A friend of mine is going to Florence/Tuscany for a week in November and is taking her mother, who is a bit nervous about renting a car and driving around in unfamiliar (foreign) territory. I think she’s just a bit of a nervous passenger is all.
Anyway, to ease her mind, I wondered if anybody can share their driving experiences in Italy but more importantly share their travel recommendations (sights, accomodations, points of interest) in this part of Italy.
Thanks all.
I was in Florence for four days, 2 weeks ago. It’s friggin’ gorgeous!
If you’re going to be spending a lot of time in the countryside, a car would be a good idea. If cities are the main goal, then skip the car and use the trains. They’re fine. And whilst Florence is fairly quiet as far as Italian cities go, traffic there could still be a bit unnerving for an American, provided they don’t drive in LA or NYC themselves. 
Italian drivers can be a tad… assertive, shall we say. Personally I’ve found it safer to go with the flow and drive like a madman myself (I’m fairly laid back normally), but your friend’s mother might not like that idea.
I don’t know a lot about Tuscany, only about Florence itself. Be sure to visit the Dome Church (climb to the top if you can, it’s worth it, though not for the faint of heart - literally), the Baptism Church, the Ponte Vecchio (touristy, but charming), and whatever you do, do NOT skip the Santa Croce church. In it, the graves of Machiavelli, Galilei, Michelangelo, as well as a tribute to Dante. It’s gorgeous.
And EAT, dammit, EAT. Man, Italian food is good. 
Drink too. You can’t go wrong with Italian wine, liqueurs, coffees, and the better beers.
As for driving, don’t worry about it. Just because Italians drive like nutcases doesn’t mean you have to.
How long are they going for ? Where is their base ?
Florence has enough to keep you occupied for a few days before your eyes need a break from fine art; Bologna (my favourite Italian city and in my worldwide top 10) is a short easy train ride away (fewer tourists, better food and cheaper !). However some places (Sienna, St. Gimignano) would need a car to get to.
Driving in Italy isn’t half as bad as people make out, true to the steroetype it does get more erratic as you move south but Tuscany (aka Chianti-shire) isn’t too bad. In built up areas let the scooters look after themselves if they think they can get through the gap they probably can. Hooting/shouting is rarely agressive, it’s all part of the fun. As coldfire hinted the trick is essentially to choose your line and stick to it.
Watch out for roundabouts/traffic circles as the prioity rule is not always the same. Originally cars joining the roundabout had priority, so once on the roundabout you could be expected to stop and give way. This has been scrapped at the larger roundabouts where traffic joining the roundabout has to give way. Look out for the white ‘stop’ line in the road, or not. IIRC traffic lights are odd too in that they go straight from red to green without a warning amber - the cars behind always have a sixth sense when this is going to happen and give you a friendly hoot to help get you moving.
Oh, I’m huge advocate of driving like a nutcase whenever the opportunity presents itself… but the wimmins… they get a bit faint of heart.
Don’t forget the Duomo Museum, behind the church. In it you will find one of my top three sculptures of all time, a carved wood Mary Magdalene at the end of her life. Pay close attention to her feet as they seem to cling to the ground. Magnificent.
And the Prisoners sculptures that line the hallway to the David (Accademie)
are more impressive than the David, IMHO.
Eat! Eat! Eat!
The best gelato in Italy is just down from the Ponte Vecchio.
That’s true. But I lived in Sicily, and you can’t go much further south than that.
You could spend much more than a week in Florence without seeing everything you want to see, and there are plenty of bus trips available to Pisa and Sienna. Given the time frame, were it me, my plan would be not to have a car. After staying in Florence for six weeks a few summers ago, I’d never trust myself behind the wheel there.
–Cliffy
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Florence is beautiful. In fact, I just switched my background earlier this evening to a shot I took on the Ponte Vecchio last Christmas. (This is the photo, btw.)
I have never driven in Florence, but I live in Germany, and have driven all over Germany (obviously), France, Austria, etc…and while I noticed that the Italian drivers are pushier than those further north, it appeared from the pedistrian point of view to be similar to driving in Paris, which is a bit harried, but not overwhelming.
Tips: Of course, see the David in the Accademia, go to the Duomo, there are some great art museums (Uffizi Gallery, Bargello), with paintings and sculpture by so many of the Renaissance masters. A little known, but amazingly interesting place is the Science Museum near the Uffizi, which has a fantastic collection of old scientific instruments, including several of Galileo’s telescopes and even his finger! The Pitti Palace is worth a look as well.
It’s just a fantastic place to be. Walk around the city at dusk/night, and it’s just amazing. The Ponte Vecchio and the views on the Arno at night are beautiful. I still prefer Rome to Florence, but I’m a history buff, and Rome and Athens sit at the top of my ‘best visited places’ list because of that reason, but Florence is near the top. Wish I could get back to Italy before I leave Europe, but it probably isn’t going to happen. 
Thank you everyone…
So I’m reading that if the time is limited to Florence, then a car is simply not necessary. But for day trips outside the city to the smaller towns, a car is a good and not too crazy way to travel. Major destinations like Pisa and Sienna can be reached by tout bus.
Yes?
Any special car trips that anybody can recommend?
Yeah, except you can also get buses to other Tuscan spots (Cinqe Terra, San Giminiano), although that might take more schedule-shuffling than Pisa or Sienna.
Oh, Jman reminded me – the best piece of advice you friend will ever get about visitng Florence – go see Michelangelo’s David your first or second tourist day. Because you’ll want to go back, and if you see it late, you won’t have time.
–Cliffy