Driving in Tuscany

No sweat.

Maybe they just don't know how to drive anywhere. I cannot imagine what they think the problem is in Tuscany. Maybe parking in small hilltowns sometimes... but if you drove in Spain & France, it's no different.

Even if driving on I285 bothers you, Tuscany probably won't. Your book is probably talking about around Florence, but I think the whole Florence thing is exaggerated. It's like the Peachtree/Piedmont intersection at lunchtime: more annoying than intimidating, but easy enough to avoid. I couldn't imagine not having a car on our trips there. You are no novices so you will be more than fine. Enjoy your trip!

Take a trip in the Cohutta National Forest, explore some of those country roads there, and that's pretty much the type of roads you'll see in the countryside of Tuscany.

The countryside west of Clayton, Georgia around Tiger and Lake Burton is more like what you'll experience in Tuscany. That's northeast of Helen, GA. There are some motorways going south of Florence toward Siena, but getting off on the back roads is very rewarding. We especially liked the ride down to Volterra from San Gimignano. The only roundabouts in North GA are in front of the Hwy 400 (Dawsonville) Home Depot and the WalMart in Blue Ridge. If you can negotiate real roundabouts, you've got it licked.
Seriously, traveling by rental car in Tuscany and Chianti is the best and most efficient way to travel through the region. The roads are easily negotiated.

Ask/Answer a question about Tuscany and get learnt about Georgia! Only here. Never heard of Cohutta National Forest, always called it Blue Ridge. Never knew there was a round-a-bout in the deep south outside of Jackson (Mississippi) International? Airport. Lived here 15 years. Guess I must get outside the perimeter!

Actually I meant Cohutta Wilderness. Have a brochure somewhere at home to prove it exists.

Leslie...I'm laughing! I was reading along - we have a rental car in Tuscany for our upcoming trip - and I was thinking the same thing. Southerners coming to the rescue of Southerners! And using landmarks to make their point, of course. (I'm waiting for a round of "do you know so-and-so?")
When we reserved our car and wondered about the wisdom of this, we decided that all four of us had driven in Atlanta and survived. The roundabout in Jackson at the airport is unofficially called "What the?". No fatalities there to my knowledge! Ed, you crack me up. You should write a travel book. It would give RS a run for his money...all 9 pages of it!

A GPS is very helpful. Returned recently from Tuscany and driving was not difficult. However, those round abouts can be a little confusing. All in all, wasnot any worse than driving in NJ, but a whole lot prettier!

I second the suggestion for a GPS, preferably one you are already familiar with. I have driven in Europe both with and without. Will never do without again. Have maps as back up. Also I suggest you familiarize yourself with what traffic signs mean. Especially see what the ZTL signs look like, to prevent accidentally driving into one.

Thanks to all for your thoughts and suggestions. I will definitely be renting a car.

Roberto, hope you weren't thinking I was questioning your knowledge! Just my own vast list of stuff I don't know yet. I actually spent the weekend looking for a gravity hill (you roll uphill) outside of Atlanta that I thought was folklore. It does exist! Found some civil war munitions caves too. Cool stuff in my own backyard. Too funny Susan. "What the" was the first thing that came to mind when I saw that round-a-bout. At least they had good sense to put it where no more than a couple cars per every few minutes would use it, in front of the airport :)

Roundabouts are great. I wish there were more in America. I'm tired of waiting for a green light at intersections where there is hardly any traffic. But even more stupid is the 4 way stop intersection. That is clearly a place where there should be a roundabout. There is nothing confusing about a roundabout. Just drive around the circle and exit to the street you need to take. But I think they are coming to America in great numbers: http://www.roundaboutsusa.com/design.html

I am seeing more and more roundabouts around here. Even at the mall! Agreed that they are easier than 4 way stops and red lights for no reason.

Roberto, I could totally embrace roundabouts, but we need more than TWO in the entire state to practice on! I will be a Roundabout Champ when I return from Tuscany!

