5.2kRent a classic Fiat 500 and drive Italy your way. Pick from tested rental options around Lake Como and the Amalfi Coast, with delivery, insurance and a short briefing included. Choose your dates and get behind the wheel.
The choice comes down to who holds the wheel. Some experiences hand you the keys, others keep a driver or guide in the driver's seat so you can ride, photograph and taste. Pick by how hands-on you want your day to be.
If you only drive an automatic, book one of the chauffeured Fiat 500 tours instead, and if your licence was issued outside the EU, get your international driving permit before you leave home.
The most reviewed self-drive here: 333 reviews at 4.9, a five-hour convoy through quiet Tuscan lanes with a guide on the radio.
A plain four-hour rental, cars for four hours to a full day, with starter fuel, liability cover and suggested lake itineraries.
Ten hours with the Spiaggina cabriolet: delivery in Sorrento, a short training session and a digital guide to Positano and Amalfi.
Shortest and least expensive way to take the wheel: from 40 minutes to 2 hours, with fuel, briefing and a lead car included.
Compare hiring a Fiat 500 in Florence with joining a self-drive countryside tour instead.
Compare hires →Most Rome listings are chauffeured rides; see which options actually let you take the wheel.
See Rome options →Want an open-top Fiat in Rome? See what you can drive yourself and what stays chauffeured.
Find convertibles →
Set on the 500 F? Get a feel for the model and which Rome rides put you in one.
Check the model →What the roomier 500 L is like in Florence, and where to look if none are on offer.
Explore the L →Where to rent an open-top 500, and how Tuscany and the coast differ behind the wheel.
Compare coasts →The drive starts behind the wheel of a restored Cinquecento, a four-seater that suits two adults best, and you collect it in Como before heading out onto the lakeside roads yourself. This is a proper vintage car: no radio, no air conditioning, no chargers, and a manual gearbox you shift yourself.
Once you are rolling, the lake sets the plan. You choose your own route along the shore, stop where the water and the villas look best, park in a free private spot in Como, and can break for an aperitif or dinner in a lakeside village.
Book it for four hours, eight hours or a full 24, and add extra days if the drive deserves more time.
Green marks the lowest price. Each price says whether it is per person or per group.
Booked the 4-hour drive and both the organisation and handover were excellent.
Amazing experience with guides Leo and Antonio - supportive, informative, great vibes. Well planned, packs lots into half a day in Florence. Recommend being comfortable with manual transmission!
Fantastic and worth the money! Afternoon four-hour rental left time for several lake towns. Sebastian was brilliant and flexible with a great itinerary. The 500 was in brilliant condition.
Pure nostalgia and fun! Self-driving the vintage 500 through Syracuse was incredible - coastal views, then tiny Ortigia streets as the grand finale. Felt like the 1970s. Loved it!
Most fun ever. Gorgeous views, fun cars, and Bella and Edoardo were knowledgeable hosts.
BELLA WAS AWESOME!!!! Beautiful way to see Tuscany!!! But not for the faint of heart!!! My amazing boyfriend took the wheel of a fantastic antique fiat!!!!!
Tom was very kind and we had so much fun! A charming addition to a Marche riviera holiday, letting you visit the inland villages on the Jesi hills.
The host who hands over the keys walks them through the old gears until everyone feels ready.
Several travelers with no real interest in classic cars ended up loving the whole day behind the wheel.
Many wished they had booked more hours, and a few extended the rental to reach another lakeside town.
Choose the date and time slot before anything else, because summer rentals go fast. Book 10 to 12 weeks ahead for a summer trip, earlier in the most popular spots.
Compare duration and what each option includes. One Lake Como rental runs 4, 8 or 24 hours and includes 100 km of driving; another adds suggested itineraries and starter fuel.
Most of these rentals let you cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund. Check the deposit too: one Como operator holds a security deposit, returned if the car comes back undamaged.
After payment, confirmation arrives with the meeting point. Around Lake Como, one rental starts from a pickup address in Como and can arrange delivery around the lake; Sorrento rentals deliver free to your hotel.
On the day, allow a few minutes for the handover and the controls before you set off. Skip historic centres with restricted-traffic zones and park outside them, and return on time to avoid late charges.
Every vintage Fiat 500 has a manual gearbox, and drivers who cannot use a clutch cannot take the wheel. Some self-drive tours ask for regular stick-shift experience, and a briefing or short lesson comes before the drive.
The legal minimum to drive a car in Italy is 18, and the rentals require a driver of at least 18. Some self-drive options go further, so a driver under 23 or newly licensed should read the age terms before booking.
