Drive from Rome to Florence?

Question

will leave Rome in morning about 9-10, want to get to villa in Chianti (near Greve) by nightfall. Suggestions for best route, hopefully not all autostrada, and where can we stop for lunch and/or sightseeing along the way, please? Grazie!

Answer 1

My suggestion: search on Google or Yahoo for a "route planner" for Italy...then, you might get the best results.  I think that "Michelin" has a good one, but I am not 100% sure.

Greetings from Germany!! :-)

PS: I forgot to tell you that the Italian term for Rome is Roma and for Florence is Firenze.

Answer 2

Okay, this route will take you a while, but it will be scenic and fun.  You can stop in Viterbo and Siena on the way.  Here's a link to the route map and directions:

http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/viamichelin...

Answer 3

Via Cassia.

You can stop at Viterbo or at Siena. Near Viterbo you can stop at Sutri: it's a little Medioeval town.

Answer 4

Sweet hat!

Answer 5

Take the A12 north out of Rome. It will turn into the E80 and straddle the coast. The E80 is a highway but not like the Autostrada. You can stop in Pisa for a late lunch and then cut inland to Florence.

Answer 6

LUCKY! I WANNA GO!

Rent a car with GPS. Most GPS units can tell you where places of interest, restaurants, and other stuff is.

Have fun!

Answer 7

I do about a thousand Rome to Firenze (Florence) transfers each year. As others have said, get a GPS in your rental. Road signage in Italy is confusing (or non-existent) and it is very easy to get lost in the countryside.

There is no relaxing route to Tuscany.  Non-highway routes north of Rome are extremely slow, congested, and tedious.  It is best to take the main Roma-Firenze highway to an area of interest, then get off and wander around, and then get back on.  For example, you can stop at the fascinating medieval town of Orvieto on the way north.  Or Perugia, or Assisi. All of these are extremely popular. Avoid the coastal road. It is miles of absolutely nothing. Viterbo is also not worth a detour and the road north from Rome is very tedious. Below is the central route north from Rome. Click on the link then hit "cercare"

http://www.viamichelin.it/viamichelin/it...

Answer 8

Autostrada for certain.  Are you used to speeds of 250 kph?  An Alfa turbo does fine.  I used to drive from Pisa to San Vito de Normanni in 4 hours at high speed (450 miles) with pit stops for espresso coffee.  

The alternative is a fast express train.

Answer 9

Definately use the Michelin maps for good directions; they are pretty up to date.  When we drove all over Italy I made 2-3 sets of directions for each drive.  One for the autostrada, nice and direct.  The second was using the side roads and no toll road.  This was fun, but at times it can be confusing if you miss a turn or sign.  We got completely lost for an hour or two in one town trying to find where we supposed to turn.  Never found it and had to double back to the autostrada.  Also, pick up an Italy map book from a used or new book store.  These are very handy with trip ideas, but obviously not as detailed as the Michelin map.  Good luck and enjoy the drive!

**If it is not too far out of the way, check out the Park of the Monsters in Bomarzo.  Really neat place, very local, I think 3 other people were there when we checked it out.