Booking.com for Car Rental in Chiusi

hey hey dj
make sure you apply for an IDP from AAA.com read up on it. a translation of your USA drivers license
about $25 per person for each driver, 2 passport photos, get it same day, good for a year.
make sure the days and times car rental open. check autoeurope.com also. more posters will come on and give you more info. we always take a train so can't help you with the car.
aloha

Thank you so much for the advice!

When I travel to Europe and Italy (every year, sometimes multiple times a year, for the past 35 years), I rent cars through AutoEurope, a consolidator/broker. They have multiple websites and I check all since deals vary (www.AutoEurope.com, www.AutoEurope.eu, www.Kemwel.com). I select the best deal and also select the insurance option with zero deductible (or refundable excess), as insurance deductibles are at least 1000€ and all it takes is a small scratch and you are liable for that deductible (and my U.S. insurance does not cover me overseas). The zero deductible option costs about $5/day more.

In the US I’ve used multiple sites (kayak, Expedia, Booking, etc.) or even directly with the car companies, but for Europe I trust only AutoEurope.

Chiusi is a small town and the only rental company available now is Avis-Budget. Hertz and Europcar closed down during the pandemic.

Another vote for AutoEurope
Every time we rent in Europe

Be sure all drivers have an IDP

Thank you! That is so helpful! Since you are an experienced traveling and this is my first time, can I ask you one more thing. We fly into Rome and are nervous to rent a car in Rome so that is why we are thinking of taking the train to Chiusi and renting a car for a couple of days to check out Montepulciano and area. Then we will drop the car back off in Chiusi and take the train to Siena and then take the train from Siena to Florence. Do you think that is a good plan for travel newbies like us who have never been to Europe?

An option would be to take the 70 minute train from Rome Termini up to Orvieto and visit that great hilltown. As you leave, the Hertz location is across the street from the train station. Chiusi is north of there--up A1 highway.

Distances are not that great in this region, and there are many towns to visit including Siena, Volterra, San Gimignano, Montepulciano and others. You can return the car easily at the Florence Airport. Tuscany is best seen from behind the wheel.

Do you think that is a good plan for travel newbies like us who have
never been to Europe?

It could be a good plan, but without knowing your full itinerary it is hard to say.
Are you returning to Rome to fly home?
It might make more sense and be a bit easier if you begin your trip in Florence- train from Rome- then pick up car and work your way thru Tuscany and return the car in Chiusi or Orvieto.

(It sounds like you are planning to go right to Chiusi and pick up car after a transatlantic flight- probably not the safest thing to do!)

The problem with picking up in Chiusi is there is only Avis, car selection could be limited (no automatics) and their hours are short- closed on Sun, closed at noon on Sat, closed mid day during the week.

The problem with Orvieto is there is only Hertz- AutoEurope does not work with that agency anymore.

You do not have to drop off same place you picked up.

If you could share your planned itinerary we can give you more specific advice on where best to rent your car.

There are also many threads here on picking up cars and driving in Tuscany. It's a frequent topic.
Use the Search Function- filter by Type and Date and you'll find tons of info.

Also- welcome to the forum!

You should be fine driving around in the country, but if you are not used to it, I'd recommend avoiding driving into any sizeable Italian city. Between the traffic, the tiny streets, and the ZTLs, it can be kind of intense. Outside the towns is fairly straightforward, though.

Also, you should familiarize yourself with the Italian toll system on the autostrada. Look up a YouTube video for how to get a ticket and pay. It's not difficult, but if you haven't seen it before, it might be confusing the first time.

We have rented a car twice from Budget in Chiusi, most recently this past September. It's an easy, inexpensive train ride from Roma Termini, and the Budget office in Chiusi is a very short walk from the train station. Montepulciano is only a half hour ride from Chiusi, pretty much on SP146 all the way.

Plan on car rental offices in that area being closed for a few hours at lunch time, and only open a half day on Saturday, and closed on Sunday. I think we took a train around 9 AM from Roma Termini, and got to Chiusi around 11 AM, in plenty of time before they closed at 12:30 for lunch. Just FYI, the train to Chiusi leaves Roma Termini from either track 1EST or 2EST, on the far left side of the station, and it's quite a long walk out to those platforms.

We have also rented from Hertz right across the street from the Orvieto train station, which was convenient as we were staying in Orvieto and visiting Tuscany and Umbria towns in that area, but it's probably an hour drive to Montepulciano from there.

Don’t be nervous. It’s not that difficult to get out of Rome, even from the city center. Just make sure you do so before the afternoon commute.
I would pick up the car wherever it’s cheapest. Using the AutoEurope website check the various options picking up at ROME ALL LOCATIONS or CHIUSI.
Only Avis-Budget is in Chiusi and, as mentioned, AutoEurope doesn’t work with Hertz in Orvieto anymore (I think due to extremely bad customer service at that franchise), but I’d try all the options and choose the most convenient for my needs and budget. Driving from Rome is not difficult. It’s mostly freeway and in about two hours you get there.

We took the train to Chuisi from Rome and picked up our car there. It was Hertz at the time and we walked across the street to the car rental. This was 10 years ago. We stayed at Villa Poggiano in Montepulciano. We struggled with the stick shift we reserved and the owner of VP called them and got us a gorgeous automatic Audi.

I was happy with our choice to take the train and I believe the price was better away from the airport.

A couple of additional pointers about driving in Italy. Paying for parking can be confusing, as different methods are used. In some towns the driver needs to set the arrival time on a cardboard clock face and set it on the dash. I once didn’t have that and just drew a clock face on a piece of paper. That way if you are, e.g., in a 2 hour zone, the “enforcer” will know if you are still legal. Others places use the single machine in which you put in your license number and time. Same as many places in the U.S.
In case you’re wondering, if you violate parking and/ or speed regulations (speed cameras are very prevalent), your rental company will pass your information to the appropriate authority. Then, they’ll charge your cc with a fee for that service, upwards of $40.
Getting around Tuscany almost requires a car. Roads are mostly 2 lane and full of twists and turns. Don’t trust your notions how long a distance may require. A 25 mile distance might actually take an hour.
All this is to forewarn you, not to discourage you. We’ve visited Italy at least 16 times, usually driving at least some of the time. Buon viaggio.