the turnip

HELP! Here's the deal fellow Fodorites. We're taking our 1st real trip to Italy this May and I'm not sure whether or not we should rent a car. Our itinerary is as follows; <BR> <BR>Rome 4 days (fly into Rome) <BR>Sorrento 2 days <BR>Orvieto 2 days (with side trip to Civitia) <BR>Sienna 2 days <BR>Venice 4 days (fly out of Venice) <BR> <BR>We love a car for it's flexibility, the ease of not lugging your bags around, etc. However the idea of driving and finding parking in any of our destinations sounds terrible. Obviously I won't need the car in Rome or Venice, and I really don't want to drive the Amalfi coast. <BR> <BR>Would it make sense to get a car after Sorrento for the Tuscany portion of our trip? <BR>Or should I just try to convince my wife (unsuccessfully) to pack a bit lighter and use public transportation the whole way? If you'd get a car where would you suggest picking it up and dropping it off? <BR> <BR>Our travel time is soon approaching and I really need to make a decsion. Your opinions would be greatly appreciated! <BR>

Dona

Turnip, <BR> <BR>I go to Italy every year and love to drive there. As you mentioned, the flexibility it offers is very important to me and we have found some wonderful places because of it. <BR> <BR>If I were doing this trip, I would rent the car out of Rome and return it when I got to Venice. I personally loved driving the Amalfi coast (as long as it is not in the summer!) I didn't find it dangerous - just amazingly beautiful. <BR> <BR>Enjoy your trip - whatever you decide... <BR> <BR>Dona

ed

You're basically correct, and Donna's right on the money. Rent out of Rome, drop at Venice. <BR> <BR>Rome.Switzerland.Bavaria <BR>www.twenj.com

santachiara

Let me offer a dissenting opinion, and the reasons why. My inclination would be to rent a car for Orvieto and Siena. Investigate how much it would cost to rent in Rome and drop off in Florence. And then take the train from Florence to Venice. <BR> <BR>Despite what others say, driving in Italy scares the dickens out of me, and I am an intrepid (read lead foot, many-tickets-for-speeding kind of driver). The pass between Florence and Venice is especially deadly, and I do mean it in those terms, because of the frequent fogs and low visibility. Tuscany, on the other hand, is easy to get around by car, and the driving isn't nearly as horrific. <BR> <BR>Not many Americans I know, who have lived or are living here truly enjoy driving in Italy. It takes a certain level of skill, nerves of steel and a highly developed sense of the rhythm and reaction times of other drivers. For me, no way to spend a vacation. <BR>

Rex

I won't label Santachiara's views wrong - - I'll just disagree with them. Make this three votes to one for rent in Rome, drop in Venice. <BR> <BR>Another lead foot here, <BR> <BR>Rex

Monica Richards

Here's another vote for the train. I took the trains all over Italy for my one month trip there a few years back, and you can't imagine how relaxing it was to just show up at the train station, sit back and read and relax and let someone else do all the work. We saw many a harrassed and frustrated traveler at the hotels we stayed at, and we had none of those problems. We also got to some pretty small towns, like Sorrento, Siena, and Assisi (and the smallest of all, Spello) by train.

Santachiara

I bow to the pro-driving posters. In addition to being a piece of cake, as everyone says, driving in Italy is really cheap, too. Car rental prices in Italy? Rock bottom. And who could argue with $4 to $5 dollars a gallon? (Read any Italian newspapers lately?) And then there are the tolls. Have a wallet full of lire (and, yes, I know they take credit cards, sometimes, in broad daylight, if the computer isn't down? Read Italian? Know what line to go in when you do get to the numerous tolls, and everyone knows where to go, zips in front or honks as you try to figure out the conflicting instructions (in Italian)? Yeah, driving's the cheap, hassle free way to go.

Paulo

By renting in Rome (in the Via Veneto area, not at the airport - I don't agree at all with those who say that leaving Rome in a car is a nightmare) and dropping in Venice you're IMO maximising the benifit/cost ratio of your trip. I doubt you'll have any difficulties parking in ANY of your destinations in May. I also agree with Donna that you would regret not driving the Amalfi coast. <BR>Paulo <BR> <BR>

martha python

Another vote for the train here. The only reason I can think of to rent a car is to go somewhere the train doesn't go. Don't want to schlepp heavy bags around? Pack light. Take a cab from the train station to the hotel and back. It'll still be cheaper than than renting a car, and you'll be able to admire the scenery rather than making sure you don't drive off the road or into another car. <BR>Why spend money on transportation when you could be spending it on food and really cute shoes? Oh, sorry, I guess that's probably not the manly perspective.