When I think of Tuscany I think of an image like this. Rolling hills, the countryside, and tall dark green cypress trees. One of the most popular destinations in Italy, Tuscany is of course, much more.
Tuscany is made up of ten provinces, including Florence, Arezzo, Grosseto, Livorno, Lucca, Massa Carrara, Pisa, Pistoia, Prato and Siena. Culture, architecture, wines, food, art, and beaches, are just a few reasons Tuscany is on top of so many travelers’ wish lists.
To capture scenes like this you really need a car, so you can leisurely drive through the countryside and stop whenever you want to and admire the scenery and shoot as many photos as you wish on your own timetable. You just cannot achieve photographic scenes like this from a moving train.
I have always booked rental cars in Italy through Auto Europe and would recommend them. They have been doing this for over sixty years and they guarantee your reservation.
Have you driven through Tuscany? Or traveled strictly on public transportation? I’m interested in your feedback. Please leave a comment.
Ciao and Grazie
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Allan L
I have never been to Tuscany, but it’s on my list.
margieinitaly
I’m sure you’ll enjoy Tuscany Allan. Thanks for commenting
karenincalabria
So many beautiful places to visit in Italy. If you want a region off the usual tourist path – try Calabria!
margieinitaly
I need to explore Calabria!!! Have only driven through to take the ferry to Messina
Chris
Hi Margie and others…I’m trying to put together a 14 day driving itinerary out of Venice with no goal and deadlines other than to visit smaller towns. After a week in Venice May 9-14 we will rent a car and go exploring. We want to go west to north of Milan and then south towards Tuscany. We like to stay 2 nights in 1 town then move on to another. Not in a hurry, not on a budget, love to sightsee by car. Any thoughts appreciated even just general ideas and/or suggestions.
Chris in Alabama
margieinitaly
Thank you Chris – Sounds like a great trip – although moving every 2 days can be a bit tiresome..I’d suggest Lake Como and Bergamo..also Carrara and Pistoia in Tuscany..so many places ad so little time. Isn’t that always the dilemma? Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment. Buon viaggio!!
karenincalabria
Beautiful photo! As several other commenters have mentioned, I find driving in Italy daunting, so I do public transportation unless I have a friend who has a car. Most of my time in Tuscany has been in language schools (Florence and Lucca) – quite a few years ago. I took advantage of school excursions that usually used public transportation (bus and train) and I used the system on my own as well, with varying degrees of success (and frustration). I found that it was best to just assume something wasn’t going to work out and then just go with it, whatever happened…
I’ve also used Auto Europe on several occasions, letting my traveling companion take the driver’s seat, and have been happy with the service.
margieinitaly
Thank you Karen. Always good to hear from someone who has traveled through Italy. Great info
Janice Robinson
Its next to impossible to see all of Toscana or any other region without a car…the exception would be train/bike.
margieinitaly
And then it would take at least year to see it all!! Thanks Janice
Andrew Petcher
That is exactly how I always imagine Tuscany!
margieinitaly
Grazie Andrew! I appreciate the compliment, especially from you!! I love your photography
stellalucentellc
Margie, after reading “My Love Affair with Sicily,” I thought to myself – you are so brave to drive in Italy! But I have to agree that is probably the best way to see Tuscany and also Abruzzo. There are so many wonderful little towns hidden among the mountains! I like your recommendation of Auto Europe, and I have written a bit about the benefits of this company in a recent blog “Renting a car and driving in Italy”: http://blog.learntravelitalian.com/2016/01/18/renting-car-driving-italy/ To all Italian travelers: Buon viaggio!
margieinitaly
Thanks Kathryn. I agree with you. And thank you for the link to your article too..great info!!
AmberNoora
Beautiful Pic. At what time of the day you shot this?
margieinitaly
Thank you Amber. I took this photo at 3:30pm in April
bonniegm
We have rented a car during each of our 15 trips. My husband loves to drive in Italy and I am the copilot with the map on my lap. We don’t use a GPS, don’t trust them. LOL! Have driven from one end of Italy to the other and also east to west a number of times. Stopping at an Autogrill is always a must! We also travel by train, Eurostar, Regionali, Freccia Rossa and by autobus.
margieinitaly
Thanks Bonnie. Great that you work as a team when driving in Italy!! Yes the AutoGrill has wonderful food…nothing like rest stop food in the US
imarancher
Wonderful photo eye Margie, just beautiful. . .
margieinitaly
Thank you Bonnie
Francis
We have a cinquecento 1967 vintage to drive around. It’s really fun to drive. Trains too are great when you work out your journey on the trenitalia site. They are also much cheaper than trains in the UK.
margieinitaly
Love the Cinquecento!! So fun! Interesting that the trains are so much less expensive than in the UK. Thanks Francis
Tony
I didn’t drive through Tuscany with a car, but I did through Umbria and it was just as beautiful, with many scenes just like picture you have posted. Umbria definitely is the “green heart” of Italy!
margieinitaly
Tony, you are right about Umbria being beautiful and green. There are so many hilltop towns there that a car would be great…I took trains and buses in Umbria but I’d love to travel there with a car!
Paula
I always envy travellers to Italy who can see all the wonderful small towns by hiring a car. Unfortunately because here in Australia we drive on the other side of the road I would not be confident to do so. I try to research as many small cities to stay from which you can then take day trips to the tinier villages by bus, train or even a local tour. Of course one can always join the wonderful Victoria from Postcardz from Victoria in order to visit many of those more remote destinations. I did however join a wonderful cinque cento driving day tour around the hills behnd Florence which was lots of fun, but I was following a car in front. It gave me a small taste of driving in Italy.
margieinitaly
Paula, I usually travel by public transportation in Italy but there have been times I have driven. The cities are the hardest to navigate in my opinion.
hometoitaly
I attempt to visit new towns/cities on each trip Home to Italy but I only take the train. A terrible bus experience left me with a strong reluctance to the bus. Of course you cant go everywhere via train. But I found an old book on ‘travel in Italy by Train’ and am trying to update chapters on each visit.
margieinitaly
That sounds great and I also do travel mostly by train and bus in Italy..Sicily is an area where I have always traveled by car because there is so much area to cover and the trains don’t go to all the small villages.
hometoitaly
agreed, but first i shall have to learn to buy petrol when the stations are closed!