Hlitner, Eurocruiser, et al...Advice re: post cruise stay in Tuscany.

[h-sar]

We are considering a 5 day post cruise stay next summer in a B and B just outside of San Gimignano. I was there with a group of my Jr high students two years ago for a couple of hours and fell in love with the town. I'm hoping to rent a car (have never done so in Europe) and do some day trips to SG, Siena, Florence...

 

Are there any other suggestions for day or half day trips in that region?

Advice re: car rental? Ease of adaptability to Italian driving conditions? (I consider myself a pretty experienced and hard to ruffle driver, but have no experience outside of Can/US - I have spent many holidays driving in the heart of San Francisco, San Diego, LA, Vegas if that's any measure.)

 

Note that it'll just be 17 yo DD and myself as DH and DS will not be able to join us. We were in Pisa and Pompeii two summers ago on a family Med cruise and so probably won't hit those sites again.

 

Thinking about 2.5-3 weeks total in Italy, with 5 days in Tuscany.

 

Plan would be to fly from Canada into Venice for 3 nights, train to Florence, leave bags if there's a secure place for such a purpose, sightsee in Florence for the day, rent a car, drive to B and B near SG, spend 5 days in that region, back to Florence, drop off car, do a day trip to Cinque Terre if possible, back to Florence, take train to Rome for 5-6 days, train over to Naples and find a way to Positano to a hotel (suggestions for mode of travel from Naples to Positano??), 3 nights there, train back to Rome from Naples and fly home out of Rome (or maybe even fly from Naples if doable - we're also considering the possibility of a week in London before returning to Canada).

 

Don't be shy about letting me know if you see any flaws with my plan. Any and all suggestions and advice from everyone with prior firsthand experience would be greatly appreciated. Thanks :)

Edited July 21, 2016 by h-sar

[bobalink]

You are certainly asking the right people for advice. Along with cruisemom42, they all helped me plan a trip to Tuscany a few years ago. We stayed in an agriturismo in Montepulciano. We visited many of the surrounding towns and it was better than I ever could imagine.

 

I would like to suggest a website for you, Slow Travel Italy. You will learn about driving in Italy, how to avoid ZTL (zona traffico limitado) limited traffic zones, driving on the Autostrada, etc. How to read the road signs and lots of useful information.

Here is a link to the website: http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/driving/index.htm

 

Another tip, if you want an automatic transmission vehicle, you need to reserve it in advance.

 

I thought driving in Italy was pretty easy, especially the back roads in the Tuscan hill towns. Driving on the Autostrada was okay, just remember they drive fast and never use turn signals. Ever. Be prepared with the right denominations of euros, coins, etc. for the tolls.

 

The "experts" will tell you if your itinerary makes sense.

 

Have a wonderful time!

[kuldalai]

We are considering a 5 day post cruise stay next summer in a B and B just outside of San Gimignano. I was there with a group of my Jr high students two years ago for a couple of hours and fell in love with the town. I'm hoping to rent a car (have never done so in Europe) and do some day trips to SG, Siena, Florence...

 

Are there any other suggestions for day or half day trips in that region?

Advice re: car rental? Ease of adaptability to Italian driving conditions? (I consider myself a pretty experienced and hard to ruffle driver, but have no experience outside of Can/US - I have spent many holidays driving in the heart of San Francisco, San Diego, LA, Vegas if that's any measure.)

 

Note that it'll just be 17 yo DD and myself as DH and DS will not be able to join us. We were in Pisa and Pompeii two summers ago on a family Med cruise and so probably won't hit those sites again.

 

Thinking about 2.5-3 weeks total in Italy, with 5 days in Tuscany.

 

Plan would be to fly from Canada into Venice for 3 nights, train to Florence, leave bags if there's a secure place for such a purpose, sightsee in Florence for the day, rent a car, drive to B and B near SG, spend 5 days in that region, back to Florence, drop off car, do a day trip to Cinque Terre if possible, back to Florence, take train to Rome for 5-6 days, train over to Naples and find a way to Positano to a hotel (suggestions for mode of travel from Naples to Positano??), 3 nights there, train back to Rome from Naples and fly home out of Rome (or maybe even fly from Naples if doable - we're also considering the possibility of a week in London before returning to Canada).

