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Six hours at the wheel of a restored 1960s Fiat 500, following your own guide into the hills outside Florence: that's what a private Fiat 500 tour from Florence involves. The guide collects you from your accommodation and stays in touch by radio. There are photo stops along the route, and lunch is ham, cheeses and local wine on a private terrace.
The day is booked for your party alone, which is what separates it from the shared version of the drive. We run it as our private vintage Fiat 500 tour from Florence, and what follows is based on how that day is organised.
Starting at the Garage
After the pick-up, the guide drives you to our garage on the outskirts of Florence, where the car is ready. On a private Fiat 500 tour the briefing there is for your car only, so there's time for every question about the controls before you pull out into traffic.
The car is a manual. The private tour uses the vintage Fiat 500 and nothing else. Its gearbox has no synchromesh, so changing down needs a slightly different technique from a modern manual. The guide goes through it at the garage. The briefing assumes you can already drive a stick shift, though. If nobody in your party can, look at the shared tour instead. It also has the Topolino, an automatic electric car. Our article on whether a self-drive Fiat 500 tour is right for you covers that decision in more detail.
If you haven't driven a manual for a few years, an hour of practice at home before the trip will help more than anything we can explain at the garage.
The car takes three adults at most. Two sit in front and the third rides in the back, where these 1960s cars have no seat belts. The back seat is fine for a shorter passenger over a few hours and cramped for anyone tall. There's very little room for bags either. The engine is at the rear and the front compartment is small, so keep it to a small bag each.
The cars date from the 1960s, when the 500 was the car most Italian families could afford. Production ran from 1957 to 1975, and you'll still see a few parked around Florence.
The private tour is a natural fit for a couple, or for a parent travelling with a grown-up son or daughter. With two of you, the passenger in front doesn't need to navigate, since the guide is leading. They can spend the day on photos instead. Three friends work too, as long as whoever takes the back seat knows what it's like.
Driving Out of Florence on a Private Fiat 500 Tour
The first stretch is city driving, and it's the part that asks the most of you. You're still learning the clutch. Florence also has limited traffic zones and one-way streets that confuse drivers even with a satnav. You follow the guide's car with the radio on, so the route isn't something you have to work out. With only your car in the mirror, the guide can set the speed by how you're getting on.
The radio works both ways. If you want to stop, need a bathroom or would like to slow down, you just say so.
The road out of town runs along an avenue of cypresses. It climbs to a viewpoint above the city, with the domes and towers spread out below. It's the first proper photo stop. A little further on is one of the oldest churches in Florence, where you can photograph the car outside and go in for a quick look.
Each stop is also where the guide fills in what you're looking at: whose villa sits on the next hill, what the church has seen over the centuries, which castles on the skyline are still lived in.
Stone Walls, Olive Groves and Lunch
Past the church, the drive heads into the hills. The road goes by historic villas and olive groves. Then it narrows into lanes with stone walls on both sides. The 500 is about 1.3 metres wide and just under three metres long. It was designed in the 1950s for streets like these, so the lanes are easier than they look from the first bend.
The air-cooled two-cylinder engine sits right behind the back seat and is loud on every climb. On a steep bend you might end up in the wrong gear. The guide is on the radio to talk you through it.
Photo stops come often on this part of the route. You can ask for one whenever you see something you like. On narrow lanes it isn't always obvious where you can pull over safely, so the guide picks the spots. If you want a picture of this countryside before you book, our guide to the best Fiat 500 routes in Tuscany describes it in more detail.
Lunch is on a private terrace, with ham, cheeses and local wine and a view over hills with castles, vineyards and villas. The tour's own advice is to stick to one glass, because there's more driving in the afternoon. Italy's limit is 0.5 grams per litre for most drivers. For anyone who has held a licence for under three years, it's zero.
After lunch there's more driving and a few more stops, before the guide takes the most scenic route back into Florence and down to the riverside.
Would a Private Vespa Suit You Better?
We also run a private Vespa tour, and it's worth comparing the two if you only have one day for this. The Vespas on our Tuscany tour are automatic, which takes the gearbox out of the equation. You ride in the open, two to a scooter, and you need to be comfortable on two wheels.
The Fiat 500 gives you a roof, a third seat and a manual gearbox. With rain in the forecast, the car is the more comfortable choice. With three people it's also simpler, because on Vespas the third person needs a scooter of their own. Our article on private Vespa tours in Tuscany explains how that version works. Both leave from Florence and spend the day in the hills, so the choice comes down mostly to the vehicle and the weather.
Before You Book
Drivers must be at least 18 and bring a valid driving licence on the day. If your licence was issued outside the EU, check whether you also need an International Driving Permit to drive in Italy.
Flat shoes make the pedals easier to feel. The car has no air conditioning, so dress light in summer and bring water. In spring and autumn a light jacket helps, as the hills are often cooler than the city.
Six hours fills most of the day, so don't plan a museum visit for the afternoon.
Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before departure, and you can change the date within the same window, subject to availability.
