Porto Ercole and TelePass

RabidCoquis

New member
Aloha-
I'm flying into Bologna for a few days and heading to Firenze. I'm picking up a car and driving down to stay a week in Porto Ercole via a long drive through Toscana. I was wondering if TelePass is more automated these days and would it behove me to get a transponder device for the vehicle? I've driven in Italy before and the toll booths are a pain. I know that rental car companies may have the device but I won't know until I get the car. There are some other options like Tolltickets that will send a device to me or where I am staying but I'm waiting to hear back from them. Any suggestions would be awesome. Also, I would be very interested in anyone's suggestions for the best places to eat along the way, in Porto Ercole, Grosseto, heading gems, etc. Mahalo everyone in advance and much ALOHA!
 
Ciao!

As far as the telepass goes.... it is useful while driving on the autostrade, and you will be driving on one between Bologna and Florence (A1) if I understood correctly that you're driving from Bologna. But if you're planning to take a long, scenic drive down from Florence, through Chianti, Siena, and Grosseto on your way south, you actually won't be driving on any toll roads!
The only toll road you might take is the A11 or A12 between Florence and Pisa/Lucca and then south toward Livorno... but then the toll road ends there, so I think it would be more cost effective to actually just pay at the booths instead of paying for a device. If you can, avoid the automatic ones and get a person, those are way easy: hand over ticket, wait for the display that says total, hand over money and get change.

As far as for suggestions on where to eat... are you planning to stop at all during your trip from Florence down to Maremma or take it in a day?
 
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