Third-party liability cover comes as standard on the Lake Como rentals and on the Florence countryside driving tour. Accident and collision cover is not included on the classic Lake Como rental, so check what the quote covers before you drive off.
The Lake Como classic rental includes 100 km of driving, and extra kilometres are charged separately. A shorter 4-hour rental suits a lakeside loop, while a full 24-hour booking lets you plan a longer route within the limit.
Fuel used during the trip is not included in the Lake Como rentals; one includes starter fuel only. The classic car runs on unleaded 95 petrol, so budget a stop at a petrol station and check whether the car must come back with a full tank.
A vintage 500 cruises happily at about 60 to 70 km/h, which makes it a car for country lanes, lakeside roads and coastal streets rather than motorways. Tuscany's narrow roads around Florence suit it perfectly, and its small size helps in tight village streets.
The Lake Como classic rental is collected in Como, and delivery around the lake can be arranged. The Sorrento and Amalfi Spiaggina comes with free delivery and pickup in Sorrento, and Florence countryside tours start from the city itself.
For city-to-city legs, trains are generally easier than driving, and a car earns its keep in the countryside and smaller towns. A common plan is to rent the Fiat 500 for a few days around Florence, Como or the Amalfi Coast instead of the whole trip.
A security deposit applies on some rentals and is returned if the car comes back undamaged. Inspect the car and photograph existing damage before driving away, so there is no argument when you hand the keys back.
The rentals and self-drive tours here allow cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund. That gives room to hold a car while the rest of the itinerary takes shape.
A valid car licence is required for every self-drive option, and the Sorrento and Amalfi experience asks for an international driver's licence. Non-EU drivers need an International Driving Permit alongside their national licence. Bring a passport or ID card and a credit card in the driver's name.
Historic centres are ringed by ZTL limited-traffic zones, and unauthorized cars are fined by camera, sometimes weeks later. The Lake Como rental advises avoiding ZTL areas entirely, and the Sorrento self-drive car must be returned by 7 pm because of the town's zone.
A vintage Fiat 500 rental in Italy is one of the few ways to make the drive the destination. Whether it suits your trip depends on the route, your comfort with a manual gearbox, and a handful of rules that catch visitors out.
Book a summer rental 10 to 12 weeks ahead, and closer to 75 days out for the Amalfi Coast.
Park outside every ZTL historic-centre zone and walk in; cameras fine unknown plates automatically.
Every car here has a manual gearbox, so be honest about your stick-shift skills before you book.
The dream looks simple from a hotel balcony: a small yellow Cinquecento, a road lined with cypresses, someone leaning out of a window to film it. The reality is noisier and slower than any modern hire car, and that is exactly what people come for.
This is a 1960s machine and it behaves like one. The cabin has no air conditioning, radio, speakers, chargers, or even a cigarette lighter. It is loud, it is slow, and the gearbox asks for frequent double-declutching.
On a long motorway run it gets tiring, and it is honest to say so. Where it comes alive is the winding country road around Florence, where the small size makes it easy to place and the slow pace turns the drive itself into the sightseeing.
Inside, it surprises people. The upright windows and layout make the cabin feel roomier than you would guess, roughly as spacious as the modern car. What the car will not forgive is distance: short and memorable beats long and tiring here.
So the shape of a good trip is simple. Trains between the big cities, because they are easier and far less stressful, then a rental car only for the countryside leg. Rent it for the hills, and let the train take the miles.
A few beliefs are worth dropping before you book.
It has none: no air conditioning, no radio, no speakers, no chargers, not even a cigarette lighter
It suits short, characterful drives on country roads, and motorways tire the car and the driver
The upright cabin is essentially as roomy as the modern 500's
Settle those three in your head and the decision gets easier: the Cinquecento rewards a slow itinerary and punishes a fast one.
First minutes with the car, engine ticking, and everything feels close. Your knees are near the dashboard, and the steering wheel turns with real effort at parking speeds, because the original 500 has no power steering.
There is nothing between you and the road: no filters, no electronics, just a light little car that tells you what the surface is doing.
The gearbox is where the learning happens. Every rental here is manual, and some original models have an unsynchronized box that wants double-clutching on downshifts. It takes more attention than a modern car, and the first ten minutes are the hardest. After that it becomes part of the rhythm.
What you will not find anywhere in the cabin: a radio, speakers, air conditioning, chargers. The engine is the soundtrack. Plan the drive for what you can do with that, which is mostly windows down, hills and villages, and conversation.