 

Don't be shy about letting me know if you see any flaws with my plan. Any and all suggestions and advice from everyone with prior firsthand experience would be greatly appreciated. Thanks :)

 

In Firenze you can check bags in the LEFT Luggage Office at Firenze SMN station .

 

Firenze to the Cinque Terre is a long day . Better to train it Firenze, Pisa to La Spezia . Stay overnight at Hotel Firenze and Continental opposite station . Frequent trains from La Spezia to the 5 villages of the CT . Allow a full day ex La Spezia for CT. Takes around 2.5 hours Firenze SMN to La Spezia Centrale by train each way.

 

Best way to get from Napoli to Positano is by SITA direct bus . You can also do it by Circumvusia Railway between Napoli and Sorrento then SITA bus. But train is the pits and known by locals as pickpocket express .

 

Save time ditch car in Firenze (THEna ll trainw ith no backtracking) then Firenze (Hotel La Residenza) , La Spezia (Hotel Firenze & Continental) (for CT). Then take train down coast via Pisa (Hotel Bologna) and Civitavecchia to Roma (HOTel Campo de Fiori) . Do your time in Roma then train to Napoli. Then Sita bus to Amalfi Coast .

Edited July 21, 2016 by kuldalai

[TMLAalum]

We are considering a 5 day post cruise stay next summer in a B and B just outside of San Gimignano. I was there with a group of my Jr high students two years ago for a couple of hours and fell in love with the town. I'm hoping to rent a car (have never done so in Europe) and do some day trips to SG, Siena, Florence...

 

Thinking about 2.5-3 weeks total in Italy, with 5 days in Tuscany.

 

I don't know what b&b you are planning on staying at, but we had a very poor experience in one located just outside San Gimignano, which I chose based upon glowing reviews on Trip Advisor. I believe it was Casa di Sovestro.

 

We rented a car, picking up & dropping off from Florence airport. and explored Volterra & Siena from S. G.where we spent 3 nights. We also stayed 2 nights near Lucca. We stayed in Florence without the rental car. Just be wary of the zones that are prohibited for traffic- fines for entering them are stiff and you will be tracked down back to the US.

[euro cruiser]

Most of the driving you'll do will be either low traffic rural roads or highways that look pretty much like those at home. The hardest thing for me to get used to driving in Italy is the different way they use signs. I started driving there before we had GPS units so I learned to love my Touring Club Italia atlas and learning the names of the towns I needed to drive through on my route. I still recommend having a good map even with a GPS as they are not perfect. Here at home I frequently override the route that mine suggests because I know that the route the GPS deems most efficient really is not, so I like to be able to double check.

 

As for your plan, I would consider some alterations.

 

First, driving out of Florence is tricky as there is only one route that doesn't go through a ZTL and lots of people make a wrong turn and ... bang goes a few hundred euro.

 

I would change trains in Florence and take a regional train to Montecatini Terme and rent your car there. There is a Europcar office a few steps from the Montecatini Terme-Monsummano station, from there to San Gimignano is a straight shot on regional roads (not the autostrada via Florence, which the GPS may suggest because it thinks it would be faster, which would be true if there were no other cars but ...). I think this would be a far more comfortable way to ease into driving in Italy rather than the route from Florence.

 

Check rental prices with autoeurope.com and kemwel.com, although it's counterintuitive I've generally found their total cost (including all fees, insurance, etc.) lower than renting direct from the suppliers. If you choose downtown/train station Montecatini Terme as your pick up it will default to the Europcar office right there.

[euro cruiser]

My next question would be "how important is Cinque Terre" for this trip? It's really out of the way, by car or by train. Is it absolutely critical? As you have it laid out would be really cumbersome and not leave you much time there at all (it's 2-3 hours each way from Florence).

 

Driving from San Gimignano would be three hours each way as well, so not much improvement there.

