Ciao Lydia,
Sounds like you will have a wonderful trip in Italy!
We've seen a lot of recent questions posted using Montecatini as a base, so we're in the process of writing up an article with suggested day trips from Montecatini and how to move around, with a car or without, from there.
I think this package with car is one of the most popular. If you feel comfortable driving abroad, then driving here won't be too difficult. You are already aware that there are some things that need particular attention, so you're ahead already! There are many who don't even discover what the ZTL areas are until AFTER they go back home.... and months later get a fine in the mail.
So, as far as driving here, make sure to read:
-
Driving to Tuscany - since you will be driving from Milan
- Some of the articles on
Driving around Tuscany that have general tips
- Tips for
driving in Florence, the
ZTL area in Florence and
parking in Florence and parking in Siena
The ZTL areas that exist are to protect the hundred years old buildings in the city center from excessive traffic. Of course, residents can still drive into the center and their homes, as well as commercial business. But traffic is limited and only those with permits can enter.... so as long as you know this, and pay attention to ZTL signs (most will have "beware" signs and "do not enter" signs and often times there are cameras mounted over the street - they take photos of car license plates to check that they have permits), you can
always turn away from entering into a ZTL area - generally a right or left turn before continuing into the limited traffic area. They are usually the heart of the old historical center, and many towns in Tuscany have them. Even small walled towns. It just means you can't drive into the center, there are usually parking lots around the center and town and you park there, then walk into the center. When towns are really small, you aren't parking far away. Lucca, for example, has its historical center surrounded by a large Renaissance-era wall. Anything within is a ZTL area, so just don't drive into and through the wall
Anything outside the walls you can navigate normally and park at.
Like suggested above, a GPS will help tremendously to map your route and help you get where you are going. It won't be able to tell you about the ZTL areas all of the time, so you do need to watch for that! Map your routes ahead of time for each day you are out and plan to drive to an address outside the center or specifically to a parking lot (in the case of Florence or Siena this will help a lot).
As far as gas and toll fees -- those are high in Italy and all of Europe. So there isn't much you can do other than consider them part of your travel expenses.
As far as itineraries, take a look across our entire guide, there are lots of itineraries and useful information offered. For Lucca, for example, take a look at the articles in the
Lucca category.
Either I or Donna will come back on here and post the itineraries from Montecatini as soon as it is online to give you more ideas -- soon, we promise ;-)
your post was what encouraged us to put together an article with a few day trip ideas using Montecatini as your base. The article includes suggestions for both for those with a car and for those who are taking advantage of the public transport.