To drive or not to drive in Tuscany

the only way to experience Tuscany is by car, on your time. Not a train or bus schedule. Driving the Chianti region is a drive in heaven,

Arezzo, Lucca, Pisa, Siena and even Montepulciano are accessible by train.
If you wish to stay in one place and have the freedom to enjoy the countryside then a car is essential.
If you are more interested in the towns themselves and are prepared to make some moves then you could make a circuit route. Alternatively, base yourself in Florence the entire time and make day excursions.
It really is a matter of personally weighing up the pros and cons depending on your preferences.

If you have been to Italy 4 times and navigated each trip, you should be able to navigate another !

And, so what if you get lost ? You discover another village to explore !

You just have to determine if you feel okay with possible miscues or if having a car would truly enhance your overall experience due to the flexibility - what would you rather have? Flexibility or potential ease with train/bus travel ?

If you wish wish to stay in one place and day trip then use a car. We have travelled several times in Tuscany and each time had a car. It is convenient and driving is not difficult. It is very helpful to have a GPS.
Be aware that parking around popular tourist towns can be a challenge. However it is doable.

Your Highness,

We just returned from a week in Tuscany spent with a car. We had no problems. We stayed just south of Florence at Castillo di Verrazzano. We used it as a home base for day trips. Based on our experience, here's what I suggest:

I bought the Italy/Greece SD card for our new Garmin. Before we left, I entered all point of interest we wanted to visit, then just went to "favorites" and pulled up our destination for the day. It worked like a charm. The Garmin helped us 95% of the time, but we took a good map as a backup. There were times it helped. Other times, we just followed the road signs. We did this on our drive from Greve to San Gimigagno.

If you don't have it, scoot by AAA and get an International Drivers Permit. It's cheap. I never had to show it, but the consequences of not having it are reported to be expensive.

Rent the car at the airport if you'll be renting when you get to Florence. We flew into Rome and drove to our home base. You'll have the advantage of arriving in Florence by train. Stay however long you like, then head to the hills. We left the car in Greve and took the bus to Florence for our visit there. It was 14 Euros for two round trip. After seeing the traffic in and around Florence, there's no way I'd drive anywhere near it.

Observe the speed limits, both in the country and in towns. It's easy to do, the speed limits are clearly posted. Greve has an automated speeding camera, but as you approach, your current speed is flashed on a sign, giving you a chance to adjust. South of Greve on 222 heading towards Sienna there is one long straight stretch between the curvy parts of the road. There's an automatic camera there, but signs warn you of its existence. Just drive the speed limit, it gives you more time to admire the gorgeous scenery.

Check Castillo di Verrazzano if you'd like to be at an agriturismo. Their rates are reasonable. The rooms are large and comfortable. The included breakfast is to die for. Block out a day to take their winery tour and food and wine tasting. You'll be there in a great time of the year, perhaps they will be harvesting while you're there. Everywhere we wanted to go; Siena, Volterra, San Gimignano, Montalcino, Abbazzia di Monte Oliveto di Maggiore and Florence was 1 1/2 hours or less from home base.

Have a great trip!
Doug

Thank you everyone for your replies. I feel that I could probably manage driving around after hearing the positive responses. I appreciate your suggestions and will definitely look into a car and some of your suggestions for home bases etc. further.

Jody

Jody,
This may give you some ideas http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/tuscany/hs_planning.htm

Perhaps I don't know what "experience Tuscany" means, but I travel a lot in Italy using public transportation. Tuscany is fairly easy to get around by train and bus, although Sunday bus schedules may be more limited. If you are staying at an agriturismo out in the countryside, you will need a car, but if you are staying in cities, even small ones, public transportation will take you anywhere you most likely will want to go. I've taken buses and trains to Arezzo, Sansepolcro, Siena, Anghiari, Lucca, Pisa, Pistoia, Firenze, and a half-dozen other cities, with no problems. If you do have a car and want to go into a city's historic center, parking can be time-consuming even if you successfully avoid the dreaded ZTLs.

If you want to spend time in the countryside, I would consider the time of year as well.

