rental cars in Tuscany

The tickets are probably not bogus, they may be for speeding or for driving in a restricted zone. Be careful of ZTLs (zones for permit-only driving). If you get a ticket and blow it off, the penalties keep adding up.

Thanks for the info Zoe

We rented a car from Hertz a few years back - picked it up and dropped it off in Florence, arranged for the car from the US. We picked up/dropped off at an office a few blocks from the train station and, like you, headed out of town. Driving in Tuscany is pretty easy and I think signage has improved a lot in the last few years. A lot of roundabouts and invariably the town you are looking for is at the bottom of the list of towns. We did get one of the tickets subsequent to getting back to the States, I fought it and won (or I at least think I did). Have fun.

Thank you for the information. I think I will look into a different rental company and we'll drive carefully. No one will be able to stop me from enjoying this trip!

michele,

Don't forget the compulsory International Driver's Permit for each driver.

Have a great trip!

There is no correlation whatsoever between renting from Hertz and getting a ticket. You can get a ticket with any rental car company if you violate traffic laws. Unlike the US where you generally get pulled over by an actual policeman, Italy makes more wide use of traffic cameras that immortalize your car while speeding, or entering a pedestrian only zone, or going through a red light. Later on, the traffic ticket is sent to the owner of the vehicle (the rental company) which notifies you that you got a ticket and transmits your data to the authorities which then sends you the ticket. The rental car company will also charge your credit card for the administrative costs of providing copy of your info (rental contract, drivers lic, etc) to the police (generally about 60 euro).
You can rent a car from any company, including Hertz. You can also go through a consolidator, such as Autoeurope.com, and get a car with a major company at a lesser price. In my experience I must say that the best prices are generally when you rent from Europcar, but you can find good deals with any. Remember that you cannot decline insurance in Italy. Your US insurance and Credit Card will not cover you in Italy. I also suggest a no deductible insurance as the deductible can be quite hefty in case of accident.

Thanks for the clarification about tickets in Italy. I will make sure to get the permit and the insurance.

Using a consolidator like Auto Europe, which works with many European car rental suppliers, can give you a larger selection of locations, price, and availability.