May someone over 75 rent a car in Italy?
If not, would it be best to use Florence as a base and use public transportation to get to places like Siena, Volterra, Lucca, etc?
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8309 posts
You'll just need to check with individual rental companies to see about age limitations. Some won't rent to those over 70.
Tuscany is a place where a car is needed if you intend to see the countryside. You can get from Florence to Siena easily by bus. Lucca, Pisa and the Cinque Terre you can get to by train. But Volterra and the other hilltowns like San Gimignano are best done by car.
The roads in Tuscany are hilly and crooked. But they're well paved, well marked and no problem to drive on.
I like staying in agriturismos as virtually every farm in Tuscany has rooms and apartments as a secondary source of income. We're not much into big touristy cities any longer.
Posted by
Sioux Falls, SD, USA
3100 posts
Rather than asking "How do I rent a car", why not just present your itinerary? We visited this area in 2022. We went to Milan, Ravenna, Padova, Turino, Pisa, Sienna, and Florence. We used trains mostly, and a bus one time. We had no need for a car. We are 71 and 75.
We did go to the country to tour wineries. We went on a bus tour, which had pluses (E50/person) and minuses (60 other people).
If you are not familiar with Italy, car touring has some issues. There are ZTL zones (city center restricted driving zones with very big fines) and automated speed tickets.
Unless you are planning a lot of rural touring, you probably will find that trains and buses serve you well. In addition, those of us at this age don't need the hassle of car rental.
Posted by
Niagara, Ontario
1666 posts
Each company has its own policy. Generally, in Italy you should have no problem being 76 and hiring a car. Entering your details on the Autoeurope page will bring up a few options.
https://www.autoeurope.ca/travel-tips/car-rental-age-requirements%2F/
Using Florence as a base for the destinations you mention is possible with public transport. Some of the smaller Chianti villages can also be visited by bus or train – such as Certaldo, Greve, Radda, Panzano – but visiting a few on the same day would be difficult, timewise.
The Val d'Orcia, a bit further south, has a more appealing landscape: use of a car is advantageous for this area.