Drive.
For all the drive reasons stated.
Only bad thing that can happen is you may get lost.
Some of the best places we have visited in Tuscany is when we were "lost".
Enjoy

Drive. For all the drive reasons stated. Only bad thing that can happen is you may get lost.

Have to jump in on this one. Italy, unfortunately, is dotted with ZTL regions. You are prohibited from driving into them (sometimes exceptions are allowed if you are staying at a hotel in the zone). They exist in large cities and the smallest of towns and while there is a sign marking the zone it can be easy to miss. The fines can be 100E or more each ocurrence.

See more on how to identify the zones at https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/how-to-avoid-driving-into-historic-areas-in-italy-and-europe-in-general

I don't say this to scare you, and in fact I recommend driving in rural areas such as Tuscany, Umbria, the Adriatic coast side. We have taken the train in the Tuscan region on different trips, which is doable but more limiting. Your schedule becomes the train's schedule and they may have stops hours apart at smaller cities and hilltowns (for the latter there usually is a bus to the top; but just because its at the train station doesn't mean it goes to the top; it might be going to small rural towns).

A previous poster mentioned taking buses between towns; they are braver than me, or perhaps conversant in Italian. The bus system is geared to locals, not tourists. So they run more often at times kids need to get to school, adults to work, etc. I was trying to figure out some routes in Tuscany once using their online .pdf schedule (in Italian, of course); a friend who actually is Italian admitted he was puzzled by all the small letters on routes marking exceptions, holiday diversions, etc. If you speak Italian you can ask the driver or in larger towns at the staffed bus terminal, but don't count on anyone in the local bus industry speaking English.

I am a car advocate because I want to see the countryside and have the flexibility that it allows. I want the roadside picnics, the little side road that leads???, the stop to take pictures while the sun sets over the sunflower field (I am a photographer). Just do heed the warnings about watching the signage and plan to see the bigger cities by train. I circled Sienna on 3 separate trips to Italy in my car and never could figure out where to park.... finally on the 4th trip I stayed in Florence and took the train to spend the day there... So, not all is perfect with a car, but I am always ok with the trade offs. I really dislike train schedules and really like being on my own schedule! I have most of my best memories finding the unexpected little village off the beaten path that not too many people visit...

Thank you once again everyone, for weighing in on this subject. What I love about having my own schedule is to go and stay someplace as long as I want and finding something unexpected etc. I would definitely use the train for day trips while we are in Florence, but considering then to pick up a car in a smaller area that I can train to from Florence,. Is that something that I will be able to find outside of Florence, so I don't have to drive out of a city?

Thanks,
thequeen

You do not have to drive in Florence if you pick up at the airport. You just follow signs and get right on the freeway. I have done it a number of times and just am very aware of the signage as the wrong turn into the city can be expensive... but it is very well marked. There are just more rental options at the airport and it is easy to return there as well.

Totally agree with Terry. My 2 months in Italy was by car. Loved every moment ... on MY schedule

If you want to visit the countryside and smaller towns, it's more efficient with a car.
The provincial capitals (Arezzo, Siena, Pistoia, Prato, Lucca, Pisa, to name the six more easily reachable from Florence), are easy to reach by train (Siena can be reached faster by bus than the train). But smaller towns are served less frequently by public transportation and often are not along the train line and buses are not as frequent as trains.

Just follow the advice above on respecting the traffic rules, since the cameras are everywhere.

Become familiar with the European Road signage system (maybe have a color printout of the signs). They are easy to learn self explanatory symbols. No need to learn the language:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_signs_in_Italy

I really appreciate everyone taking the time to offer their help and suggestions!
Jody

So, can I address you as Jody rather than the Queen...:))

Have a great trip... and if you drive and see signs for the village of San Donato take time to stop...
A church, a winery, a few small hotels, And a gorgeous view of the vineyard and Tuscan countryside. And one time when I visited there were a number of people with their easles set up painting the landscape... Like stepping into a movie scene!
Nice place for a picnic.

Yes Terry, I answer to Jody, Queen and a few other nick names..ha!
Thanks everyone for the wonderful suggestions and advice. I want to make this very special for my sister and a trip of a lifetime for the two of us to share. I could easily be plopped down in Italy anywhere and stay forever (of course with husband, children and grandchildren!)
Jody