How's the Driving Around Italy's Hilltowns?

What got my attention is that you describe yourself as a "cautious" driver--BTW, your honesty about what kind of driving you prefer is refreshing to see, we don't always get that here. "How difficult is it to drive there" is difficult to convey in words and depends partly on the person. More difficult than here, because of more erratic traffic, fewer signs, narrower roads, etc. Rick, in his Italy book, describes driving in Italy: "Driving in Italy can be scary--a video game for keeps and you only get one quarter."I don't recall Rick describing driving in any other country in those terms. Consistent with Rick's description, a number of first-time drivers in Italy have reported here that they found driving in Italy to involve more stress than they were looking for on their vacation. But despite the more difficult driving in the towns, most have found that renting a car was the best choice, given the alternative of renting a car or having to use public transportation in this area.Despite the more difficult conditions, you can do it, now you've had a heads up so you'll be mentally prepared for more difficult conditions. Driving on roads actually located in the country isn't the problem, it's when you get into towns, even small ones, that driving in Italy can get stressful. Bottom line: You need a car. Now you won't be blind-sided by the more difficult driving you find in Italian towns compared to here. Get a GPS, pay for all the CDW you can afford, stay in the country as much as possible, meaning park on the outskirts of a town, as soon as you can find a parking lot, to avoid the most difficult part, which is driving within the towns.

we thought about just doing buses but you are at the mercy of the bus schedules, so we rented a car in siena and drove to 6 hilltowns in 2 day's. we are soooo glad we rented a car, visiting the hill towns was the highlight of our vacation. as kent has noted driving in the countryside is simple, but when you get into the towns it nice to have a good map, parking can sometimes be a pain. go for it rent a car you'll love it . good luck ):):):)

It's very easy to drive in the country. The challenge in the towns is to find your way t a parking lot. Italy makes that easy with good signage but you have to know what the signs mean. Blue squares with "P" are obvious. Rick's guidebooks do a good job explaining.

I've always picked up my rentals in larger cities, but the common smaller towns for rental pickups are Chiusi and Orvieto in the south. The Pisa airport is another option in the north.

Best advice has already been given here. Get a car. Get a GPS. Punch in addresses in towns desired. Done.

We rented in Chiusi and it was easy although the girl spoke very little English. The driving is OK between the cities it just gets tricky when you get to the town and figuring out the signs and parking. We were going to wineries and it was sometimes hard as the roads were gravel and raised in the middle. Also the signs are sometimes crazy, every intersection seemed to list every city and all directions. I guess that's so if you want to go to Florence via Venice, Rome or Milan.

We've had several good driving trips in Italy. If you are starting in Rome that airport is much easier to pick up a rental car and get into and out of than Malpensa near Milan, in my opinion anyway.
As for their roads: the freeway/autostrada is toll, but if you don't have money they take credit cards too. Don't miss your exit as it could be quite a ways for a turn around. Very important that you stay to the right unless passing. Also, the food at the stations on the toll roads is good and can be very crowded at noon.

We have found the roads to generally be very good. We have run into two types of traffic jams: road construction and ladies of the evening. Don't drive at night if you can help it. We have done this too and don't recommend it. Italians can be very creative drivers. For instance, when passing on two-lane roads, we have observed the Italians just straddle the line and cars going both ways just move over. It's uniquely Italian. We haven't used GPS in Italy as we have found it pretty easy to find towns; in Tuscany and Umbria just look up they're almost all on hilltops. :)

Also, if you stop for gas at a self-serve station, even if there is an attendant, you won't get change if you over estimate the amount. That lesson cost us 10 euros once.

As for parking near those hilltowns: when looking for parking, we always drive as close to the top of the town as possible, instead of taking the first parking lot we come to, and have never been disappointed, sometimes even finding free street parking. Finding parking in the large cities (Milan, Rome, Florence in particular) can be a hassle and cost time and be expsive, so park near the train station or a small nearby town and take the bus in.

Just returned from driving all over Italy: Milan, Como, Verona, Vicenza, Rome.

One Word: GPS
Our Garmin with Europe maps worked quite nicely. I could not imagine navigating in Italy without it. We chuckled the whole way at how "Sally" (the GPS had to have a name) pronounced the Italian street names.

We found the countryside to be much easier than the cities. Once you leave the airport and the city, you should be fine.

All the above is good advice. I would add, however, that even with GPS it is still a good idea to take a good map and a compass as backup. We have been to Tuscany five times and driven all over with just a map and compass. It really is not that hard to drive in the countryside. In fact, the hardest part of driving is resisting the urge to look at the scenery instead of the road.

If you want to visit some of the larger cities in Tuscany such as Florence or Arezzo, if at all possible take the train. It is much easier than looking for parking.

We have driven in Florence (as well as Rome, Naples, and further down the Amalfi Coast) and I highly recommend against it.

Another good reason to take maps in addition to having a GPS is that you may see something you want to explore that may not be in the GPS... Have both and you will be fine. It is not that difficult to drive in the country. If you get to a round-about just keep going around until you find which spoke you want!

The driving is relatively easy outside of cities. Streets are narrow but the cars are small.

The hardest part is finding your way when none of the streets have posted names. That's why you don't want to do it without a GPS.

It's best to get one here that includes European maps and get used to using it before your trip. TomTom and Garmin seem to get good reviews.

Like others have said, it's relatively easy to drive outside the cities. As long as you're ok with hills and drop offs, it's a smooth ride. However, I would suggest you park outside the towns and walk in. Parking was much easier and easier to get in and out of the towns. We rented in Siena and drove to Asciano, Pienza, and Montepulciano. We had a hard time navigating back into Siena at night but after stopping at a few places to ask for directions, we found our way back in.

Driving in Tuscany is relatively easy. The roads are much better than those in the states and there is little traffic in the countryside. You cannot drive in most of the hilltowns so you are parking outside of the towns walls. Take a train to a town near your home base and rent your car there.