Rome to Montalcino -- Hire car in Rome or Orvieto?
 

Hi all!

Honeymooners staying in Rome for 3 nights before heading up to Tuscany (3 nights in Montalcino, 2 nights in Siena).

Question -- I know that driving out of Rome can be hectic. Would you suggest:

A. Renting car in Rome (possibly taking a cab from hotel to an agency on the outskirts of Rome to avoid the exit) and driving up to Orvieto (we're having lunch there)?

B. Train from Rome to Orvieto, hire car in Orvieto, leave luggage in car, and then head up the hill to Orvieto for lunch?

Which one is logistically easier?

Thank you all for your time!

There is a rental office just northeast(?) of the Borghese Gardens that has a quick access to the A1 avoiding the worst of Rome's city traffic ( that's what our Roman host told us last Fall, although we'd already made plans to pick up a car in Orvieto). It could save you about half a day over taking the train and then picking up a car (unless you reserve early morning train tics). Check with Avis or Auto Europe unless someone here has used that location. I'm pretty sure I read a Trip report in the last year or so where someone did just that.

BTW - we got to Orvieto at lunch time and the rental office was closed unti like, 3 pm, so we were stuck with our luggage and simply stayed in the lower town, having a dreadful lunch near the train station.

I think it depends on when the Rome rental agency opens. If not until 9, you could arrive in Orvieto by train before you would have left Rome. The drive isn't necessarily faster than the train, and the A1 isn't more scenic. If you decide to rent in Orvieto, do take note of the hours the agency is closed for lunch.

FWIW, 'quick access' to anything has never insured our not taking a wrong turn first!

You can get off the train in Orvieto, store your luggage at the Hotel Pinnchio about 5 minutes walk from the train station (it's up a gradual hill, but not far), visit Orvieto and go back to rent a car, then pick up your luggage. It cost 4 Euros a suitcase to store them and I'd say that it's safer than stashed in the back of a car. There is a Hertz car rental between the station and the Hotel so that would be convenient if the price is right. (We don't usually rent from Hertz, but it turned out to be the cheapest in this case for us.)

If you go this route, I'd write to the Hotel to be sure they are still doing this and to let them know you are coming, but they were storing luggage as of July 2011.

If you want to have more info/see pix on Orvieto, you can click on my name and read the middle part of my Alps to volcanoes trip report.