We are spending 3 nights in Rome in April, then 3 in Montepulciano in Tuscany & another 2 in Siena. We were planning to rent a car in Rome for the drive. It looks like there is an agency on Via Sardegna near the Villa Borghese. Would this be a fairly easy way to head north? We are trying to avoid big city driving as much as possible. Or we could train to Chiusi and get a rental there. We are looking for the most painless way to get out of Rome. Any imput would be appreciated. Thanks!

Driving from Rome to Tuscany is easy, but unless you have a GPS (which we did) I would suggest taking the Leonardo train out to the airport to pick up your car before you head to Tuscany. Driving on the highways is simple.

Montepulciano is awesome and so is Siena.

Bon viaggio!

I highly recommend contacting the good folks at Auto Europe (www.autoeurope.com). If you give them a call at 888-223-5555, you can talk about the best places to pick up a car and what car choices are best for your needs. I've always found their pricing to be excellent. The best part is that they offer a FREE cell phone rental (for use in Europe) with every car rental. We've used them several times and have always been happy with both the car and the cell phone service (just pay for the calls you make). I believe they are also offering free GPS units with some of their car rentals this year - so be sure to ask.

Travel,

I've picked up cars at Siena and Chuisi, dropped them at Orvieto and Foligno. I would highly recommend using one of these locations rather than Rome (city) or FCO.

There will be an additional charge at FCO plus possibly long lines.

Chuisi (1 hr 20 min by train from Termini) and Orvieto (1 hr) have rental offices within a block of the train station. Siena would require a taxi up the hill to the office.

Foligno (1 hr 40 min) has an Avis office right in the station building.

These offices are usually closed on Sundays and Saturday afternoons. Check with Autoeurope on office hours.

Buon viaggio!

I really dont get the concern of many on this Board about picking up and dropping off cars in Rome. Its not very hard at all if you get a map and know where you are heading. Weve driven in and out several times with no problem - night time could be harder. Id be more concerned about assuring I got a car with automatic if stick is an issue - might be harder at a smaller agency/location than in Rome. Id say get on the road quickly - you will get to your destination faster.