Balto

Next June we'll be staying with a large group of family and friends at a villa in the Chianti region, about a half-hour north of Siena. The logical airport for flying in from the States is Pisa, but it appears to be much cheaper and more convenient (on the U.S. end) to fly into Rome.

Driving from Rome will take at least twice as long - 90 minutes from PSA Airport vs 3 hours from Rome's FCO, per Google Maps estimates. We'd probably be getting on the road at around 10:30 or 11:00 on a Saturday morning (plane arriving at 8:45). Having heard horror stories about the traffic around Rome, I'm hoping for some reassurance that it isn't so bad if I'm bypassing the city going from the airport to the A1 highway. Anyone done this on a Saturday morning? I don't usually have a problem with jet-lag and driving after an overnight flight... but I wouldn't want to be fighting ridiculous traffic under those circumstances.

bobthenavigator

I am told the GRA on the west side of Rome has now been improved and is not bad on a Sat. Run the Google Maps program to get their advise. I would stop in Orvieto for lunch.

kybourbon

It may appear that way if they haven't loaded the fares for Pisa yet (it's seasonal). There are non-stop flights from JFK to Pisa.

Mimar

It's really not advisable to drive after a long, overnight flight, especially in a foreign country like Italy where you need all your faculties. An easy couple hours at most unless you're immune to jetlag.

Maybe take Bob's suggestion but stay the night in Orvieto and continue on to Chianti the next morning. Or take a train to Orvieto, spend the night and pick up the car the next morning.

Balto

The airfare quotes are $1370 from Philadelphia to Rome non-stop and $1810(!) from New York to Pisa non-stop.

It would certainly be a factor if the exorbitant price of the JFK to PSA route came down in the next few months.