When first arriving in those cities/towns in Italy with car free zones, how does one get to his hotel to register and unload luggage? I'm thinkiing of Assisi and Siena.

Check with your hotel in advance. In a couple of towns we were actually sent a permit to allow us into the car free zone. At some others, we were told if stopped just to them we were delivering our luggage to the hotel. In still others -- there just was no way. We needed to park in a designated area and either wheel our luggage some distance, or wait until "shopping hours" were over when we could drive up to the hotel with our luggage.

Typically a car delivering luggage to a hotel - or a cab doing the same - is allowed in the pedestrian zone. Just make sure you drive very slowly - no more than 5 mph and carefully - and if questioned just say you are dropping luggage at the hotel. (Traffic laws in Italy are very loose - people think nothing of parking on the sidewalk) and a long as you're not doing anything dangerous it should not be an issue. (Have done the same in France and Germany - also with no problems)

That is a very good idea to ask the hotel in advance about unloading your luggage. We were allowed to drive a certain distance into Assisi and Siena and quickly unload our luggage and then drove the car to a car park just outside the city. Driving in Siena was a nightmare. Our hotel failed to tell us which porta/gate to enter and there were seven--and we, of course, chose a porta which was on the opposite side of Siena from the hotel. Assisi was easier but the hotel was difficult to find. I think we ended up rolling our luggage a few blocks to the hotel in Assisi.

One tip -

If you're driving be sure you have a detailed - street by street driving (not walking - but driving with one-way directions indicated) of every town you plan to visit. They you would have known where the hotel was, which was the closest gate - and how best to get there.

This is in addition, naturally to the major area and country maps. (The little town inset maps on the major area maps are useless - except for showing which exit off the major highway to use.)

NYTRAVELER
where did you get the detailed maps?
thanx