Is Italy driveable outside Rome?

[twiningb]

Some of the possible detours on our upcoming (fingers crossed) family Europe trip, might be a few days in Cinque Terre or Tuscany. Given the distance of Cinque Terre from airports (Pisa is closest but over an hour away by train, and Genoa/Florence/Milan are all further afield) we might want to rent a car and stay in La Spezia or Monterosso at a place with parking.

Likewise, it might be easier to see a few Tuscan sights at our own pace if we base in Florence or Pisa (outside the ZTLs) and drive (allowing for having to park outside the old town centres).

My memories of Rome are such that I would never drive there, but how is driving in the countryside in Italy? Is it pleasant enough if I collect a car at say MXP/PSA/FLR and return it at FCO before taking the train into Rome, and stay outside the city centres?

 

[RooFlyer]

In my 3 experiences, driving in the countryside is easy - the autostrada especially, although the locals drive aggressively on them ( as we do here ). Small towns and the old centres of large towns can be challenging, GPS essential but even they may not be uptodate with local changes on one ways.

 

[Jacques Vert]

I've driven in many countries both within and outside of Europe. I've driven in Rome and regional Italy including Cinque Terra and Tuscany.

I agree with @RooFlyer: the Italians drive like maniacs and can be very aggressive. Apparently none of the indicators on Italian cars work; at least I never saw anyone use them. It can be stressful but you should be OK after a couple of drinks at the end of your journey.

The roads around Cinque Terra are narrow and winding, just take your time. (Although not as narrow as the one from Como to Bellagio.)

I managed to pick up two fines in Italy (the only ones for about 20 years). Apparently you are supposed to know what the speed limit is despite there being no signs! And those ZTLs can be a trap. Parking can also be a challenge. But overall, it's just part of the fun!

As RooFlyer said, outside of Rome on country roads it can be quite pleasant and a GPS is your friend.

Go for it!

 

[VPS]

I drove from Avignon right across the bottom of France and into Italy and around Tuscany for three weeks and yes it was a bit hairy sometimes but no hassles at all.

I wouldn't even contemplate driving through the Cinque Terre because the trains are so good. We stayed in La Spezia for a couple of nights to see the Cinque Terre.

Lucca is a lovely place to stay.

Have fun

 

[twiningb]

I drove from Avignon right across the bottom of France and into Italy and around Tuscany for three weeks and yes it was a bit hairy sometimes but no hassles at all.

I wouldn't even contemplate driving through the Cinque Terre because the trains are so good. We stayed in La Spezia for a couple of nights to see the Cinque Terre.

Lucca is a lovely place to stay.

Have fun

Yeah, I think some of the Cinque Terre are just not accessible by car. If visiting I'd plan to book in La Spezia and use the train, but we'd probably want a car to get our stuff there from Pisa or wherever.

 

[VPS]

Yeah, I think some of the Cinque Terre are just not accessible by car. If visiting I'd plan to book in La Spezia and use the train, but we'd probably want a car to get our stuff there from Pisa or wherever.

If you go to Pisa then walk behind the Leaning Tower - some of the buildings at the back are lovely and not often visited

 

[kelvedon]

I wouldn’t want a car visiting the Cinque Terre towns. Parking and access is a nightmare and the train running between them so much easier. There is a walking trail between them which gets progressively more challenging as you travel north. The trail is tolled and sometimes closed by landslides.
From Riomaggiore to Manarola is a gentle paved stroll, but from Vernazza to Monterosso is a steep hike in places. We hired a car in La Spieza afterwards for our onward journey. As mentioned before, driving in the countryside is fine, albeit aggressive, and as with the rest of Europe, tailgating on the autostrada at 130 kmph is deemed acceptable. But in the cities, the narrow streets and bump parking make a car a nuisance.
Oh, and there aren’t many cars not sporting dents or scratches, so get a zero excess hire car.
The Cinque Terre is well worth the effort, and the views from the ferry running between them shows the towns at their best.