 

You could drive to Pisa Centrale (two hours, by the time you park and get into the station) and take a Frecce train from there but your total travel time will still be three hours, each way.

[h-sar]

You are certainly asking the right people for advice. Along with cruisemom42, they all helped me plan a trip to Tuscany a few years ago. We stayed in an agriturismo in Montepulciano. We visited many of the surrounding towns and it was better than I ever could imagine.

 

I would like to suggest a website for you, Slow Travel Italy. You will learn about driving in Italy, how to avoid ZTL (zona traffico limitado) limited traffic zones, driving on the Autostrada, etc. How to read the road signs and lots of useful information.

Here is a link to the website: http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/driving/index.htm

 

Another tip, if you want an automatic transmission vehicle, you need to reserve it in advance.

 

I thought driving in Italy was pretty easy, especially the back roads in the Tuscan hill towns. Driving on the Autostrada was okay, just remember they drive fast and never use turn signals. Ever. Be prepared with the right denominations of euros, coins, etc. for the tolls.

 

The "experts" will tell you if your itinerary makes sense.

 

Have a wonderful time!

 

Thank you for the great website and I will definitely make note of booking well in advance an auto transmission vehicle.

[h-sar]

Thank you TMLAalum, euro cruiser, and kuldalai for your great advice as well. I knew that I could count on the CC community as always! :)

 

Euro cruiser, CT isn't a deal breaker by any means. I think it might even be a matter of "I SHOULD do CT while I'm there, rather than I have a burning desire to do it." So, given the logistics, perhaps might be something to drop from the itinerary.

[euro cruiser]

A couple of more thoughts about driving - although it's counterintuitive, for me anyway, I've found that renting a car through the consolidators (autoeurope.com or kemwel.com) is usually less expensive with better insurance coverage than renting directly from the suppliers.

 

Once you have your itinerary more firmly set we can help you estimate your autostrada tolls. They can be significant (more than the Jersey Turnpike or the Parkway, for sure) and credit cards that are not chip and pin will not work so you'll need cash.

[h-sar]

Anyone have any other suggestions for day trips or half day trips with San Gimignano being a base for about 5 days? The B and B I'm considering is Il Vicario. Will definitely be looking into a winery/lunch tour if anyone has recommendations for that as well. I do not drink at all, but would not be adverse to tasting the wine. However, I have always wanted to learn more about the process of making wine and am hoping there might be opportunities as well to learn about and sample olive oil.

 

If I should wish to go back to Florence during our stay, would parking the car somewhere just outside of Florence and then taking public transportation in and out be advisable? Thank you.

Edited July 21, 2016 by h-sar

[h-sar]

A couple of more thoughts about driving - although it's counterintuitive, for me anyway, I've found that renting a car through the consolidators (autoeurope.com or kemwel.com) is usually less expensive with better insurance coverage than renting directly from the suppliers.

 

Once you have your itinerary more firmly set we can help you estimate your autostrada tolls. They can be significant (more than the Jersey Turnpike or the Parkway, for sure) and credit cards that are not chip and pin will not work so you'll need cash.

 

That would be fantastic! Any and all information is greatly appreciated.

 

I have always admired the knowledgable and well thought out advice you dispense here. I feel like I will be in very good hands with the likes of you and others watching out for me while I plan this great adventure for myself and my daughter. Thank you.

[h-sar]

Just realized I left out a key piece...we will most likely be doing a 7 day cruise out of and back to Venice which includes Greek ports and Croatia (prior to leaving for Florence.) For the most part, they're ports I've done before, so am far more concerned/excited about getting the post-cruise itinerary planned.

[euro cruiser]

Volterra is nice, and close. Also, if you haven't been to Siena it's spectacular and will take an entire day. You could travel the Chianti wine trail, a beautiful drive and a full day if you stop and sample the goods along the way.

 

Ask away, we're happy to help.

