Around Tuscany

Muahahaha

Gonna be based about 30 minutes outside Florance for four days. We have a hire car and plan to spend one day in Florance and one in Sienna. So wondering if anyone has any tips on what to do with the other two days. I believe the Chianti wine region is in the area, is there a centre to it or is it more so a matter of driving around and stopping off in vineyards ? Also are there any scenic drives in the area that are unmissable? Like I know the area as a whole is scenic but just wondering are there any roads/routes that stand out in particular?

Marcusm

San Gimignano which is just off the main road between Florence and Siena is a must see. It's a hilltop walled city with lots of spires and a UNESCO world heritage site. Greve-in-Chianti is a good market style town with a cntral piazza whch has good food and wine shops. Greve is on the 222 road which is the windy hilly version of the Florence-Siena autostrada. It's very beautiful in places but obviously takes a lot longer between the cities than the autostrada.

If you're into designer shopping, around Leccio there are numerous brand outlets - think of it a a Kildare Village on steroids but with a lot more style. When I first saw it in the late 1990s, it was a cafe and small shop attached to a Gucci factory. Now it's a tourist destination in its own right

Shaque attack

+1 on San Gimignano and Greve-in-Chainti... both lovely spots. We rented a car for about a week around there a few years ago and all the roads we drove on were scenic and lovely. There was a few vineyards outside of Greve on the way to Sienna that you could just drop in on unannounced which is really cool if one of you doesn't mind being a designated driver!

Muahahaha

Thanks for the tips, I'll make sure to check out San Gimignano and Greve-in-Chainti along the way, they sound perfect to fill a couple of days.

davepatr07

Hi there,




Sorry to go slightly off topic but what's it like to drive in Italy? I have been to Italy a few times though used bus and rail to get around. I'd be interested in driving more so in the countryside (Tuscany etc).


Cheers

Shaque attack

We had a punto which was perfect for the countryside. I found it fine. Very windy roads and that but nothing overly taxing. The motorway I thought was a bit narrow for the speeds you can go but they were ok as well.

ardmacha

Rural Tuscany is fine to drive in, although the roads are twisty as the previous post, no great problem for someone who learned to drive in the drumlin belt.

With a car there are loads of small or medium sized places worth an hour or two, e.g. Monteriggioni or Colle di Val d'Elsa between San Gimignano and Siena. Great for stopping off here and there without covering vast distances.

Muahahaha

davepatr07 wrote: »

Hi there,




Sorry to go slightly off topic but what's it like to drive in Italy? I have been to Italy a few times though used bus and rail to get around. I'd be interested in driving more so in the countryside (Tuscany etc).


Cheers

Been driving around Tuscany for the last few days and driving in Italy is generally pretty good. A car is pretty much essential for Tuscany as it would be tricky to see all the best spots just using public transport. Also theres lots of scenic rural areas that would have little or no buses which you would miss without a car.

Driving in Italy isn't all that bad. I concur with the advice given here and will add a few things-

Motorways- when merging onto them beware of very short merging lanes, you got to keep a good eye in your wing mirror and be prepared to make a quick decision on how you're going to merge. What can make it worse is that some roads that lead onto motorways are a large loop before you actually join. This means sometimes you are only doing 60-70kph coming off a long bend and then suddenly you're merging onto the motorway. You have to be ready to either floor it to get up to speed to merge or else hold off if a faster car is coming. Whatever decision you're taking it often needs to be made quick and decisively or you could find yourself running out of road.

Tolls- when beginning onto a motorway you pick up a ticket from any booth marked 'Billeteria', upon exit make sure you get in a lane that accepts coins which is denoted by a sign with coins on it and a hand which indicates the lane has a human working it. Some lanes have automated machines that give change at night. Main thing is not to get into a lane which says 'Telepass' unless you have a Telepass. On the motorways themselves you'll see a lot of trucks, sometimes whole fleets of them. They overtake each other quite a bit so be wary of approaching a truck in the overtaking lane, i had one occasion where one pulled into the overtaking lane just as I was about to begin overtaking him.

Unless overtaking stay out of the overtaking lane. It drives the locals mad, rightly so IMO.

Regards speed Italy can be a bit weird. I've seen sections of road where the limit was 40 or 50kph where 90-100 was drivable in a safe manner. I couldnt understand why the limit dropped and neither could the locals who just ignored it.

Overall I've enjoyed driving in Italy. Driving rural Tuscany is both spectactular and easy, the motorways take a bit more concentration but overall are pretty good.

xalot

+1 on San Gimignano and you'll have a great time in Siena. Be careful driving around Florence (and Siena) as some streets in the centre of each city are one way/ locals only and if you go down them they take a picture of the reg and you get a bill a couple of months later. Trust me, not fun. We had no idea until we got the fine in the post.

Monteriggioni is a lovely little walled town, a bit touristy but the views are amazing, you can walk along the exterior walls, you'd see the whole place in an hour or two.

Arezzo is fabulous too. I actually think San Gimignano is nicer in the evening time as all the tour buses leave around 4 and you have the place almost to yourself, it's magical.