Written by UnFluencer, Riley Chervinski
I’ve always loved the idea of a slow, winding road trip through the Italian countryside with plenty of time to stop for fresh pasta, medieval villages, and wineries atop rolling vineyards. But when I pictured myself driving in Tuscany for the first time, I was terrified.
For many of us, the idea of driving in a foreign country can feel overwhelming—how will we know the traffic rules? What if we get lost? What if we accidentally drive into a restricted zone and rack up hundreds of euros in fines?
But after spending a week driving around Tuscany as part of our 8-day Tuscany Food & Wine Tour with UnTours, I can now confidently say that driving in Tuscany is very manageable—and actually pretty fun! Especially with the support of UnTours.
It ended up being one of our favorite parts of the trip, and we’ve recommended it to everyone since coming home. There’s just no beating the freedom and flexibility of having your own car, especially in a beautiful place like Tuscany.
This article covers everything we learned about driving in Tuscany on our Food & Wine Tour with UnTours, from road rules to parking to navigating ZTL zones (more on that below!), and how our UnTour guide Tracy helped us navigate it all.
If you’re planning on booking with UnTours but feel unsure about the car rental, I hope this helps take some of the guesswork out of it for you!
Renting a Car in Italy With UnTours
We visited Italy in May 2025 as part of the Tuscany Food & Wine UnTour, which includes a rental car and a stay in a beautiful farmhouse apartment in the countryside. UnTours arranged everything for us in advance, and we picked up our car in Siena after landing in Florence (we were driven to Siena from the airport in a small shuttle bus by the friendliest driver!).
Each UnTour includes a local host who welcomes you on arrival, walks you through your itinerary, and helps you with logistics throughout your stay. Tracy, our host, was the absolute best kind of resource—she was so friendly and organized, and full of interesting stories of the area.
When we first met her at the airport, Tracy had an info packet ready for us with local tips, recommendations, maps, and practical driving advice, including toll booth tips, parking info, and reminders about ZTL zones. The guide also included a translated copy of Italy’s car accident report form (the original is in Italian), which we thankfully didn’t need to use, but it was super useful to have with us!
Tracy also warned us ahead of time about which fees the car rental agency might try to sneak in (like upselling us on extra insurance or a bigger car). We really appreciated this as it was our first time renting a car in Europe, and we were worried about feeling pressured or getting confused at the counter.
One thing to note: Most rental cars in Italy are manual by default. You can request an automatic, but availability is limited and the automatic cars are usually larger in size, which can be tricky to manuever on some smaller streets or into tight parking spots.
That being said, one couple on our trip had an automatic vehicle and they loved it—they said it was super roomy and easy to drive. We chose a smaller manual car and loved that too. It was easy to park, great on gas, and perfect for navigating narrow country roads. If you’re comfortable driving stick, it definitely gives you more options and keeps costs down.
Do you need an International Driver’s Permit to drive in Italy?
To drive in Italy, you’ll need an International Driver’s Permit (IDP). In Canada, we got ours through CAA. It cost us $30 (though it varies from province to province), took about 10 minutes, and is valid for one year. If you’re in the U.S., you can get one through AAA. It’s a pretty simple process, just don’t forget to pack it along with your regular driver’s license.
An IDP is a requirement, and rental agencies might ask for it, so make sure to get it before you go.
Be Aware of ZTL
The ZTL is probably the most confusing thing for first-time drivers in Italy. ZTL stands for Zona a Traffico Limitato, or Limited Traffic Zone. These are restricted areas, usually in historic town centers or bigger cities, where only locals or permit holders are allowed to drive during certain hours.
There’s no gate or guard, just a sign, and if you accidentally drive through one, a camera will log your license plate and send a fine to your rental company weeks (or even months!) later. We heard of some people getting multiple tickets for entering more than once, even briefly.
Tracy gave us a simple rule to remember: Red = don’t drive through. Green = you’re good to go.
We avoided any issues by playing it safe and parking outside ZTL zones (like parking in a paid parkade when we visited Siena) or driving through only when the zone was inactive. It’s very manageable once you know what to look for.
Road Rules in Italy
If you’re used to driving in Canada or the U.S., most things about driving in Italy will feel familiar:
- You drive on the right side of the road
- Speed limits are in kilometers per hour
- Roads are well-marked, and signs are pretty easy to follow
- There are very few traffic lights outside of the big cities, most intersections use roundabouts or yield signs
Tracy also gave us a heads-up on a few things that are a little different in Italy:
- Tailgating is normal here. Italians tend to drive close behind and pass quickly. It’s not meant to be aggressive, it’s just how people drive. We got used to this pretty quickly!
- Don’t hug the edge of the road too closely—the ditches can be steep and deep in the countryside.
- If you’re using the toll highways, keep some euros on hand (or a card) to pay at the booths.
Overall, driving in Tuscany was way more relaxing (and scenic) than we expected. The roads are well-paved, and the stretches of rolling green hills, olive groves, vineyards, and cypress trees were so beautiful that it literally felt like we were driving through a painting.
Navigation
Tuscany might look small on the map, but the roads can be very narrow and winding, so even a short drive will take you longer than you expect. That said, we were based in Torrenieri and visited Siena, Florence, Montepulciano, Buonconvento, and Monteriggioni during our UnTours week, and none of them felt far! Just be sure to give yourself a bit of extra time if you’re trying to get somewhere at a specific time.
We used Google Maps to get around the entire time and had zero issues with it. But before the trip, we saved some of our key locations (like parking lots, restaurants, and wineries) onto our offline map and we also used an eSIM for mobile data.
Gas and Mileage
Our small car was incredibly fuel-efficient—even after eight days of driving around Tuscany, we only had to fill up the gas tank once, on our last day. Gas is more expensive in Italy (around €1.85–2.00/litre), but we spent about €60 total. Not bad for visiting so many places!
Parking
We were pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to find parking in the towns we visited.
In Buonconvento, we found free street parking every time. In Montepulciano, we waited five minutes for a spot in the main lot. The famous castle walls of Monteriggioni had a large (paid) parking lot, and Siena had a huge underground garage right near the city center that was easy to navigate with plenty of open stalls. Most paid parking spots were €1–2/hour or free outside tourist zones.
Tip: When you’re street parking, look for blue lines (paid), white lines (free), and avoid yellow (reserved). But always read the signs, as sometimes these spots have time limits or required passes.
UnTours in Tuscany
If you’re dreaming of visiting Tuscany, renting a car is one of the best ways to experience it, especially with UnTours handling the tricky parts. What seemed intimidating at first quickly became one of the most rewarding parts of our trip. We could pop into the next town for a morning cappuccino, head to dinner when we actually felt hungry (not only when the tour schedule allowed), or pull over at any overlook that caught our eye. One night, we even watched a herd of wild boar crossing the road on our way home.
Experience Tuscany like a local and learn more about UnTours Tuscany Food & Wine UnTour and all of our UnTours in Tuscany.