Umbria - Transportation
 

We are staying in Spoleto for a week next month and we need a reliable car service or private driver from Roma Fiumicino to our hotel.
Any suggestions? Thank you in advanced.

If you're staying at a hotel or B&B in Spoleto, you might ask them for a recommendation. It's going to be expensive.

Is there a reason you can't take trains?

Jean
I've already done that, but they didn't answer my email.

StCirq
As my husband is recovering from a herniatic disc condition and we are almost 70, I found a bit risky and tiring to take the Leonardo Express, then the train and a taxi from Spoleto train station, all after a flight from Cappadocia with conexion in Istanbul. We are renting a car in Spoleto to tour Umbria.

Understood, jana. Good luck, and enjoy.

Would your husband be all right with a bus trip? If this information is current, there are buses that go directly from FCO to Perugia, and from there a taxi might be much less costly and easier for your lodgings in Spoleto to arrange:

http://www.perugiaonline.com/reach_perugia_by_air.html

http://wikitravel.org/en/Perugia


Taking a bus means having your luggage stowed in a cargo hold, not over your head, and it is easier to get assistance putting it in and out of the hold. Your husband would, however, need to climb steps on and off the bus. But again, that is often easier than doing it on the train because you are not rushed to move.

I would call the hotel/B&B in Spoleto and ask for a recommendation. It might take some time for an Italian innkeeper to reply to an email, but a ringing telephone is usually answered!

Since you're dealing with your husband's physical condition (I completely empathize with the herniated disc!), I would just eat the cost and get a car service. The bus from FCO to Perugia would be less physically demanding than the two trains FCO-Spoleto, but it would take more time overall, esp. if you have to wait at FCO for the next bus departure. That's going to be a tiring day under the best circumstances.

I'm not sure that you shouldn't try to book this through a reliable Rome provider. It is possible that your local lodging person in Spoleto will recommend on a local driver, who may very well be reliable but only have limited experience picking people up at Rome's airport.

The big limo providers in Rome have all sorts of ways to track your flight and anticipate traffic. You will have the name of an agency to call if you can't seem to locate your driver when you arrive -- not just one person's cell phone number.

I am sorry that I can't tell you which agency in Rome gets the best marks, but perhaps you can find that information on Slow Travel or Tripadvisor.

Just my thoughts. I would probably contact the Spoleto people as well to see what they recommend, but if they recommend a small local company, I would ask them how frequently that person travels to Rome airport.

Then again, a Spoleto-based driver would know how to reach your lodging there without getting lost!

Every professional taxi driver in Italy today has a GPS. They can also speak Italian and ask directions.

Or try this Janaphoto:

http://www.umbriaholidayrentals.com/...st-office.html

You might be able to track down reviews online as well as asking your hotel about them.

Thank you everyone for your input. Your suggestions have been very helpful.
I'll come back to tell what we ended up doing.