Not only will it be much more expensive, but also you may not be able to get the kind of car you want, especially if you need an automatic.

Yikes, I think I need more limbs :). I did not think it was that bad. I need to reassess and determine for sure whether we are going to need one or not, and reserve one well in advance. Is there a rental agency(s) walking distance from the train station? , are they all about the same price before I spend much time researching which is cheaper?. We are coming in from Venice post cruise to spend 4 days in the Florence area. Thanks guys for your help.

AutoEurope is an agency that arranges cheap rentals with the major companies: www.autoeurope.com

AutoEurope is not "cheap". They do not, generally, provide any savings for one or two-day rentals. They specialize in longer-term rentals, where they sometimes - but not always - provide somewhat better deals than you can get on your own. One downside is that they require full payment in advance - so you have no flexibility. Another is that they frequently insist that you take out very expensive collision damage waver insurance - which you may be able to get for free from your credit card company.

Do not simply assume that AutoEurope has the best deals. Shop around

All of the major car rental firms have offices about a seven minute walk south of the main railroad station, near the intersection of the Borg'Ognissanti and the Via Finiguerra - one block north of the river at the Amerigo Vespucci Bridge.

AutoEurope or its sister company, Kemwel, are American brokers situated in Maine that shop around and reserve a car for you with a local agency. The main advantage of renting through AuroEurope or Kemwel is service. Should there arise a need for any reason, you will have an American company to work with and people who speak English.

I never even bother shopping around but you certainly can and AutoEurope will match lower price estimate, should you find one. You can make as many changes to your reservation as you need, and you can cancel anytime prior to the time of your reserved pick-up without charge. This may actually work to your advantage here while you are finalizing/rethinking your plan.

We picked up a rental car on Borgo Ognissanti and headed straight out of town without an incident.

Do you know about the limited traffic zone operated in Florence? While it is doable to drive out of the city with good directions and not get a fine, coming back in is a whole different ball game and not worth the risk in my opinion. Read all about it here:

tripadvisor.com/Travel-g187893-c140065/Tusca…

Oh at it isn't just Florence that has these ZTLs most urban areas do.

Thank you all for your imputs. It makes me a bit nervous reading ZTL areas restrictions. Another thought was to take the train(perhaps cheaper) from Florence and do day trips that way. Any suggestions on where to go by train?. We are open as to what we want to see. That might be a better option as far as worrying about getting caught in a restrcted area and being fined.

If you get a car, you will need to have an International Driver's Permit - it is legally required in Italy; get them at AAA offices, requires passport style photo and costs about $20 - and take about 10 minutes.

Take the train to Arezzo - a wonderful, ancient Etruscan - Roman - Medieval hilltown.

If by any chance you are in the neighborhood on the first weekend of a month, one of the world's great antique fairs fills all the streets in the city center. If not, there is still a lot to see and do: Spectacular old streets lined with magnificent medieval churches and palaces, superb antique shops selling museum-quality stuff, and some of the greatest masterpieces of Piero della Francesca, in the Church of St Francis and the Duomo.