Car rental in Florence

1. Yes
2. www.gemut.com

or
www.autoeurope.com

Consider renting in Sienna, rather than Florence. That's what we did.

Second the recommendation for Auto Europe. Good rates and service. I rent from them every time I drive in Europe and have always been happy. Last year rented in Florence and drove to Siena. You will need an International Driver's License.

Sandy

If going just to Siena, no stops elsewhere, why not take the bus from Florence to Siena Centre?

Might be a little easier to just take the train or bus to Siena and rent once you get there. There's a Hertz office about two blocks from the train station, and there's cheap (2 Euros per day) parking in the underground lot at the station itself. You can then ascend into the town via a series of escalators. Reversing the process and returning your car there would preclude having to deal with the traffic getting in and out of Florence.
As has been mentioned, booking thru AutoEurope is the way to go. Opt for the zero deductible package for the peace of mind.
And yes, you need an International Drivers Permit to drive in Italy. Some here on the forum have reported that there are rental car providers that now require it before releasing the car to you.

Thank you all! I am flying from Zurich to Florence. I will be at airport and was planning on just renting a car. Why do you all,think renting in Siena is easier?

"Why do you all think renting in Siena is easier? "
Because getting out of Florence and onto the Autostrada can be a hassle due to traffic, as well as the concerns about straying into one of the ZTL's around the city, whereas collecting the car upon arrival in Siena bypasses all of that so that your driving experience is primarily (once out of Siena) on rural Tuscan roads ... a much more user friendly experience.

We just rented at the Hertz airport location in Florence. Super easy rental process, in 3 mins we were on autostrada so that was easy too! Just get your gps in English and choose location and you are set getting out of Florence! Google maps is better though out in countryside.

sounds like OP is not actually IN Florence but arriving at airport/departing from airport so might as well rent there

Be careful driving around Siena- know your ZTLs!

al,

Just to clarify, you will need an International Driver's Permit for driving in Italy. This is not a license per se, and must be used in conjunction with your home D.L. IDP's are easily available at any AAA / CAA office for a small fee, and are valid for one year.

As others have mentioned, you'll need to be extremely vigilant to avoid the ZTL (limited traffic) zones which exist in many Italian towns. Do not drive in Florence as the city is just about saturated with automated ZTL cameras. Each pass through one will result in hefty fines which you won't know about until several months after you return home. Siena also has ZTL areas. You'll also have to be aware of the automated speed cameras and tolls on the motorways.

If you stick to the main roads in the vicinity of Siena you'll be fine - you won't encounter any ZTL's unless you try to drive into the city center ... which you won't want to do anyway.
The Siena train station is right on the SR2 which heads down towards the Van D'Orcia and the pretty Tuscan Hill Towns. Going north will take you along the Chiantigiana (SR222) thru the Chianti Hills. Explorations further afield are really pretty easy from the parking lot at the train station.
All of the Tuscan Hill towns of any size (Montepulciano, Pienza, etc.) have ZTL's, and they're all pretty well marked. The easiest way to avoid them is to simply park outside the walls and walk into the city center. It'll be pretty obvious once you're there.