 

[DC3]

Is Italy driveable outside Rome? Yes, on my driving trips to Rome, the Amalfi Coast, Tuscany (stay just outside of walled cities and go back and forth by cab) and northern Italy.

Smaller (automatic transmission) car, rather than a larger one.

​

 

[Anna]

When I was driving near Siena and also in Sicily, my biggest problem was always mixing up the Italian for east and west so I was forever picking the wrong exit direction on ring roads and roundabouts . It all added to the fun in the end.

 

[Jacques Vert]

I wouldn’t want a car visiting the Cinque Terre towns. Parking and access is a nightmare and the train running between them so much easier.

I should have mentioned that when we went to Cinque Terra, we parked at one of the stations and took the train back and forth between towns.

 

[blackcat20]

We drove into Cinque Terre and not on the main route due to rain/road closures. I don’t recommend that. But otherwise driving around Italy was fine and we only got one ticket

 

[jakeseven7]

Anything is possible but my key watchouts from my trips to Italy:

- Parking; expect to spend just as much time searching for a park as the time it takes to drive. I ended up parking in a paddock once and paying a random farmer.

- Car damage; Italians cannot park to save their lives / don’t care if they give you a little bumpy bumpy in the process / lean their Vespas up against your car and scratch it etc etc

 

[VPS]

When we rented the car in France we opted for paying a little extra for no excess. We did have a couple of minor scratches but got a bill from Avis for $1000 which I fought for months and they wouldn't budge.

In the end I sent the agreement to my friend who had a house near Avignon and she bowled into the Avis office and they said oh it's the Italian's fault - no you should not pay the $1000. I was so p!ssed off with Avis when they finally agreed that I didn't have to pay it and no apology.

You will get scratches in Italy so just make sure you have no excess (and preferably don't use Europcar) On another trip I was charged about 15 euro for something and I gave up because it wasn't worth it. I'm sure they do that to everyone because most people aren't going to spend hour over 15 euro.

 

[Anna]

In Italy I found an extra €10 later charged to my credit card by Avis and explained to me as 'fuel'. An absolute scam because I had filled the car right up not 50m from the return point. Carefully calibrated amount to make sure it wouldn't be worth my while to challenge it, but a nice little earner when charged to every customer. Can't recall whether this was Tuscany or Sicily.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

When we rented the car in France we opted for paying a little extra for no excess. We did have a couple of minor scratches but got a bill from Avis for $1000 which I fought for months and they wouldn't budge.

In the end I sent the agreement to my friend who had a house near Avignon and she bowled into the Avis office and they said oh it's the Italian's fault - no you should not pay the $1000. I was so p!ssed off with Avis when they finally agreed that I didn't have to pay it and no apology.

You will get scratches in Italy so just make sure you have no excess (and preferably don't use Europcar) On another trip I was charged about 15 euro for something and I gave up because it wasn't worth it. I'm sure they do that to everyone because most people aren't going to spend hour over 15 euro.

I don't understand. Why were you charged $1000 for minor excess when you are on no excess?

 

[dajop]

Yeah, I think some of the Cinque Terre are just not accessible by car. If visiting I'd plan to book in La Spezia and use the train, but we'd probably want a car to get our stuff there from Pisa or wherever.

If just renting a car to get from Pisa to La Spezia, as a means of transport solely I’d question the value. By the time you muck around picking the car up you’d be half way there on train. Of course if it’s part of an overall trip where you are taking pleasant detours into the countryside that completely changes the equation.

I always weigh up the stress vs the convenience, as I do find driving in foreign countries - moreso busy ones - can be stressful. Useful for sojourns in the countryside not well served by transport, not so good if I can sit back and relax on a train instead to do the journey. (Although we travel relatively light).

 

[VPS]

I don't understand. Why were you charged $1000 for minor excess when you are on no excess?

Car hire companies have their own rules. Picking the car up in France and dropping it off in Italy.