The original 500 has no power steering, so parking is a two-arm job
Original unsynchronized boxes want a blip of throttle on every downshift
No radio, speakers, air conditioning or chargers, so the engine note is the entertainment
The car feels smaller and lighter than anything modern, and that is what makes it fun
Be straight with yourself about stick shift before you commit. Every self-drive option asks for it, and the formats built for less confident drivers offer a briefing or a guided convoy instead.
Match the destination to your nerve, and the day sorts itself out. The Tuscan countryside around Florence is the gentlest fit: narrow lanes, quiet secondary roads, and a car small enough to thread them.
That is what the little 500 was built for. Rome's tight lanes suit it too, though the city itself is a handful for any visitor behind the wheel.
Lake Como is the beautiful hard one. The lakeside road is narrow, with switchbacks and blind corners that ask for extra care, and the full circuit of the lake takes about four hours of driving without stops. Less-confident drivers find it stressful, and the ferries are a fair alternative for the legs you skip.
Sicily rewards patience. Around Etna and the Val di Noto the roads are narrow, steep and winding, and the advice is the same everywhere: slow down and it is not dangerous. Taormina's tight streets in particular suit the Cinquecento well.
Then there is the Amalfi Coast, the drive people picture. The Sorrento/Amalfi: Fiat 500 Cabriolet Self-Drive Rental hands you a Fiat 500 Spiaggina convertible for ten hours, with a short training session before you set off, a digital guide to the best spots between Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi, and delivery to your hotel in Sorrento.
Hold the coastal route for a calm day and take it slowly; it is the most demanding scenery on this page.
Timing decides more than any other choice on this page. For a summer trip, book a rental 10 to 12 weeks ahead, and popular spots can want even earlier.
The Amalfi Coast runs hotter still: one guide puts high-season bookings about 75 days out, because the self-drive cabriolets are snapped up fast. Tuscany sits around 50 days for the busiest months, and Lucca-area drives closer to 84 for peak dates.
August is the month to think twice about. Demand peaks, parking tightens, and the alternating-plate rule bites on the SS163 between Vietri sul Mare and Positano on every August and September day from 10:00 to 18:00: on odd-numbered dates an odd-ending plate is barred, on even dates an even-ending plate is.
Your rental's plate number can quietly decide which days you may drive the coast road at all.
June and October are the sweet spots in the numbers: warm enough for an open roof, light enough traffic to enjoy it, and the plate rule mostly limited to weekends.
May is mild but has the highest average number of wet days in the central-Italy climate data; Amalfi Coast restrictions apply from May 30 to June 2 in 2026.
Tap a month to read it.
June is warmer and drier, but Amalfi Coast plate restrictions apply on weekends from June 6 through July 31, 2026.
Tap a month to read it.
Where the ease line dips in August and November, the dip comes from traffic and weather, so moving the trip a week either side restores most of it. The scenery stays put; the conditions around it shift.
The core decision: how much hand-holding do you want? A plain rental buys freedom. You pick the route, the stops, the aperitivo terrace, and you also own the fuel, the mileage limit and the deposit. A guided self-drive tour buys structure: a briefing, a lead car in radio contact, fixed stops and a set window.
The numbers show the trade. One Lake Como rental includes 100 km of driving and charges extra beyond it, with fuel for the trip on you; the other includes starter fuel and asks a security deposit, returned if the car comes back undamaged.
The Florence countryside driving tour bundles fuel, insurance, a guide and a ham-and-cheese tasting into five hours, and the Chianti self-drive tour opens with a driving lesson before two hours on the hills.
| Full, you drive wherever the hire terms allow | Fixed route, guide leads the convoy | |
|---|---|---|
| What is included | Insurance and 100 km of driving; fuel and extras are yours | Fuel, insurance, guide and stops bundled in |
| Briefing | None, you rely on your own manual-driving skills | A lesson or training session before you set off |
| Time window | 4 hours up to a full 24-hour day | Two to five set hours |
| Suits | Drivers who know a manual well and want the lake at their own pace | Drivers who want structure, company and someone to follow |
If you shift gears without thinking, take the plain rental and the Lake Como: Classic Fiat 500 Car Rental for 4, 8 or 24 Hours, which also arranges delivery around the lake and books multiple consecutive days.
If the gearbox makes you hesitate, book the guided format instead; the Chianti tour is honest that it is not a driving lesson, so a briefing only goes so far.
The paperwork is the part that can stop the trip, so settle it weeks before departure.
