We will be staying at the Hilton Grand Vacation Club in Borgo alle Vigne, about 70 km east of Florence for 5 days. We will have a rental car and want to do some scenic drives in the Tuscany area. All of the scenic drives that I've read is from Florence to Siena. Can anyone recommend other drives that may be closer to the Hilton? How about renting a Vespa for a day? We own a Vespa so are quite comfortable driving it.
We have used the DK Eyewitness Guide Backroads Central and Northern Italy book on several trips to Tuscany find good roads and sites. Many libraries have a cooy you can borrow and copy the appropriate sections.
As you're going to be driving, I assume you're aware that each driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. These can easily be obtained at any AAA / CAA office for a small fee and are valid for one year.
You'll have to be vigilant to avoid the ZTL (limited traffic zones) which exist in many Italian towns, as each pass through one will result in hefty fines. DON'T drive in Florence!
Unless all of my maps are wrong, https://www.google.com/maps/place/Hilton+Grand+Vacations+Club+at+Borgo+alle+Vigne/@43.550594,10.4097303,10z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x132a0b98e2fd9d6b:0xad6494b637d942d8!8m2!3d43.55048!4d10.68989
You will be Southwest of Florence, not East.
Makes a bit of difference, regarding recommendations.
Oops, you are right, we are southwest of Florence. I was looking at the map and saw Florence east of us and wrote the wrong direction. Thanks for the correction!
Agree with Becky - we've always relied on the Backroads books for our own driving excursions. Can recommend them highly.
ZTL and other driving issues: