CAR HIRE SOUTHERN ITALY to ROME (or SITA Bus?)

Thanks Kent. I will check out that website now. An advantage of keeping the car to get to Rome airport is we can check out Ostia Antica as we will have a spare half day.

Yes, that makes sense, as Ostia is near the airport and has parking.

Driving in Naples (and points surrounding) is hair-raising. Once you're in Basilicata you should be OK as long as you remember that Italians drive in a box of responsibility that starts at their eye level and moves forward. They seldom check in their rear view mirrors or even side mirrors because their "box" isn't there. (I don't know about Australia; Americans drive in a "bubble" that surrounds the entire car.)

If you can, get your Italian family members to teach you to understand traffic reports in Italian and use the radio's traffic reporting service to figure out where problems are. Going from Salerno to Fiumicino, you will have a couple of sticky spots, first around Naples and also on the G.R.A. (the ring road around Rome), which can have amazingly crippling accidents. Leave TONS of time for the return drive to Fiumicino.

When driving around Naples on the autostrada, either buy a Viacard (prepaid toll card - helps speed things up at toll plazas, too) or carry lots of change and don't let the toll booth operators rush you. When they do this, they are probably in the process of short-changing you. Go slowly, count your money and sit in the toll lane until you get the right change.

All Italians hoard coins, trying to give Euro notes and get coins back...that way they can pay exact change at toll booths and metro stations.

If you are picking up your car at Capodichino airport in Naples you will have a few rough moments exiting the airport and finding the autostrada. Get a good, detailed map before you depart for Italy. Then I am assuming you'll head into Basilicata. Most roads there are in good shape (we've been to quite a few cities there). The autostrada can be slow, esp. in construction zones, and you will need to be patient.

One last tip. Every single thing you own goes in the trunk of the car while you drive in Italy. Don't leave anything in the passenger compartment. Break-ins are common but they are easy to avoid.

Thanks for all those tips- I will print off and take them with me.
Do you think we would we be better off picking up the car in Caserta rather than Salerno? I have asked the travel agent to check the availability for a pick up from Caserta and Salerno.

As a whole different tact - my parents are travelling separately and using SITA buses. They think we are mad hiring a car. Does anyone have any experiences with the buses around Basilicata? There are 4 of us (not including my parents) and I thought a car might give us more flexibility for sightseeing (and escaping relatives(did I say that?))

ok...firstly no, no, no...I find the driving in and out of Salerno MUCH easier than Caserta (where I have been turned around and lost many times!) Although, both cities tend to have high car rentalprices
Salerno is very easy to navigate and easier to find the Autostrada (I think anyway) we do the drive to and from Salerno quite often. (you don't have to drive IN Naples to pick up from the airport either -it is more chaotic than Salerno, but not TOO horrible - nothing like driving IN the city for sure! now...all that said...time-wise...it is much easier to pick up at the Rome airport (and drop off there) - I also find it to be much cheaper. Where in Basilicata are you going? Our vacation home is right on the Basilicata/Campania border, so I know the area fairly well :-) We almost always get the car at the Rome airport - very simple onto the highway and not too much chance of getting lost. It takes me 3 1/2 hours to get to the Campania/Basilicata border (but, obviously, depends on where you are heading!) I find http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/viamichelin/gbr/tpl/hme/MaHomePage.htm?redirect=true very accurate with both travel time, as well as tool costs - so I'd go by that. anyway..final note...don't drop the car in Naples unless it's financially better...dropping at the airport is easy...but then, you will waste a lot of time catching the bus to the train station and then on to Rome and then the train from Rome Termini to the Airport - if you just drive it, you'll be there faster for sure. As for SITA buses...are you sure there is a SITA bus that takes them where they want to go in Basilicata????? most towns in that region are serviced by local bus companies and not all served by SITA....buses are fairly good and many locals travel that way, but it takes some digging to find the right bus lines and connections and, many times they are not very frequent. Happy to answer any other questions...we do that drive from Rome as often as possible :-)

We are staying in Viggiano (PZ).

ah! that's about 2 hours south of me...

it would make the drive from (or to) Rome at least an hour longer - about 4 1/2 hours...which is a bit long! I'd choose Salerno for sure! (about 2 hours) By car from the Naples airport would only be a little further (maybe a half hour?) if it works out better...but Salerno will be an easier drive. Caserta will take you about 3 hours...and I think that will feel very long when you include the train. There's a Hertz(I think! could be Avis, or budget or one of them... so don't take my word)...or one of the major companies about a block from the train station.

Ok its decision time to book the car. We will pick up the car in Salerno. Would it be better to drop the car off in Salerno and catch the train to Rome Fiumicino or drive to Rome Fiumicino?
Both options will take the same time. So the question is about safety and what would be easier?

In reference to the Via card mentioned above, the tolls also accept credit cards in those same lanes. Definitely a time-saver.

I always think it is just easier to keep going once you're in the car...but, I guess it depends on how your family feels about long drives really. It may be easier and faster just becasue you don't have to deal with waiting for your train to Rome - don't know really what you mean by safety...I have never felt unsafe in Salerno. (as far as actual driving...easiest drop-off is the Rome airport just becasue you don't ahve to drive IN a city at all)

I meant whether it was safe driving around the Rome airport. But if you say it is easy thats good. 4 1/2 hours driving is a long time - so can you suggest any places on the way to stop for a break?

Driving around Rome airport is pretty much like driving around any major airport - busy, but well-marked. I've never had any safety concerns there (parking garage with attendants where you go to drop off your rental car).