Via Borgo Ognissanti you drive out straight down the one road until it ends, it ends on the loop highway around the city which is outside of the ZTL at this point, I believe it forces you to go right and wrap around the city, this is SS67 on a map. You basically have to do nothing but drive the direction of traffic to get there.

I think returning cars to this location is more difficult than renting them and driving out of town. I have only driven out from this location, never returned.

Posted by
1788 posts

Via Santa Lucia, turning right at the very end of Borgo Ognissanti, is getting a new ZTL camera next week so there will be a new opportunity to take a wrong turn, enter ZTL and get a fine. It is possible to get out of Ognissanti without getting a fine but it takes a while to study the map and stick to your itinerary.

Posted by
5697 posts

Or there's the airport, which probably has longer hours. Bus from Santa Maria Novella or the bus station down the block. We rented from Hertz at airport location this week, easy access to highway and NO ZTL!

Posted by
16321 posts

Via del Sansovino would be great. A straight shot to the FI.PI.LI freeway. If you can make the time work, it's the easiest. It's 10 minutes by taxi from the station.
Exiting Borgo Ognissanti is easy, but returning to the garage Europa, where Hertz is, requires full attention. To exit I would turn left on Via Curtatone, the left to Lungarno Vespucci and immediately right across the bridge. When you cross the bridge you are forced to go right (west) to safety.
ZTL is well signaled, so it's not that you can go through a camera gate without realizing it, unless you are driving drunk (which is illegal in Italy)