 

[jase05]

Even Rome is fine to drive in. I drive everywhere I can overseas especially in Europe but I do have experience driving buses on most of the tourist routes so a car is a breeze in comparison. Mrs Jase will drive in the countryside but always pulls over about half out from a major city to let me drive though

 

[mickp99]

Some of the possible detours on our upcoming (fingers crossed) family Europe trip, might be a few days in Cinque Terre or Tuscany. Given the distance of Cinque Terre from airports (Pisa is closest but over an hour away by train, and Genoa/Florence/Milan are all further afield) we might want to rent a car and stay in La Spezia or Monterosso at a place with parking.

Likewise, it might be easier to see a few Tuscan sights at our own pace if we base in Florence or Pisa (outside the ZTLs) and drive (allowing for having to park outside the old town centres).

My memories of Rome are such that I would never drive there, but how is driving in the countryside in Italy? Is it pleasant enough if I collect a car at say MXP/PSA/FLR and return it at FCO before taking the train into Rome, and stay outside the city centres?

We've driven from Milan to the Cinque Terre, Tuscany and Florence. Was a wonderful trip with no major problems. Although we did get a fine in Pisa when our GPS took us down a pedestrian only street. And in Florence parking is very, very difficult (our hotel took our car somewhere off-site). But we would do it again.

 

[brzbnkr]

Driving in Italy is THE best way to see the countryside. You'll see beautiful little towns that you would never possibly stumble upon if you only caught the train everywhere; especially in Cinque Terre and Tuscany. Too many times we've accidentally stumbled into a little town, with no foreign tourists and wished we could stay there for days, it's literally god's country.

Rome... Can you drive in Sydney ok? If so, you can drive in Rome; it's really no worse.
Download offline maps in Google Maps app on your phone, or if you're not worried about data use (if you haven't bought heaps of roaming data, or a local SIM), use Waze. Those apps are both constantly updated with current roads, will tell you which lane to be in, fastest route etc. Much better than factory-GPS systems in cars. Our latest trip to Italy (Oct 2019) we had a Fiat 500X which had Android Auto, worked a treat.

Highways are outstanding; ignore the speed limit signs because they're meaningless - you'll be on a 3-lane each way highway, sign will say it's a 60 zone or something stupid like that, while everyone is doing 120+, including the Carabinieri (police)! Good luck guessing what the "appropriate" speed to drive is though - best tip for that is just to stick to around the same speed as most other drivers. If a few cars overtake the Carabinieri, it's ok for you to do so too!

Country roads are easy. Except in some places, like Amalfi, they can get VERY skinny. So skinny that I've seen buses [driven by local bus drivers] get each other stuck, squeezed between two cliffs or buildings. My partner completely side-swiped our Fiat against a cliff wall, misjudging how much space she had. On that note [and I almost can't believe nobody in AFF forum picked up on this!] - check out whether your credit card(s) insurance policies will cover hire car excess. I have an Amex Qantas Ultimate, which includes (well, did back then anyway, haven't checked since Fortress Australia's walls went up) hire car excess cover - so I didn't pay the [ludicrously excessive!] "zero excess" fees from the hire company (either Avis or Europcar, can't recall which I used)... I just paid their large excess on my Amex (maybe 1500 euro or something like that?), which was pretty quickly refunded by Amex.
The other tip on hire cars in Italy, is that you do NOT want an upgrade!! Get as small a car as you can possibly live with... When we went to Amalfi we ordered a normal Fiat 500 (as in the baby 2 door) and I was so annoyed that we got upgraded to a 500X - which of course ended up in damage because it was too big for the roads (for my partner's driving skills anyway!). But Cinque Terre and Tuscany are better, we've driven a VW Golf around there without any problems at all. Tip for parking is just to stay away from major tourist areas and the middle of cities... I guess the caveat to that is if you can walk (when going to the bigger cities). Having said that, we managed to score a parking spot in a paid parking station in the middle of Florence (not cheap, but it was only for a few hours).

Happy travels and good luck!