There was a big push before the economy tanked for round-a-bouts. They started placing them in front of small city airports to get larger samples of the population used to them and then the plan was to use them in rural areas as they are less maintenance and decrease fatalities at intersections that are no where near hospitals. I'd love to have them because no matter how many times city politicians promise to time the lights, they never do. I wonder how much energy is wasted sitting idle at intersections for no reason? According to a family member in the civil business, the plans are back on so we may all get our wish.

Just last month, my husband and I drove a rented car throughout Tuscany. We paid extra for the GPS and were very glad we did so. Drive defensively--the white middle line and stop signs are treated as 'suggestions' by locals--but once you get the hang of it, it's fine and really the only way to see that beautiful countryside.

We've rented a car for Tuscany the last two trips. Driving's no problem, and just park near the center of town, don't drive into towns. Here's some advice we've learned. 1) lots of round abouts. Some are new and are not on the GPS to tell you which exit to take. So the "rule" my husband and I live by works great. If unsure of which "exit" to take from the round about, the driver is to continue going around, until the navigator can digest the signs and confirm which "exit" is in the right direction. Keeps the stress level down. Sometimes, signs are exactly what you are looking for, but other times, you need to look for the name of a town in the direction that you are heading. 2) We have a garmin that tells you to turn at highway #'s or street names. We rarely see hwy # for back roads, and street signs are hidden or invisible. 3) Since my husband only drives stick shifts in Italy, be careful about where you park. Both trips, my husband ended up facing downhill, had to back up, and between the shifting, breaks, gas peddle, and clutch, both times, he rolled forward into a stone wall. No major damage, but scratches on the front of the car. We had zero deductible CDW so no problem returning the rental car.
4) We've had our Garmin Nuvi GPS for about two years and purchased loaded with Europe maps. It worked fine our first trip, worked fine for 3 days on our most recent trip. Then on day 4 Europe maps just disappeared off the Garmin. I'd signed up with Verizon for the Global data plan for $25.00, as a "just in case" we needed to access the internet during our trip away from Wifi. Fortunately, the iphone google maps worked great, and it was the last day we had a car rental.

Driving in the Tuscan countryside is a real pleasure - what the Brits call "going motoring" - light traffic, great scenery. Take a good map and use your GPS with caution. GPS from time to time sends you on unnecessarily long circuits - I get the feeling that they avoid unsealed roads for some reason. Don't panic at roundabouts - if you miss your exit just go round and try again. http://tuscany-vacation-rentals.net/roadsanddrivingintuscany.htm Beware of limited traffic zones even in quite small towns: http://www.bella-toscana.com/traffic_violations_italy.htm

I am a US Citizen but a resident of the UK for about 27 years now and am use to the 'roundabouts' ... a few rules to remember ... if your place is not mentioned on any of the road signs around the 'roundabout' .. just go straight .. many of the roundabouts don't always mention the place you are looking for time and time again ... and, always LOOK TO THE RIGHT .. for that is the rule .. your RIGHT ALWAYS has the right of way at a roundabout ... so don't worry, once you get use to them .. they are really quite handy in making the traffic problems go away! Enjoy your trip. Also, many of the larger cities have 'PARK AND RIDE' outside the cities so that you can pay for a bus to take you into the city ... great idea.

Hey look kids, there's Big Ben, and there's Parliament... again.

I'm not sure about the UK, but in Italy in ALL roundabouts, the vehicle already in the roundabout circle has the right of way. All roads leading to the roundabout will have a Yield sign before you enter the roundabout. Also do not look to the right when you enter a roundabout. Unlike the UK, in Italy the traffic travels on the right side of the road. Therefore you must look LEFT before entering the roundabout, because that is where the traffic will be coming from. If you enter a roundabout while looking to the right, you might have a car hitting you hard on your driver's side. Ouch!

A poster from the UK said to be sure to look right at the roundabout. That's fine for the UK. BUT Remember, in Italy, traffic rotates counter-clockwise, so be sure to check to your LEFT before entering, the same as in the US and in other countries that drive on the right.