isabel

After 8 days in Puglia (2 Matera, 2 Lecce, 4 Polignano) we need to get back to Rome. We will have a rental car which we can pick up in either Sorrento or Salerno at the beginning of the Puglia portion of our trip. Obviously we could drive and drop it off in Rome but that requires driving into Rome plus it's something like 5 hours. So we thought we'd take the train at least part way but on Autoeurope's site every town I try says 'no drop off location'. Before I call them I was wondering what others have done. It looks like dropping off at Ciampino Airport might be possible.

Another question - we have about a day and a half 'extra' in our trip. At present our last night in Polignano is Tuesday night and our flight out of Rome isn't till almost noon on Friday. So assuming it will take at least half a day to get from Polignano to Rome however we do it, that still leaves a day and a half. Add it to Puglia? I've always wanted to see Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli. Any other suggestions? (We will have done the Amalfi Coast before Puglia, and Rome as well plus I've been to Rome several times, I want the last night there but don't need any more than that).

jamikins

Have you considered flying back from Bari or Brindisi?

isabel

Flights home to the US from Rome are already purchased. Adding another flight just from Bari to Rome would probably take more than five hours after you figure getting to airport, security, etc.

bvlenci

Tivoli is a very nice stopover, and close enough to the airport that you might be able to stay there your last night. We once stayed at an inn called the Villa Adriana, which was just outside Hadrian's Villa. They also had a restaurant that looked great, but we had already eaten when we got there.

Another possibility would be to spend a night in one of the towns in the Castelli Romani area, which would make your trip a little bit shorter.

Another very beautiful little town near Rome is Sermoneta. I consider it one of the prettiest towns in Italy.

Wherever you spend the night, you might want to stop en route to see the beautiful Abbey of Montecassino. This was one of the first monasteries of Europe, founded by St. Benedict. It was destroyed by Allied bombing during World War II and meticulously reconstructed from old plans, photos, and other documentation.

aprillilacs

We're in a similar situation. We will drive from Puglia to Rome and drop our rental car, which we are picking up in Napoli, at Ciampino and bus into Rome for our final two nights before flying to Athens. Have done that before and it worked just fine.

isabel

Thanks

aprillilacs - how's the traffic around Ciampino? We might be doing it around 5-6pm and was wondering if we should change our plans not to get stuck in 'rush hour' type traffic. What do you think?

bvlenci - thanks for those suggestions. I had never heard of Sermoneta but it looks nice. How long would suggest for a stop over there?

aprillilacs

I don't recall any particular traffic issues getting to Ciampino from the south, but we got there in mid-afternoon (and plan to shoot for 3 pm again this time, to return our rental car). Depending on the bus schedules, that means we wouldn't be getting to Termini station in Rome until at least 4--arriving later at Ciampino would likely put us in rush-hour traffic into Rome. We'll take either a local bus or a taxi from Termini to our B&B near Campo di Fiori.

kybourbon

>>>So we thought we'd take the train at least part way but on Autoeurope's site every town I try says 'no drop off location'.<<<

Autoeurope used to give that message if you selected an Avis pick up location and a Hertz drop off location (or any combo that mixed providers). You had to know which rental car companies they used and where those particular companies had offices.

tishkb

Hi

I'm flying in and out of Rome on my trip to Puglia too! I was wondering about wear to stay en route our first day as we are flying an over night flt and arrive in Rome at 8:30 am and after the long flt from NY and the jet lag I did not want to makemy weary husband have to drive 4-5 hrs. I was looking for a nice town to spend an afternoon and evening in preferable with some Charming lodging options as well.

On our way back north we were thinking about turning in our car to airport and spending 2-3 nights in Rome. I assumed I would need to return at the International airport, is the Ciampo Airport closer to the city and or less hectic to get to coming from the southwest?

We will be traveling the first three weeks of May.

isabel

kybourbon - I think you are right, it must be something like that. So probably talking to an agent on the phone would give me more options.

But now we are leaning towards driving to Tivoli to Hadrian's Villa. Getting there from Rome by public trans seems difficult (we did do Villa D'Este one year but since we will already have a car I guess it would be worth it to keep the car one more day and drive the 5 hours). Now we just have to decide if we should do both the drive and the villa in one day - which would mean dropping off the car around rush hour (or later) or if we should overnight in Tivoli. Of course now that I know about Sermoneta ...... Oh decisions.

tishkb - both airports are easy enough to get to the city center from. From FCO it's the train (half hour, run every half hour, about 14 euro); from Ciampino it's a bus (40 minutes, 4 euro). But coming from Puglia, Ciampino is closer than FCO so you don't have to drive around Rome to the other side.

kybourbon

>>>kybourbon - I think you are right, it must be something like that. So probably talking to an agent on the phone would give me more options. <<<

Maybe, maybe not. They only use a few companies (mainly Hertz and Avis). I usually look at my pick up location and see what companies are available in the area. You can look at Hertz and Avis websites for their locations/addresses.

While most people don't take the train from Tivoli to Rome, you can. The station is a trek from the sites, but perhaps the car rental drop off would closer to the station. This is the FL2 line and the cost is 2.60€ from Tivoli to Rome Tiburtina station. Tiburtina is on the metro line and is a major bus hub. If you wanted to take the train to Termini, you would have to change at Tiburtina first. It would probably be as easy to drive to Tiburtina station as it would Ciampino for car drop off.

tishkb

Does anyone have a recommendation for a nice quaint place to stay in or nearby to Tivoli for a night????