Car rental help - (1) Rome to Val d'Orcia to Florence; and (2) Cinque Terre to Lake Como

jared,

The car will be useful mainly to visit smaller towns in Tuscany that aren't well served by public transit, or where the schedules aren't convenient. Many of the other trips you'll be taking would be better by train. Having a car in the Cinque Terre is about as useful as a boat anchor. If you're going to be staying in Varenna on Lago di Como, a car is not advisable as parking could be an issue. The train from Milano Centrale is 1H:03M and it's a very nice trip.

You may already be aware of this but note that each driver listed on the rental form will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. You'll also have to be careful to avoid the ZTL (limited traffic) zones that exist in many Italian towns, as each pass through one will result in hefty fines. Do NOT drive in Florence!

Per the good tips above, read this about driving in Italy; avoid leaving anything of value in a car when parked:

http://driventoit.blogspot.com/

Pick up your car at the Termini station, or from Hertz across the street from the Tibertina station. Expect to drive around 2.5 hours:

https://www.wanderingitaly.com/maps/valdorcia.html

You’ll be parking outside of the visited towns and walking in.

IME it's simpler to drive out of Rome. However Hertz in Chiusi, half block from the station, is open Mon-Sat 9:30 to 12:30AM; probably under a one-hour drive from there. A train from Termini at 7:28 arrives at 9:08; or 9AM to 10:40.

Returning the car in Florence you need to navigate to Via Palagio degli Spini, the big complex near the airport [+-1.5 hour drive]; then take a cab to town.

Train schedules to e.g Varenna here [start at 8:am; based on results maybe back to 7]:

https://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en

A month ago, we took the train from Rome to Chiusi, picked up our car at Hertz (a short walk from the station), spent a week in Val d'Orcia, where the car was great for getting to various areas and hill towns. We dropped the car off in Chiusi and took the train to Florence. It was very easy.

Last fall we did your Rome - Val d'Orcia - Florence trip, picking up the rental car in Rome and dropping in Florence. We needed to be certain we would have an automatic so I wanted to pick up at a larger counter and also preferred Hertz. We picked up at Termini station and dropped off in Florence at Florence South (Via Ambrosoli 30). In Florence, we intentionally chose, with help from this forum, a drop-off location out of the city center to make sure we stayed out of the ZTL. The rental car office called for a cab to pick us up and take us into Florence, and it wasn't an expensive ride (~25-30 euros?). In Rome, it was slightly stressful to drive from Termini to the ring road - I remember a winding path of streets that would have been pretty confusing without the help of a good navigator, but fortunately I had great help, and it all went smoothly.

I would pick up in Rome preferably at the Tiburtina train station or Termini train station. Both are relatively easy to reach the freeway.
There are however many offices in Rome for all companies. Choose the one that you think it’s easier to get you on the GRA (Grand Round Beltway) to go north. You can find the rental locations in the specific rental companies websites.

If you prefer to rent at a location as close as possible to your final destination (Val d’Orcia) then you can rent in CHIUSI-CHIANCIANO which you can reach by train. Be aware that as smaller town rental locations you are less likely to find a car with auto transmission (if you absolutely need one).

Don’t bother with a car from Cinque Terre di Lake Como.