[marazul]

Maps, tolls, etc -

 

The best website to plan your driving, even if you have a GPS, is viamichelin.com. You can enter the type of car you are driving and the type of fuel it uses. It will give you the toll charges for your trip and estimated fuel consumption. It will show you what the road signs look like at each turn and speed limits. It will also describe road characteristics, such as "a series of bends for the next 2 km", etc. It will show points of interest, hotels, restaurants, etc.

 

For example, this is the detailed route from San Gimignano to Monterosso-al-Mare in CT.

 

http://www.viamichelin.com/web/Routes?departure=San%20Gimignano&arrival=19016%20Monterosso%20al%20Mare&index=0&vehicle=0&type=0&distance=km&currency=EUR&avoidClosedRoad=false&motorway=false&toll=false&vignette=false&orc=false&crossing=true&caravan=false&car=hatchback&fuel=petrol&fuelCost=1.36&allowance=0&corridor=&departureDate=&arrivalDate=

Edited July 21, 2016 by marazul

[h-sar]

Maps, tolls, etc -

 

The best website to plan your driving, even if you have a GPS, is viamichelin.com. You can enter the type of car you are driving and the type of fuel it uses. It will give you the toll charges for your trip and estimated fuel consumption. It will show you what the road signs look like at each turn and speed limits. It will also describe road characteristics, such as "a series of bends for the next 2 km", etc. It will show points of interest, hotels, restaurants, etc.

 

For example, this is the detailed route from San Gimignano to Monterosso-al-Mare in CT.

 

http://www.viamichelin.com/web/Routes?departure=San%20Gimignano&arrival=19016%20Monterosso%20al%20Mare&index=0&vehicle=0&type=0&distance=km&currency=EUR&avoidClosedRoad=false&motorway=false&toll=false&vignette=false&orc=false&crossing=true&caravan=false&car=hatchback&fuel=petrol&fuelCost=1.36&allowance=0&corridor=&departureDate=&arrivalDate=

 

That's fantastic! Thank you

[mom4mom]

Thank you, bobolink and marazul, for your links to such helpful information. We have rented a villa for a 5 day pre-cruise stay in Montepulciano. We're looking forward to exploring Tuscany. We've never rented a car in Italy before so I believe these 2 links will help us tremendously. I already see that we will need to leave the villa much earlier in order to get the car back in Civitavecchia.

[maryann ns]

We have driven in Italy many times and had no problems. We were given great advice by a native lady. All the motor scooters and fast small cars are like bees buzzing around you. Just keep a steady pace, ignore their buzzing and let them do their thing.

 

You will love Tuscany.

[h-sar]

We have driven in Italy many times and had no problems. We were given great advice by a native lady. All the motor scooters and fast small cars are like bees buzzing around you. Just keep a steady pace, ignore their buzzing and let them do their thing.

 

You will love Tuscany.

 

Good advice! So looking forward to an extended land holiday there.

[bobalink]

Thank you, bobolink and marazul, for your links to such helpful information. We have rented a villa for a 5 day pre-cruise stay in Montepulciano. We're looking forward to exploring Tuscany. We've never rented a car in Italy before so I believe these 2 links will help us tremendously. I already see that we will need to leave the villa much earlier in order to get the car back in Civitavecchia.

 

Glad you found the link helpful.

 

I wanted to mention that when we stayed in Montepulciano, we first were in Rome.

 

From Rome, we took the train to Chiusi, where we picked up our car rental, walking distance from the train station. (We used autoeurope.com)

 

Then, we drove to Montepulciano, which was only about a 25 minute drive. Montepulciano is charming!

 

We used our villa in Montepulciano as a base for several day trips to other Tuscan hill towns. We visited several vineyards, one of the most memorable was in Greve in Chianti.

 

Bobbie

[h-sar]

Bobbie, do you remember the name of the Greve vineyard?

Edited July 23, 2016 by h-sar

[bobalink]

Bobbie, do you remember the name of the Greve vineyard?

 

If I remember correctly, it was Castello di Verrazzano. (I loaned my travel folder with all my notes to a friend who is planning a trip to Italy.)

 

I just looked at it on Trip Advisor, and the photos and description look like where we visited.

