Driving in Tuscany? from Florence/Livorno cruise port?

The driving time for that loop is something like six hours including a gas stop if you know exactly what you're doing. I have no idea how long it would take to get to a car place, get a car, then turn it in and get back when you're done. There'll be some walking from the parking area to get into the towns and back - - that'd tube another two hours at least. You're used to driving in Italy and know all the rules and quirks, right? For a one-day rental, you might as well use kayak.com and take whatever is cheapest. You also know about the odd-ball insurance coverage for Italy, right?

Ed, thanks for your quick feedback and 6 hours sounds like alot of driving time! This will be our first time driving in Italy, but I have experience driving in England, Germany, Austria, etc. Perhaps we're trying to do too much on one 12-hour port day, but we really want to see Volterra after seeing Rick's video....

Scratching Florence will save you about three hours of logistic time and a lot of pain in the tail. It Also keeps you more off the freeways and more in the hills. I'd do it that way in a heartbeat.

Also, when you bring in Florence you bring in ZTLs that can result in huge fines. If you are interested in Florence, take the train to Florence and you can easily spend a day seeing the city. If you are not interested in Florence, cut it out and focus on Volterra and Gimignano. It also affords you more time at each, and time to enjoy the Tuscan hillside. Since you have driven in Austria and Germany, I'm sure you know about this, but Italy requires the International Drivers Permit, so make sure you have one!

Bear in mind also that renting a car in Italy is rarely a speedy process. It can take the better part of an hour to complete the paperwork (well, computer data entry) and get you on your way.

And you are required to have an International Driving Permit. Personally I would save Florence for another time.

We just did that trip a few years ago and a month ago in France. There was no need for international license, we booked the car through eurocar from the states and picked it up in under 45min. I'd skip Florence for this trip...too much to see and do there. We adored Volterra and San Gimignano. Beautiful drive and easily accessible...quite hilly and possibly a lot of traffic depending on the month and day you'll be driving. Good luck! Also, we were not forced to get the extra insurance so, I may forego it if I were you. Used our US drivers licenses with no problem.

You might want to double-check Peg's experience. France and Italy are different. None of my credit cards will cover insurance for a car rented in Italy. I either choke the extra bucks or rent a car somewhere else and drive it into Italy in order to save money. That's a cold, hard fact for me. What I'm not sure of is the IDP business. I went twenty years or so between having one, but now go through the bother of getting one if Italy's on the horizon. I've never been asked for it (and once gave an Italian cop my concealed weapons permit - - which looks like a driver's license in Florida - - in error, who looked at it and returned it to me without comment). Who knows, but I've gotten nervous.

Given the short time the ship will be in port, I wouldn't suggest a leisurely drive through Tuscany as any "unexpected delays" could mean that you arrive back at the dock to see the ship sailing off into the distance! As the others have mentioned, each driver will also need the compulsory I.D.P. to drive in Italy. Failure to produce an IDP if requested can result in fines on the spot! Have a look at This Website for more detailed information. There are also the dreaded Zona Traffico Limitato areas that are becoming increasingly prevalent in many Italian towns & cities ( especially Florence!). EACH PASS through one of the automated Cameras will result in a €100+ ticket! Especially in some of the more "rural" areas, there's also the possibility of becoming lost, so a GPS along with a good map would be a really good idea. I can appreciate your reluctance to use the somewhat "pricey" Bus tour offered by the cruise line. One option would be to take the train from Livorno to Florence (travel time 1H:22M each way). In addition to touring Florence, you could take the Bus up the hill to Fiesole, which provides some "classic Tuscan" scenery, including olive groves and villas. As I recall, one of the hop on-hop off Red Bus tours covers that route. If you did decide to use the train, you'll need to research the times in both directions and buy reserved tickets for both trips in Livorno. Be sure to allow extra time for travel from the station to the dock. Finally, be sure to check to make sure a "Sciopero" is not scheduled that day! Good luck!