The legal minimum to drive a car in Italy is 18 with a valid licence, but operators set their own bars: one vintage 500 tour wants drivers to be at least 23 with five years of licence, while the Lake Como rentals and the Florence tours start at 18.
A Category B licence covers these cars, and every one of them is manual, so the real test at pickup is your stick-shift ability. Many rental companies also want you to have held the licence for at least a year.
The rule that catches visitors from outside Europe: non-EU licence holders need an International Driving Permit alongside their national licence, and the two are carried together, one does not replace the other.
EU licences travel without an IDP, and UK photocard holders do not need one either, with the exception of Isle of Man licences. Americans need the permit or a certified Italian translation.
Finally the everyday items: a passport or identity document, and a credit card in the driver's name, which the deposit and the insurance both want. Arrange the IDP at home; getting one after arrival is the mistake people regret.
The meeting spots are rarely glamorous, so plan the last leg like the rest of the trip. The Lake Como classic rental sits at Via Don Peppino Brusadelli 4 in Como, at a building behind a Lidl, and no driver comes with the car: you are the driver from the moment you arrive.
Some Como experiences meet at a showroom instead, so read the address twice before you set out.
In Florence, the countryside driving tour meets at the taxi stand by Santa Maria Novella station, an easy walk with luggage. Other Florence-area experiences meet in Scandicci, reachable by car, taxi or tram from the same station.
The train-first habit pays off here. For major-city legs, trains are easier and less stressful than driving, and a rental makes sense only for the countryside part of the itinerary. The connections behave like clockwork once you know the cutoff.
The practical read: arrive by rail while you can, and keep the car for the day you actually need it. If a same-evening connection back matters, the late train leaves the margin.
One rule spoils more rentals than any other: the ZTL, Italy's limited-traffic zones around historic centres. Cameras photograph your plate as you cross the line, there is no barrier, no attendant, nothing to stop you, and the fine arrives weeks after you have flown home.
Each town writes its own rules. Como's ZTL covers the walled old town, with hours published by permit category, and Varenna's runs all day, every day, holidays included.
Florence's zone covers the historic centre Monday to Friday until 8 pm and Saturday afternoons, and extends into summer evenings. Rome has several separate zones with different hours, and the cameras record each entry separately, so leaving one zone can mean entering another.
A hotel booking alone does not authorize entry; ask the hotel to register your plate in advance, and even then a permit to drive in is not always a permit to park.
A vintage Fiat 500 gets no exemption anywhere. Its age and its charm change nothing at the camera.
Cameras fine the plate automatically and notices can arrive long after the trip Park outside the zone and walk in, and treat a vintage 500 as never exempt, even on a tour
The habit that saves the day: park outside, walk in, and do not trust GPS alone to keep you legal.
Ten minutes with the car before you drive off is the best insurance on this page. Walk around it and photograph existing damage, however small, so nobody argues about it later.
Then run the practical checks: the deposit and which cards it takes, the fuel policy, and the mileage limit, because one operator includes 100 km a day and charges for the rest.
Now the cabin, and this is where these cars differ from anything modern. One Lake Como listing says the car has no seat belts and no child seats.
The Florence countryside tour states that the rear seats have no belts fitted either. Before you set your passenger list, ask how many people the specific car is allowed to carry, and keep small children out of the plan entirely.
Height and comfort deserve a check too. Drivers much over about six foot will find the cabin tight, and one operator lists people over 200 cm as unsuitable.
Bring your licence, the IDP if your country requires one, sunglasses for the open roof, and a light layer, because a cabriolet at speed is cooler than it looks.
Rain does not usually kill the day. Light rain rarely stops a vintage Fiat outing, and on a Rome convertible shoot the operator simply switches to a roofed car.
What you are really checking is the cancellation window, and here the news is good: the rentals and tours on this page share a common term, cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
The coast is the place to plan around. On the Amalfi Coast, some experiences run rain or shine but cancel in extreme weather, offering an alternative date or a full refund; a Sorrento photo tour will not go out in adverse weather at all.
Heavy rain is the real variable, since it can trigger rockfalls on the SS163 and close sections of the road, sometimes with little warning, and winter storms can do the same.
Mechanical trouble has a clear answer where assistance is included: one Verona rental refunds the booking in full if the car cannot be repaired.
| If this happens | What happens then |
|---|---|
| Light rain | The outing continues, or a convertible swap to a roofed car |
| Extreme weather | An alternative date or a full refund |
| Severe weather on a night ride | Rescheduling, subject to availability |
| Unrepairable breakdown on a rental with assistance | The booking is fully refunded |
Book early for summer, keep the 24-hour window in your back pocket, and check the forecast the evening before a coastal drive.