 

Besides all of the excellent recommendations you get here from Cruise Critic members, Trip Advisor is usually a good resource, as well.

 

Here is a link:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g580240-d195906-Reviews-Castello_di_Verrazzano-Greve_in_Chianti_Tuscany.html

 

We actually "stumbled" on some wineries just by driving through Greve in Chianti. No advance planning.

 

I am not a connoisseur by any means, but I know Montalcino (for Brunello wine) is known for very good wines. We just had fun driving through the different hill towns and seeing the vineyards.

 

Bobbie

[gadaboutgal]

My dh and I have driven throughout Italy several times, and I am currently in a 3 week road trip with daughter and teen grandchildren so could add some additional thoughts: I would keep the car after San Gimignano for an additional day or so and continue up to CQ for an afternoon, spend the night somewhere near there or near Lucca then drive on to Florence to catch your train south. Having been both places several times, I recommend CQ over Positano and the Amalfi coast.

It is possible to rent a car at Termini Station and make a quick exit out of Rome and south to Naples, which is what we just did on our way to a stopover in Pompei Scavi. You do not need to drop a car off where you picked it up; we started off in Rome after a cruise, went south 2 hours to Naples for a day, then 4 hour drive north to San Gimignano, stopping in Multepulciano for one night.

And lastly, I suggest a full day for nothing planned every four days or so--you will find it exhausting if you go full tilt for your trip-and you may just find additional activities/sights to experience that you did not plan for. But above all have fun!

[h-sar]

Thanks, Bobbie. Coincidentally, I was on TripAdvisor prior to posting my question about Greve this morning and Verrazzano was the one that appealed to me most in that region! As someone who does not drink at all (really can't stand the taste of alcohol - wine and beer included), I still rate a wine tour as one of the top 5 things I want to complete on this trip. My desire is more about the atmosphere, history/culture of wine, the food served with the wine tasting, and the natural beauty of the region. Hope my disinterest in actually tasting the wine won't lessen the experience in anyway. Having said that, I read about their balsamic wine and coming from a family that always has good balsamic vinegar and olive oil in the dining table, I'm intrigued enough by it to want to bring some home to friends - and maybe even try a taste!

[h-sar]

My dh and I have driven throughout Italy several times, and I am currently in a 3 week road trip with daughter and teen grandchildren so could add some additional thoughts: I would keep the car after San Gimignano for an additional day or so and continue up to CQ for an afternoon, spend the night somewhere near there or near Lucca then drive on to Florence to catch your train south. Having been both places several times, I recommend CQ over Positano and the Amalfi coast.

It is possible to rent a car at Termini Station and make a quick exit out of Rome and south to Naples, which is what we just did on our way to a stopover in Pompei Scavi. You do not need to drop a car off where you picked it up; we started off in Rome after a cruise, went south 2 hours to Naples for a day, then 4 hour drive north to San Gimignano, stopping in Multepulciano for one night.

And lastly, I suggest a full day for nothing planned every four days or so--you will find it exhausting if you go full tilt for your trip-and you may just find additional activities/sights to experience that you did not plan for. But above all have fun!

 

Thank you for the advice and information! You are doing exactly what I hope to be doing a year from now :) How lucky are your grandchildren?! What a great educational experience they're getting. If you run across any great little towns, hotels, restaurants, sites, interesting shops, further info about car rentals, etc in your travels, please feel free to post it to this thread. I would love all the first hand experience from travelers such as yourself.

[iancal]

Our practice in Italy is to do multiple 7 day rentals, always one way. We will rent a car when we leave Florence, tour Tuscany or Umbria, and the drop it off. Then we will spend time in another city, and rent again as we are leaving. In between we will use rail where it makes sense.

 

We very much like agritourisms. There are many of them with varying types of amenities. We have a ten year old GPS that we take to Europe. It has saved our marriage. Plus a good map. We have had lots of great drives simply by getting lost.

 

One difference you will find is that in Tuscany and Umbria there are many unmanned gas stations. You simply deposit the money and take your fuel. You also need to be aware of the speed zone cameras-especially around Florence environs.