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Italian trains, run by FS, are speedy and efficient, but don’t cover every Tuscan corner. Each station posts its own schedule – departures on yellow, arrivals on white – and newsstands sell national schedules. Ticket queues can be long (automated machines are now helping), and strikes (sciopero ) annoyingly frequent. Stamp one end of your ticket at the station’s or track’s yellow box before embarking.

Coaches (pullman ) can be slower and no cheaper than trains; use them to reach towns inaccessible by train.

The best way to explore Tuscany’s back roads, hill towns and vineyards. Local outfits are rarely cheaper than international companies, and arranging a rental from your home country is invariably cheaper.

TCI (Touring Club Italiano) maps are best, widely available in Italy but infrequently outside it. Michelin maps have more sightseeing indications, including scenic roads highlighted in green. Italian road signs (green for routing via Autostrada highways, blue for state roads) indicate destinations (albeit inconsistently) more often than route numbers. Always know the name of the first village and major town or city along any road you wish to take.

Largely ignored, speed limits are 30–50 kmph (20–30 mph) in town, 80–110 kmph (50–70 mph) on two-lane roads, and 130 kmph (80 mph) on highways. Left lanes are for passing, but on wide enough, hard-shouldered roads, Italians regularly pass by swerving into the oncoming traffic, which obliges by using its own hard shoulder.

Tuscany’s only toll roads are the A1 autostrada and the Florence-Pisa A13. Petrol is very expensive. Diesel is widely available. Most filling stations close on Sundays, but even when closed many stations have automated machines that accept notes and, increasingly, credit cards.

Few hotels have their own parking facilities, though many have deals with local garages. A round blue sign with a red slash means no parking. Legal parking is always marked: white-lined spaces are free (though often restricted to residents), yellow spaces off-limits, blue spaces available for an hourly fee, which you pre-pay at a nearby machine (display the ticket it dispenses on your dashboard), or with a scratch-off card, available at tobacconists’ (tabacchi , indicated by a white-on-brown “T” sign).

Buy tickets at tobacconists’, bars or newsstands. Stamp one end on the bus (autobus ) when you board. Most are good for a set time period during which you may transfer buses.

Taxis have ranks at airports and stations. Any hotel or restaurant will call you a taxi. Standard rates go up with luggage, after 8pm, on Sundays and for trips outside the city centre. Tip about 10%.

No historic centre in Tuscany, Florence included, takes more than 20 to 30 minutes to cross on foot. Many streets are cobblestoned, however, so wear sturdy, comfortable shoes.