A Day North and South of the Centro: Fiesole, Chianti, and an Evening Arrival
Start where the ZTL cameras don't reach — a Lungarno hotel forecourt or Peretola arrivals — and let the day open outward from there: hill panorama first, vineyard roads at midday, a private estate by evening.
Behind the wheel
- 01
Fiesole terrace, before the heat
Handover happens at the hotel kerb or the airport, never inside the historic centre, so the car is already pointed the right way when you set off. The climb to Fiesole is eight kilometres of narrow bends — a 430i Cabrio or similar convertible reads the road better than anything larger, and the terrace above the Duomo is worth reaching before the tour buses arrive. Fifteen minutes there, then back down before the centre fills in.
- 02
SS222 to Greve and Panzano
From Florence the SS222 runs southeast through Chianti Classico country — Greve first, Panzano further on, forty to sixty kilometres of loops depending on how many vineyard gates you stop at. A GT or convertible suits this stretch; the road rewards a car that can be driven rather than merely steered. Lunch in Panzano, then decide whether the afternoon continues toward Siena or turns back.
- 03
Evening arrival at a private estate
Many Chianti and Siena-area villas host weddings and private events through the season, and a handover timed for late afternoon means the car arrives clean and the driving day ends on a photogenic exit rather than a scramble. For a wedding party or a small corporate gathering, we brief on which vehicle photographs and drives best for that specific approach road — a detail worth settling before the morning of, not during it. Return the car at the hotel or airport the next day; nothing needs to touch the centro storico at all.
About Florence
Where you collect the car depends on how you arrive. Landing at Peretola puts you minutes from the city; landing at Pisa adds a 60–75 minute transfer before you reach a Florence hotel. Either way, we bring the car to you rather than routing you through a rental desk in the historic centre, and we can also deliver kerbside or via valet at Lungarno addresses such as the Lungarno Collection properties, St. Regis or Four Seasons, where narrow one-way streets make timing the actual variable, not availability.
The right car depends on where you're driving, not just how it looks in photos. A convertible or GT suits the climb to Fiesole and the bends of the SS222 through Greve and Panzano; a seven-seat SUV works better for families based near Siena or San Gimignano, where villa stays sit outside the ZTL and driveways favour higher ground clearance; a sedan is the practical choice for flat autostrada runs to Lucca and Pisa or for airport-to-hotel business transfers around Pitti Uomo. Tell us the route and we'll narrow the fleet accordingly, rather than starting from a spec sheet.
Florence's centro storico is camera-enforced, so entering it without authorisation risks a ZTL fine regardless of how the car is booked — this is why handover happens at the airport, the station area, or a suburban hotel instead. If you do need to park near the centre, the underground garages by Santa Maria Novella and Fortezza da Basso are the workable option; street parking in town is scarce and not something we can promise. Decide your handover point and rough itinerary — Chianti loop, Siena and San Gimignano day, or a Lucca–Pisa run — before booking, so the car and the collection point match from the start.