TRAVEL INFORMATION - Florence and Tuscany - page 304

when parking is forbidden.
Parking signs show a small
symbol (which looks a little
like a tractor) with a day and
time, indicating when clean-
ing takes place each week.
If you park illegally, your
car could be towed away. If
this happens, phone the Vigili ,
the municipal police, to find
out where it has been taken.

accepts credit cards. The
yellow lane is reserved for
electronic “Telepass” holders.
Fuel stations are regularly
spaced on autostradas , but
less so on superstradas . In the
countryside they can be found
in or just outside most towns.
Small fuel stations close for a
long lunch, but most operate
24 hours with automatic
machines - insert banknotes
into the machine, select the
tank number, then begin
pumping fuel. Don't put in
more money than is needed
to fill your tank, as the
machine does not give
change. Instead, a receipt is
issued which you can use to
get change when the fuel
station is open. The machines
do not take credit cards.
Unleaded fuel is senza
piombo ; diesel is gasolio .

heavy traffic, but touring the
countryside is very pleasant.
Helmets are mandatory.
Bicycle rental is available in
most towns and is a sustain-
able and inexpensive way to
get around. Helmets are
mandatory for children.

DIRECTORY
BREAKDOWN
Automobile Club d'Italia
Viale G. Amendola 36,
Florence. Map 4 F1.
Tel [phone].
Via Cisanello 168, Pisa.
Tel [phone].
Viale Vittorio Veneto 47, Siena.
Tel [phone].
Emergency toll free number:
Tel 803 116.
www .aci.it

Road signs in Gaiole in Chianti,
central Tuscany

DRIVING IN THE
COUNTRYSIDE

TOWING AWAY
Vigili (Municipal Police)
Florence Tel [phone].
Pisa Tel [phone].
Siena Tel [phone].

CAR RENTAL Driving on Tuscan country

roads offers incredible views
and hairpin bends. Sound
your horn when approaching
a blind bend (flash your lights
at night). If using GPS, always
check the route on a printed
map and avoid impossibly
convoluted white roads; they
are likely to be poorly paved,
narrow and steep. Avoid
driving in unfamiliar areas
of the countryside at night.

Car rental in Italy is expensive
and, ideally, should be
booked online or through a
tour operator before travel-
ling. To rent a car you must
be over 21, and have held a
licence for at least a year.
Visitors from outside the EU
need an International Drivers'
Permit (IDP). Make sure the
rental package includes col-
lision damage waiver, break-
down service and insurance
against theft (casco) .

CITY CAR RENTAL
Avis
Borgo Ognissanti 128r, Florence.
Map 1 A5 (5 A2).
Tel [phone].
c/o de Martino Autonoleggi,
Via Simone Martini 36, Siena.
Tel [phone].
Hertz
Via Maso Finiguerra 33r, Florence.
Map 1 B5 (5 A2).
Tel [phone].
Maggiore
Via Maso Finiguerra 31r, Florence.
Map 1 B5 (5 A2).
Tel [phone].

TOLLS AND FUEL

Autostradas are toll highways;
you are issued with a ticket
on entry, and pay as you exit.
At the toll exit, signs above
each lane indicate the pay-
ment method available -
either an attendant who will
accept cash or a machine that

MOPED AND BIKE
RENTAL

Moped (scooter) rental is
available across Tuscany. It is
not advisable for visitors to
ride a moped in cities due to

MOPED AND BIKE
RENTAL
Automotocicli Perozzi
Via dei Gazzani 16, Siena.
Tel [phone].
www .perozzi.it
DF Bike
Via Massetana Romana 54,
Siena. Tel [phone].
www .dfbike.it
Florence by Bike
Via San Zanobi 91r.
Map 2 D3.
Tel [phone].
www .florencebybike.com

A moped rider crossing the Arno river in Florence