Age Restriction Car Rental?

I rented a car in Italy last spring, when I was 75.

It's natural to be worried about this.
I've spent a few minutes with google and couldn't find a definitive answer for Italy.
Rosalyn's experience is evidence in favor of your husband being able to rent.
I did find that there are, indeed, at least a couple of countries have a maximum age limit as low as 70, though most that had age limits were between 75 and 80, and some countries or rental companies have no age limit.

There seems to be a consensus about one thing: that the best thing to do is contact the rental location you're thinking about using and just asking them if being 70 is going to be a problem.
Unfortunately, this is easier said than done if you're renting in Italy.

But this method would have the advantage of giving you peace of mind (if the answer is favorable), and if the answer is unfavorable, at least you know before you go, and you avoid being denied at the rental counter, when your options are a lot less than right now.

If the answer on the phone or by email is unfavorable, you would know in time to shop around for a rental company that is more understanding.
And if the rental company won't reply to your question, I would contact more rental companies until I found one that would answer my question.

My quick research also indicated that sometimes it's a national law that imposes an age limit, but mostly it's a matter for the individual rental company to decide. I also found that in some cases in Europe, rental companies let their individual franchise locations decide the issue.

So best to call or e-mail, once you have a potential rental company and exact rental location in mind.
Good Luck on this!

Thank you ALL for your quick and helpful advice. Will hopefully be picking it up in Palermo. I may use a U.S. agency here like Hertz, and then confirm with the local agency. I really thank you Kent for your always thorough advice!

Donna,
Glad to help.
Maybe the US agency will answer your question--but if you do decide to ask the US Hertz folks, before you go, make sure Hertz US understands that you're renting in Palermo and don't want to be denied while you're standing at the rental counter.

Because the way I understand it, the Palermo rental location will make the final decision, it will be governed by their policies.
I only suggest this so that you'll avoid the worst case scenario: which is being denied at the rental counter--and then what do you do?!

Donna, for my own brief car rental in Sicily, after researching rates, etc., I chose to rent from Sixt, and had an excellent experience all the way around: rate, service, car, etc. I rented and returned the car at the Palermo airport. I did take out the no-deductible insurance. Just one tip, from personal experience: be sure that before you drive off from the pick-up point, you know how to get the car into reverse! Enjoy Sicily!

Consider contacting Kemwel or Autoeurope. They usually offer much better deals than booking directly with the rental companies. They are also, in my experience, very professional and have always provided accurate information about terms and conditions for the cars they book.

My father rented a car at Naples airport when he was 82.

I also rented a car in Sicily in 2012, when I was 73, through AutoEurope. They ask your age when you book, so presumably, they hook you up with an agency that doesn't have a limit. I'll throw in a caution here about dealing with Hertz. First of all, Hertz in Italy is a different company from Hertz in the U.S. For that reason, it is useless to try to accomplish anything by dealing with the latter; whether it be information about policies or complaints. We found the Hertz agency at the Catania airport to be a sleazy, dishonest crowd. I'll spare you the details, but I have made it a principle never to rent from Hertz again.