I have some questions regarding renting a car from one of the AuroEurope offices in Rome. I'm hoping someone here can help.
We will be 4 adults renting a car from Rome for 3 days in March. I do not want to go out to the airport to pick up the car (more expensive, too much time) so I'm looking at picking up in the city since we will already be there.

1. Best location?
We will be coming from our rental apartment off of Corso Vittorio Emanualle between Piazza Navona and the river.
Options include locations near the Vatican (Via della Giulianna), near Villa Borghese, and the Termini station. There are others, but I can't tell if any are better.
~which location is easiest to get to?
~which is the best location for getting to an autostrada headed South?
~what is the best way to get there?
~are there public transportation options?
I would really like to avoid backtracking to the apartment to pick up everyone so...
~can we fit 4 adults into a taxi?
~how do we know if our apartment is in a restricted traffic zone if we have to go back to the apartment with a car?

2. Type of car
I'm looking at two cars which are both wagons. Both list they can fit 5 adults and 2 large suitcases (don't worry, we will have limited luggage).
The Ford Focus Wagon is listed as a "compact". For the same price, there is an option of the Alfa Romeo 159 Wagon which is listed as "midsized".
I know I'm not guaranteed the exact model, so should I opt for the midsized? Anything I should know about these particular cars?

Thanks!

Any ideas here?

My DH says if we are in Italy, we should drive the Italian car, so I guess that answers question #2. ;-)

I can't suggest pickup locations, but do keep in mind that in a "wagon" your belongings will probably be visible from outside the car. Many would suggest that a car with a closed trunk would keep your belongings out of view and more secure.

I would opt for the mid size wagon. The Ford focus is small for 4 adults + luggage. Even in the mid-sized wagon category capacity varies, depending on the length of the vehicle and the curvature/slanting of the sides. You may just as likely get a French, German or Czech made car, so don't salivate about driving an Alfa on the Autostrada.

Wagons in Europe usually have a shade to cover the trunk area from view. If you stack your bags higher than the bottom of the window (which you will likely do), then the shade can't be used.

Yes, 4 adults can fit into a taxi. About 1 in 4 or 5 Rome taxis are wagons or mini vans that will fit you and your luggage. If the next taxi in the queue isn't large enough, just let the person behind you take the small car and you flag a larger taxi back in the line.

From your apartment you can walk to the taxi stand at Largo Argentina. It'll be about 15 Euro to Termini or Vatican to pick up a rental car. If you are all going together to get the rental car, then you can either all go to Largo Argentina to get the cab (QED), or one of you go there, direct the taxi to your apt to pick up the others.

I recommend you just walk to Large Argentina together so you don't need to navigate back from rental car pickup by yourself, but either way is fine.

Where is your apartment?

Our plan is to only have two 22" bags (1 per couple) since we will only be gone for 2 nights and the rest of the luggage will stay behind.
We've rented wagon style cars in the past and they've always had a shade to cover the trunk. I prefer them to a sedan in this case because I think there will be more room for 4 adults.
I'm starting to think going to the train station might be easiest.

Definitely all go to the car rental office -- staff there will be able to give you good directions for the major routes out of Rome, but the detour for navigating back to your apartment and then loading the others could be quite a headache.

Another option to investigate is pick-up at Ciampino airport, to avoid all driving inside the city. You could hire a car service for a fixed rate to the smaller airport, which is south of Rome, but the hassle avoidance would come at the higher cost of airport pick-up.

The pickup near Villa Borghese is convenient. It's right at the top of the Via Veneto outside of the city walls. More convenient for going North, but not too bad for going West either. You drive west out of the city center to get on the Autostrade to Naples. There is a tunnel road that will take you out of town in that direction. I feel that it's a little simpler to drive in that neighborhood than the others.

It's way uphill from the Metro so I wouldn't recommend walking there with bags. Take a taxi instead of backtracking. If you have your rental agreement, the police should let you drive back into the city center if you do have to go back.

I'd opt for anything "compact" vs the "midsized". We've (3 adults and more luggage than you) had the Ford Focus compact wagon and it would be fine IMO. You want a tight turning radius...

Thanks for all the advice.
I've returned a car to the Villa Borghese location before. But this was a long time ago...I remember it as being a little difficult to find and in an underground parking garage. Is that right?

Tuck-I think the two cars are actually about the same size (I could be wrong). My DH thinks it could be the engine size which makes one a "midsize" and the other a "compact"

I like the Ciampino advice - it's a really small airport and easy access to the expressway.

Elizabeth-I don't think I want to pay the airport surcharge plus the cost of getting out there via taxi or car service.

So, any advice on which location is best for going South?
Some other options would be a via Tiburtina location or via Cipro.

I've read that the drop off process at the Borghese location can be quite confusing.

Will you pick up and drop off at the same Rome location? Or drop off in another city?

Kristina - I didn't realize it was you!

Sorry - forgot about the airport surcharge. Can't help with locations in the city - the one time we drove in Rome it was .... ummmmm..... stimulating!

But I keep meaning to post my restaurant suggestions for you - here's a link to 6 reviews we did when we stayed there for 2 months in 2005.

http://www.geocities.com/richardandl...s_in_Rome.html

kayd-pickup and drop off both in Rome.

Elizabeth-Yep, it's me. Still working on my Cambodia/Thailand report and at the same time planning the next trip which is now only about 2 months away!
Thanks for the link to your restaurant recs. I will take a look later.

I dont think you would have trouble with either of the in-town (Villa Borghese or Termini) rental locations. We've driven in and out of both areas and while its not a breeze, esp if you are not good at stick shift, its no big deal. Forget about the airport - unless you need to be at the airport anyway.