We will be traveling from Florence to Montepulciano, staying at an Agriturismo for 2 nights. It seems the best way to get there is by renting a car. Where do you recommend we rent a car? Should we drive from Florence or take a train to a Tuscan town and then rent a car? What towns do you recommend we visit over the few days? After our stay we are traveling to Rome. Should we drive all the way to Rome or drive to a town with a train station to drop off the car and take the train into Rome? This is our first Italy trip so we are unfamiliar with driving there.
Posted by
Bay Area
3551 posts
I picked up my rental car in Siena then saw lots of Tuscany and umbria. Then drove to Hadrians. Villa just outside of Rome and airport. But cornsure return car before u ger back to Rome.
Assisi in Umbria and Orvieto, San Gimignano, Montepulciano, Pienza , Siena in Tusany are wonderul villages to visit.
Posted by
Monterey County, CA (formerly Verbania Italy-Lago Maggiore)
1626 posts
Or you could take train to Chiusi, very close to Montelpulciano, explore Tuscany and drop in Orvieto and take train to Rome.
Look at both Kemel and Auto Europe for options.
Posted by
lexington, il
4105 posts
Driving in Tuscany is very easy as long as you're familiar with the rules of the road. Take a little time to read this and download their e book.
https://www.italybeyondtheobvious.com/dont-mess-with-ztl-zones
Pick up in either Florence, or Siena if it's on your list. From either location make sure they give you explicit directions for leaving their location.
Driving from Florence you could stop in a few of these towns ( Greve, Panzano, Radda, Gaioli) on the way to Montepulciano.
Posted by
313 posts
Karen is right...
We did your trip but in reverse - took the train to Chiusi from Rome, rented a car for our time in Tuscany/Umbria, and then took the train to Florence and Venice. It was easy-peasy. In short, take th train to Chiusi and then take the train to Rome.
Driving in Tuscany/Umbria was a snap. Enjoy the backroads. GPS on the phone is worth it, but you can pay $10+ per day for GPS with the rental car.
If you're like us, you'll enjoy Montepulciano, as well as the other wonderful towns -- Sienna, Assisi, and so on, all covered well by Rick's guidebook.
Posted by
lexington, il
4105 posts
If you're going to need an automatic transmission, the only place you'll probably find one will be at the Florence airport. Easy to reach via the new tram, or taxi. If you don't need an automatic, rent in Florence.
I don't see the purpose of taking a 2 hour train ride to Chiusi in order to pick up a car. When you can have a beautiful drive thru the Tuscan Hills It would however be a good drop location to take the train to Rome. Orvieto would be good only if you rented from Hertz, the only supplier in Orvieto.
Posted by
Media, PA
37 posts
We are also planning to drive from Florence to Montepulciano this June. After researching here and elsewhere, I rented a car from Autoeurope (Hertz) at their location on Via Borgo Ognissanti - - we're also first time drivers there. I've read some conflicting reports on how easy it will be to drive from that location, and whether we'll have any issues with the ZTL exiting the city. . . But I'm an optimist, so am hoping for the best. If all goes as planned, this location will save time and travel costs compared to renting from the Airport or any other location outside Florence. After Montepulciano, we will drop the car at Hertz's Orvieto Rail Station location and take the train to Rome. Sounds like we have similar plans!
Posted by
OP
Chicago
5 posts
Thank you! That sounds like a great plan. I will do the same. I still have a lot of trip research to do.
Posted by
Media, PA
37 posts
Also -- I just realized (whew) that we are leaving Florence on a Sunday, and Sundays apparently are not ZTL days in Florence. Here is some additional, fairly recent ZTL info: https://www.visitflorence.com/tourist-info/driving-in-florence-ztl-zone.html
Happy planning!