I am flying into Pisa and staying in a villa near Lucca in June with 2 other women. It would probably make the most sense to rent a car, even though none of us are thrilled with the idea of driving in Italy. How is the driving, can we rent a car at the Pisa airport, any recommendations and idea of costs for 1 week would be great. Any advice on special licenses? Are there any other reasonalby priced options for us? Thanks.

You are required by Italian law to have an International Drivers Permit which you can get from AAA in the US.

Go on the Autoeurope site and get a quote for a car and you'll have an idea how much it will cost you. There will be an additional "road tax" of about $2.50 per day that will be charged to your credit card after the rental.

Buy a GOOD map....don't try driving with the rental car map (unless you're looking for plenty of adventure )

Pisa airport is very easy to get into and out of with a rental car (very short walk from terminal door to rental lot). We have always used AutoEurope. The lines always look longer at the Avis/Hertz desks so membership in a premier club might be a good idea if using those rentals.

I would send one person from your group to the rental counter while the others are collecting luggage to get a spot in line. If you are all driving, all will need to present credentials and sign rental form, but it is a pretty speedy exit from the baggage area to the front of the terminal where the counters are so you should all be together by the time the clerk starts asking for additional drivers.

Also easy to get from airport to the main roads (autostrada to Lucca), so should be no fear of dealing with city traffic while getting on your way. Always a treat to be on the way to Lucca and to be able to see the Leaning Tower off in the distance in Pisa.

I suggest putting worries about driving in Italy way down at the bottom of your list. Stay to the right; be assured that Italian drivers really will stop before they go through the intersection stop signs; green signs take you to the autostrada; blue is for secondary roads; lots of towns appear on the signposts, but they go from furthest away (top of the sign) to nearest (bottom).

It wouldn't hurt to look at international road signage so that you understand the street signs if you do drive in the cities.

Here is a link to the SlowTrav.com pages on Driving in Italy, including a link to AutoEurope (car rental), information on navigating (maps/GPS), parking rules, and signage.

Driving in Italy is great!! They are much better drivers than here in the US and adhere to the laws of the road better than our drivers have become.

As Alpinista said, stay to the right... 3 lanes on the Autostrada and you NEED to be in the right lane UNLESS you go to pass a car. Move out and pass the car and move back to the right. That's the law. Also, you MUST have your lights on at all times when you drive.

FYI.. they drive standard shift unless you opt for the higher price and get an automatic.

Not to worry and there's no road rage; no bad tempers... I love it!!

My wife and I went to Italy in Sept. 06 and rented a car for the trip. I was very worried before we left, Don't worry. You will need the international licence, I got one at AAA. We rented a car in Rome and drove out of town to the Autostrada. My wife navagated. And we agreed to be realistic with missing exits and allowing extra time for being lost. We stayed in in Montepulciano for 7 days and hit many hill towns in Tuscany. Get a good map from AAA or your local book store. I think we bought one from Barnes and Nobel for around $12. Get familar with the basic signs of Italy, no parking, closed street, stop, etc.. The Moderator suggested the Driving in Italy link. I studied that information prior to leaving. The Autostrada is nice fast, you don't have to go fast the right lane is available to slow vehicles. The tolls are not bad, however if you miss your exit be prepared to back-track. We did that with some fun conversation on who was at fault. I blamed my wife, she blamed the map. Keep in mind Italy will have signs that say town names rather than road names. Don't hung up on being on the right road. If it says it go's to the town you want it will finally get there. I remember we came to a "Y" in the road with Montepuciano showing right and left. We tried both roads over time and one entered the town on the north side and the other on the south. The round-abouts are fun, just go around until you see the town you are looking for. I can remember going around more than once because we couldn't read all the town names listed on all the signs at every exit. Happy trip.

Where is your Villa? Is it walking distance to the walls?
If so,you don't need a car unless you want to visit some small hill towns.
I agree that you will find driving a snap. Select a driver and navigator,get a good map and wander.
Train to Florence and park outside the walls of Lucca. The rest of your driving will be a snap.

Unlike in the US navigation is by locating the town you are going to and following the signs.
Knowing the hwy number is almost useless.

In other words it not north on the 405 to the 101 then east to LA. It's exit the autostada at
X and head on the hwy to Y.

If you look carefully on the left side of the autostrada there are small signs (much smaller than a stop sign) which indicate distances to nearby towns they are very helpful!
Before I was aware of that we nearly drove to France when we were supposed to be turning towards the Val D' aosta and Cogne. RR

I too enjoyed driving in Italy. I live in the Metro Washington DC and Italian drivers on the autostradi are much better behaved than here. On some of the country roads, I did find that Italian drivers would tailgate if I wasn't moving fast enough for them, but they did not get upset and, when I could, I pulled over and let them pass.

Relax and enjoy yourself!

Also, when you choose the car model, stay as small as you can. Big cars can be really tough to manage in Italy. Parking spaces are often small, city roads can be narrow, and fuel costs twice as much than in the US.

For 3 people plus luggage, a Fiat Punto or a Peugeot 207 will be enough.

Thank you all for the advice and tips. I still don't want to drive, hoping one of the others will. I don't like driving here, let alone a different country! The villa is 4 miles from Lucca, 12 miles from the Pisa airport, 5 miles from Motorway A11 and 4.5 from the railway station. I'm assuming we could get a taxi at the airport. Anyone know apx how much this would be? There are 10-12 staying at the villa with 2 rental cars already, but I think it would be a good idea if the 3 of us also had a car. I just have to convince either my sister or cousin to drive!

Also, consider getting a GPS if you're going to be doing much driving on day trips. It sure does make finding your way around MUCH easier. As Robert said, navigating by road signs is very different in Italy from what we're used to in the US.

- Roz

Italypeg--Really, as others have already said, it won't be as difficult as you anticipate. In 2005, I came over here alone for 10 days to scout for an apartment. I drove with no navigator in both Tuscana and Umbria with absolutely no problem. Before I left home, I printed directions from various places to other places that I might go via Mappy and Mapquest. Then had a good map with me. The signage was good and if I thought I might be confused, I stopped and asked at a gas station. (We women are much more inclined to do that than are our counterparts ).

One thing to know is that there are usually multiple ways to get anwhere so don't panic.

Really, I think you will end up enjoying driving and be glad that you did so. It's fun to do in Toscana!

OK - realizing that getting a car may be our best option. Since the villa we are staying at is outside of Lucca, will we have problems with parking when taking trips into Lucca and other towns?

For myself, I don't mind the highway driving, but hate driving small twisty roads in the mountains or hill towns. My sister and daughter feel opposite to this, so we are perfect traveling companions. If you have a mountain driver in your group, do visit the Garfagnana (great if you don't have to drive the car yourself). ---Marlene

We have never had a problem parking just outside the walls of Lucca or most of the smaller towns. Florence can be diffecult to not only drive in but find parking.

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Florence can be diffecult to not only drive in but find parking.

Don't drive in Florence. If you go, park at either San Ambrogia parking structure or the one on the Oltrarno side at Porto Romano.

There are a number of parking lots outside of Lucca. You don't want to drive into the gates.
Most other small towns have lots right near their entrance.
I agree with not driving into Florence.
The only other towns that I cinsider a "problem" for parking is Siena (I usually park in the street close to the walls) and San Gim. San Gim can be a real hassle trying to find parking depending on what time of day you arrive.

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Florence can be diffecult to ... find parking

When we were there in late March there generally seemed to be parking places free up near San Miniato. The exception was Sunday. San Miniato is a most delightful church, the views are wonderful, the walk down into Florence is most enjoyable, and the walk back up is ... well, good for the soul!

Hugh