Public Transportation, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Or in my case shanks mare, yeah Google it. Old White guys over 60 know what it means.
Planes are covered here.
Automobiles are covered here.
Trains are awesome in Italy, Bullet trains go 150 mph for $20 one way to other major cities. This is about 1 1/2 hours from Florence (Santa Marie Novella station) to other major cities. Catch a train in Florence and then spend the day in Venice, or Milan or Rome. $40 round trip, no driving. We are thinking about going to Milan this way for just a day. Milan is where the “Last Supper” painting is located. Get tickets for this way way in advance.
You can catch a bus in Florence and take it out to various parts of Tuscany. The cost is reasonable but you travel according to their schedule. I would rather drive and terrify my wife and any passengers silly enough to trust me.
Rather than try to park in Florence(shudder/nightmare/$$$), Debbie and I will drive from the Leahy’s rental and park in a little town called Scandicci. The first tram stop is at Villa Costanza. There is a large Park and Ride here. There is also a coffee shop and a place to buy tickets. From the aerial photos in Google Maps the parking lot has lots of empty spaces so no problem with parking. See the maps below.
The first tram from Villa Costanza to Florence leaves at 5.26 AM. The first tram in the direction of Villa Costanza leaves at 5.00 AM from the station in Florence. At busy times there will be a tram every 3,5 minutes, at night every 12 minutes and at all other times every 6 minutes. The last tram going from Florence to Villa Costanza leaves at 00.30, from Villa Costanza to Florence, the last tram leaves at 00.00.
A normal ticket, valid for 90 minutes, costs €1,20 if you buy them in advance. They can also be purchased aboard, but for the price of €2,00. In accordance with the length of your stay it is also possible to buy tickets that are for example valid for 24 hours, 3 days or a month. Do not forget to validate your ticket once onboard the tram.