recommend car hire in italy?
 

would anyone recommend or totally steer us away from car hore in italy to travel around some of the main cities?

I would most definitely steer you away from a car hore in any country!

But if you're thinking of renting a car in Italy, definitely go for it, as it affords the opportunity to see many wonderful things not easily accessible by public transportation.

And I'm also a proponent of car rental for the freedom to see what you want when you want even if you don't know what it is you want. The discovery is half the fun. That being said, I'd plan my itinerary so that you're picking up your car as your leaving a large city, dropping off as you arrive at another. You don't need it in the big cities, and you'll be paying for a car that's sitting in a garage. Not to mention that you'll be either suicidal or homicidal if you try to drive in the centro storico of Florence. It made our driving in Rome a ride in the country by comparison.

Hi T,

Are you planning on

a. Hiring a car to drive around cities yourself? NO

b, Hiring a limo to give you a guided tour? Maybe

((I))

sorry I did not mean hore!!! A little typo!! ooopppsss

So should I hire a car and then drop it off before I go into the main city as I don't think I'd be happy in the city driving anyway? We are spending most of our time in cities!!

TYP,
I just returned from a week and a half in Rome , Siena and Florence. I rented a car from Europcar ( via Karen Brown). I picked up the car at the termini in Rome and drove to Siena and the Tuscan hill towns for several days. The rate which included full coverages was reasonable. I dropped the car off in Siena and everything went very smoothly.
I found the roadways to be well marked but sometimes got lost looking for specific sights in the towns. Having the car gave us the freedom to go where and when we wanted.