Florence Rental Car

Most of the time we have been given Avis rentals through AutoEurope and never have had any problems. We usually pick up at larger airports though.

Driving in Italy. Prior to committing, carefully decide if driving is the best option. I would scan the Italy board for the multiple "do I have to pay this ticket" threads. The issue in Italy is that the country, and many towns (Florence is a key one) take a very aggressive approach to monetizing driving fines. There are zones in Italian cities termed "ZTL" (zona traffica limitationa which is my pidgen Italian interpretation) which are "no drive without notification", which come up quickly, and lead to multiple fines.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/when-fines-are-imposed-by-an-italian-car-rental-agency

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tourist-scams/never-ending-claims-of-traffic-violations-with-no-proof

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/5-traffic-fines-in-5-days-in-italy-around-800-euro-what-are-the-consequences-of-not-paying

There's a sub-discussion by "newenglandtv" which you should look for about ZTL fines.

Discussion of ZTL
http://www.athomeintuscany.org/2011/10/15/pisa-ztl-limited-traffic-zone/

We are going to get to Italy, but I'd never drive there.

We aren't actually staying in Florence - we're staying in Montefugoni, so it'd be nice to be able to get around without depending on the bus.

I take many reviews with a grain of salt. But to ease your mind, do you have to use the airport location, or would something outside the ztl work just as well?
I've rented from Hertz four times in Italy, never had any issues, but AutoEurope gets positive reports on all of the forums.
You don't need to book now for next April--hopefully the shortages and such will have calmed down, so I'd wait a while.

I tried also on AutoEurope for April and only Avis-Budget comes up at all Florence locations.
It's too early to book now for April. Wait for 2-3 months prior to travel. I never book this early. Usually I booked a month or so ahead of my travel (which generally happens in June/July of every year, pandemics permitting, therefore the busiest time).
Just as a test, I searched for options for this coming week and also for the end of August in Florence and all other companies come up, at prices which are higher compared to past years (there is a worldwide shortage of rental cars because rental companies sold most of their fleet during the pandemic), but nowhere as high as it shows now for Avis/Budget in April.
Just sit tight and wait. Probably AutoEurope has not negotiated contracts with companies that far ahead this year due to uncertainties driven by the coronavirus situation.

Unlikely Paul, we are positive you can memorise a new sign and do not drive past it. Otherwise you simply can't drive a car in Italy and you can't stay in a tiny hamlet like Montefugoni.

Many reviews are written by angry people who need to release the pressure. Once upon a time they yelled at the bar against the Government and The cops, now they write reviews.

"We are going to get to Italy, but I'd never drive there."

Brilliant decision.

The issue in Italy is that the country, and many towns (Florence is a
key one) take a very aggressive approach to monetizing driving fines.

No, the issue is tourist that don't bother learning the road signs and rules of the road, and then get upset when they are fined for breaking the rules.

No, the issue is tourist that don't bother learning the road signs and rules of the road, and then get upset when they are fined for breaking the rules.

Absolutely. We had no problems driving around Tuscany the week we were there. There's plenty of information on the internet regarding road signs and rules of the road.

All the Chicken Little posts on RS had me second guessing our decision to drive, but once there I found it much ado about nothing. ZTLs are clearly marked and easily avoided. The rule of thumb is anywhere within the walls of a hilltop town like Volterra or Siena is ZTL. When in doubt, stay out. Speed limits are strictly enforced as they are in other European countries. They also use automated speed monitoring equipment, so just because you don't see the police, that doesn't mean they don't know how fast you are driving. Who wants to speed past the gorgeous Tuscan scenery anyway?

As we do in other European countries where we drive, we don't take a car into major metropolitan cities like Rome or Florence. It's easy to park outside the city and take a bus into town. It's actually an adventure. We parked in the free public lot in Greve and took the early morning commuter bus into Florence. We were the only non-commuters on the bus and the other passengers were curious and helpful.

Be sure to get your International Drivers Permit (IDP) from AAA before you go. If you are a careful, defensive driver you will do fine.

If you use Waze as your gps navigator app, it will warn you of all fixed “autovelox” speed cameras ahead of time. Also by law, there must be a sign indicating the possibility of electronic speed monitoring 150 m before (although sometimes, if you go too fast, you might miss those signs).

Most of those boxes are not operative anymore, but since we don’t know which ones are, it is best to slow down before each one of them. Most fixed cameras tend to be at the entrance of built up areas, where the speed limit is always 50km/h. Therefore whenever you see a white sign indicating you are entering a village or town, like the one below, slow down to 50 km/h because there might be a speed camera shortly thereafter within 150 m.

https://images.app.goo.gl/DekS2HNvSWtxsB1Z8