The best days build the drive into something bigger. In Tuscany, a country route leads naturally to a winery or a vineyard terrace, and here the rule matters: if you are the one behind the wheel, limit yourself to one glass.
Italy's blood alcohol limit is 0.5 g/L, it is zero for drivers in their first three years, and the vintage 500 demands enough attention sober. The Chianti tour that includes wine tasting solves it by not letting guests drive at all.
Village lunches are the other reward. Park outside the historic centre, walk in, eat slowly, walk back. On the Sorrento Coast, an early start means softer light for the viewpoints and emptier roads for the drive itself.
The train-plus-rental shape works anywhere. Take the train between the big cities, keep the Cinquecento for the countryside leg only, and let the small towns fill the middle of the day.
In Sicily, fly into one airport and out of the other to avoid backtracking, and use trains for the city-to-city legs where the roads do not serve you well.
One honest note on the choice of day: keep the motorway out of it. The car is at its happiest under 70 km/h on quiet roads, and so are you.
Amazing experience with guides Leo and Antonio - supportive, informative, great vibes. Well planned, packs lots into half a day in Florence. Recommend being comfortable with manual transmission!
Rent a vintage Fiat 500 in Italy if the drive itself is the point: quiet country roads, a slow pace, and a car with more character than comfort. The right option depends on your stick-shift confidence and how much structure you want.
Skip it if your trip is mostly city-to-city distance, or if nobody in the group can drive a manual confidently. Trains between the cities and a guided ride instead will serve the same scenery with less stress.
Where you can get behind the wheel yourself, what each rental asks of you, and how to pick the one that fits your route.
Como2026Yes. The vintage Cinquecento has a manual gearbox and no automatic option. Every rental and self-drive experience on this page requires a driver who already knows how to use a clutch.
A valid car licence is the baseline. Non-EU visitors also need an International Driving Permit alongside their national licence; UK photocard holders do not need one for Italy. Bring a passport or ID card and a credit card in the driver's name.
The legal minimum to drive a car in Italy is 18, and several vintage rentals hold to that. Some operators set a higher bar, so check the terms for the car you have in mind.
Lake Como has the most straightforward rentals, from four hours to a full day or more. Around Sorrento you can hire a Fiat 500 Spiaggina convertible for a day on the Amalfi Coast roads.
Yes. A full circuit of the lake takes about four hours of driving without stops, so an eight-hour or 24-hour rental gives you room for village stops and an aperitif along the way.
No. Italian historic centres sit inside restricted-traffic zones called ZTL, and an unauthorised entry is caught on camera and fined. Park outside the zone and walk in.
Third-party liability insurance is typically included; collision cover usually is not. The Como rental includes 100 km, with extra kilometres charged, and fuel you burn is on you. One Como hire asks for a refundable security deposit.
Different. There is no power steering, no air conditioning, and no radio, and some original gearboxes need double-clutching. It feels small and light, and at lake or countryside speeds that is part of the fun.
Yes, with a short training session before you set off and a digital guide to the best stops. You need an international driver's licence and manual experience, and the car must be back in Sorrento by 7 pm because of the ZTL.
Earlier than you think. Summer trips call for booking a rental car roughly 10 to 12 weeks ahead, and popular locations can need even more notice. Amalfi Coast cars in particular are snapped up fast.
Many travelers take trains between major cities and rent a car only for the countryside stretch. That keeps city driving and parking off your plate and puts the Fiat 500 where it belongs, on quiet rural roads.
A full guide to Fiat 500 experiences across Italy, if you want to compare guided rides with the drive-it-yourself formats.
See what Bologna offers, from city routes to countryside stops, before you fix your route through Emilia-Romagna.
Head straight to the wine-country pages, where Chianti's vineyard routes and self-drive tours are set out for comparison.
Lucca's countryside drives and city routes get their own page, useful if Tuscany's quieter lanes appeal more.
Check the Naples options next, where vintage Fiat 500 tours cover panoramic roads and the historic centre with a driver.
Palermo's sightseeing tours and customised rides are compared in one place, handy for a Sicily stop.
If you want the lake without the keys, the Lake Como page compares driver-led and self-drive ways to tour the waterfront.
Prefer someone else at the wheel? The private-tour page sorts Rome and Florence options by style and format.
Reserve a classic Cinquecento for 4, 8 or 24 hours on Lake Como, with free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
