Hello! My friend and will be in Italy in September and she is dying to see Tuscany. Our plan is to take the train from Rome to Cortona and get a rental car from there. I would like to stay as far away from the fast cars if at all possible, but still want to explore the countryside. I guess what I"m asking is, what Tuscan city is a good home base to explore the rolling hills without having to get on a freeway?
Thank you for your help!!!
I drove from Naples to Milan, via the Adriatic Coast and used a 'freeway' for only about 30 miles overall.
I found I could always find a 'non-freeway' route. It was more scenic to do so, but their 'freeways' are no more scary than anywhere I have been in the US or Canada
Tina,
If you haven't driven in Italy, a few important points to keep in mind....
It's important to note that for driving in Italy, each driver listed on the rental form must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. (so you must carry both). These are valid for one year, and easily obtained at any CAA/AAA office (two Passport-sized photos required, which may be provided by the issuing office).
You may never be asked for an IDP, but failure to produce one if requested can result in fines on the spot! Failure to pay the fines on the spot can result in the rental car being impounded (which will result in further financial penalties). Have a look at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/rental-car-requirements for more information on I.D.P's and driving in Italy.
You may also want to have a look at some of the posts on the forum concerning the dreaded Zona Traffico Limitato (limited traffic) areas that are becoming increasingly prevalent in many Italian towns & cities (especially Florence!). Some of these are enforced by automated cameras and some by local police. Each pass through one of the automated Cameras will result in a €100+ ticket and visitors often don’t know of these violations until several months after they’ve returned home. In addition to the actual fines, renters will also be charged by the rental agencies for providing information to the authorities. You may find this website helpful - http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/driving/traffic_cameras_speeding.htm
There’s also the possibility of fines for driving in bus lanes, parking tickets, tolls and speed cameras including the devious Traffic Tutor system which not only monitors instantaneous speeds but also average between two points. Violate either or both parameter and expensive tickets will follow!
A GPS along with a good Map is also prudent. Be sure to give some thought to the question of CDW and theft insurance. In Italy, buying CDW from the rental firm is usually compulsory, so coverage provided by credit cards will not apply. Check the Car Rental guide at http://www.gemut.com/ for more information. Their free "Car Rental" PDF Guide can be downloaded. You may also want to check the “Travel & Transportation” pages at https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country/italy.html for other tips (look under "Travel & Transportation"). There’s also this website - https://it.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/transportation-driving/?_ga=1.21563186.86862954.1474991758
Happy motoring!
Well, Cortona is barely in Tuscany and you will have trained by some great towns, like Assisi and Spoleto, but no matter you can back track from Cortona if you want.
E35, E78, and the SiFi (Siena/Firenze) are the "freeways" but they aren't free. So, those are your avoidance roads.
The A1 can be thought of as dividing Tuscany in two. To the west is the Tuscan countryside you likely have heard most about, like Montepulciano, Pienza, Siena, San Gimignano, Volterra, Chianti, and so forth. To the east of A1 isn't reported on that much.
Siena is a great base but parking might be a problem unless you are in an agritoursimo or your hotel provides it. The others mentioned are also good depending on what you want to see. In the Chianti countryside Greve and Panzano are pretty good locations.
Thank you everyone for the information! I do have an International driver's license already (thanks Ken!!) and drove in England, which was not a pleasurable experience.
I have been to Italy several times and know what the driving situation is like, which is why I would like to stay as far away from Siena and Florence as possible. :-)
Okay so I guess my new question would be, what town does the train stop (from Rome), other than Cortona (where I can get a car) near the beautiful rolling hills that is not Siena or Florence? I’ve been trying to figure out where the train stops on Trenitalia but not having much luck. Or….is the drive from Cortona to Montepulciano an easy enough drive?
Thank you again for any help you can provide!
I have not done it myself, but I believe there's a stop in or outside Chiusi.
Be sure to give some thought to the question of CDW and theft insurance. In Italy, buying CDW from the rental firm is usually compulsory, so coverage provided by credit cards will not apply.
I think this was more correct in the past than in the present. You should review your credit card's rental car policy and see. My Amex Blue will cover regardless of additional insurance purchased, even if it's the zero liability option. I took the minimum required and am covered to the full replacement cost of the vehicle beyond the CDW. As I said, check your credit card(s) rental car policy and see. My other cards do not have as robust protection as the Amex, so the Amex is in place for that. Since it's nigh useless in Europe, it doesn't bother me if the rental car company puts a large hold on the card.
You can rent cars in Chiusi and Arezzo (Europcar, Hertz, Avis Budget). Not sure about Cortona. Probably not the majors. If you stay in Cortona or Montepulciano/Pienza, Chiusi is best for picking up your car. Actually even for Siena. Siena area is actually a great base, because it's central to everything famous in Tuscany (except Lucca or Pisa). But that also depends on what locations you want to visit.
ZTL (limited traffic zones) are in virtually every town, large or small. You just need to know that this sign throughout Europe means NO MOTOR VEHICLES ALLOWED beyond this point (except for authorized vehicles mentioned just below the sign, generally residents with permit, delivery trucks, taxi, transit, emergency vehicles, and the like). That sign will be at the entry point of every ZTL, no matter which town. Print it and stick it on your bathroom mirror from now till you go, so you memorize it.
Different opinions of course, I think Greve in Chianti is in the heart of Tuscany ...the scenery supports all those movie pictures of Toscasno
I'll go anywhere I can just so long as it's not Florence and Trenatalia will take me walking distance car rental. :-)
Orte, Orvieto, Siena, Terni, Spoleto, Perugia (big city though) have car rentals.
Re Chiusi - we had arranged to rent a car there, but luckily someone on this forum suggested that since our flight got in on Saturday we should confirm that the rental office would be open on the weekend. It wasn't open late enough on Saturday for us to get there by train, and remained closed all day Sunday. I don't know if this is still true - this was five years ago or so -
