Car rental in Arezzo Italy

I have used Hertz in Europe on and off for years, with no problem. The only thing to watch out for now in some locations is the use of airport-type scanners which photograph any damage - make sure you inspect and take your own pics on collection.

Where are you reading all these bad reviews? Usually if you look hard enough you will find lots of bad and lots of good. More folks will post a bad review than a good one.

That said- we have rented cars in Italy (and other European countries) many times and have never had a complaint or been “scammed”. I suspect some of the complaints about "scam charges after" are related to traffic violations. The rental agency will charge you for providing your info to the police- that is not a scam. if you have done your homework and know how and where to avoid ZTLs and other violations this should not be a concern

We have rented with Hertz, Europcar, Avis all booked thru AutoEurope.com. We always include Full Insurance/No Deductible. for a few dollars more a day- worth it for peace of mind. If you don't want to pay that small amount extra then take pictures of the car- all around each side and hope that you don't need to use them. Deductibles are pretty high- $1000.
With the Full Insurance you can literally just drop the car and walk away- damage or no damage.

I would never book a rental car thru Expedia. If you have any issues they will be no help at all.

You should rent thru AutoEurope or Kemwel if you want to use a broker or thru the actual rental agency otherwise- just know that Hertz, Avis etc in Italy are not necessarily the same as those companies in the US.

AutoEurope is known for their stellar customer service. If you have a problem they will handle it- they have a toll free number as well.

Most agencies will be able to provide an automatic- not sure where you are looking.

Go to AutoEurope.com and see what they offer- or call them- they are extremely helpful and knowledgeable.

Make sure all drivers have an IDP- it is required by law.
Do your homework on driving in Italy- ZTLs, speed cameras, parking, etc.
If you intend to wine taste- have a designated river. The alcohol limits in Italy are much lower than here in US.

Not sure where you read all the stories but I have never had issues with car rentals in Italy.
I generally use www.autoeurope.com, a broker that works with the main rental companies. I know Arezzo well although I’ve never picked up a car there. If you are arriving by train the best option is Avis-Budget. The agency is across the street from the station. There is also a Europcar agency not far from the station but not walking distance. I went there once to change for a larger car I had picked up in Florence (but couldn’t help me at the time). I think the Hertz is a franchise operated by this outfit https://www.rentaerre.it/. It is a bit farther. You should be able to see your options on AutoEurope but I think Avis will be your best bet. It’s a larger agency and they should have automatic cars. Automatic cars are rare in the lower segment (economy) so you might have to get a larger car or small SUV.

All of the cars from Avis or Budget nearby are not automatic. It’s either hertz or noleggiare. I have looked on autoeurope.com but they don’t have any options for me on my dates selected for an automatic car. Expedia does through hertz.

For automatic cars your best bet is a larger city where there are lots of American tourists like Rome or Florence. Italians are not into automatic cars much (I own only manual cars) and rental companies put in their fleet cars that are easy to resell. However I find it strange that Avis has no auto cars at least on the higher segment. Cars in the larger segment are more likely automatic.

What are your dates?
Are you using the filter for transmission type?

Where are you coming from- and going to?
is there a better place to pick up a car?

Agencies close from 1 ish to 4 ish on weekdays, noon on Saturday and closed on Sunday
Make sure you are not putting in a “closed” time for your search

Also try
autoeurope.eu
kemwel.com

Basically same broker

You don’t NEED a car in Tuscany. Trains and buses go everywhere. People live there and many rely on public transportation. It just takes longer to get around without a car. But you also don’t find a citation for $700 in your mailbox several months after your trip. I know because it happened to me after my first trip to Italy many years ago. Now I know how to enjoy “slow travel” on the bus with the locals.

What are your plans in Arezzo? Maybe you may not need a car, as Rachele said. Many towns in Italy are well served by trains and buses (although buses are not very frequent on Sundays). Obviously having a car offers more flexibility to visit multiple towns without having to worry about transit schedules, but a car comes with additional caveats too. First of all renting cars costs more money, but also there are traffic restrictions in historical centers which often result in fines if you don’t pay attention and enter a restricted area.

But you also don’t find a citation for $700 in your mailbox several
months after your trip.

This doesn't happen to everyone who rents a car and drives in Italy. We have never had a violation/citation.

Of course it doesn’t happen to everyone ChristineH, but it happens often enough that people need to be aware.

Rachele must have a heavy foot. To get a fine of that magnitude you need to go above the speed limit by at least 40 km/h over (25 miles). In that case the minimum fine is indeed almost 550€.
I don’t think getting fined is so common, certain not with those high fines. You must do some serious speeding to get a fine that large. Most Americans driving in Italy get fined for unauthorized entry in a Limited Traffic Zone, an occurrence which happens because they don’t exist in America and the “no vehicle permitted sign” does not exist either in the US. Those ZTL fines are easily avoidable and they are under $100.

but it happens often enough that people need to be aware.

People who rent cars and drivers in Italy need to be aware of the rules of the road and follow them just as they would/should in the US or any other country.
If you break the rules you get fined.

I suspect Roberto is correct (he usually is) that most that get fined are for ZTL violations. Getting a fine of $700 for that infraction would mean entering multiple ZTLs or even same one over and over.

OP has apparently decided they do need a car so whenever I post advice about renting/driving in Italy I encourage poster to read up on the laws and follow them as I did in this thread. Everyone should realize that if you don't follow the rules you will get fined- just as you would anywhere else. It is not the fault of the rental car, but it is the fault of the driver (who perhaps didn't do the homework).

Dear Roberto - I wasn’t actually driving. My daughter was and I know that she was not speeding because I was there. But apparently she drove into those areas where one is not allowed to drive and it may have been in Florence as we were trying to make our way out of the city after picking up the car. . This was in 2007 and was our first trip to Italy. We were very ignorant.

Thanks for all your help. During this part of the stay..we will be staying technically in Macciano. I was looking for an automatic car from Chiusi and couldn’t find one with a trusted company so I decided on Arezzo. Our train arrives May 1st and I figured we would need a car for day trips around Pienza or Montepulciano.

Also why is renting a car by hertz through Expedia so bad?

Thank you for the further information.
May 1st is a holiday (Labor day) throughout Europe and all rental offices in Arezzo or Chiusi will be closed.
In 2026 May 1st falls on a Friday therefore it is also questionable if they will open for the scheduled half a day on Saturday 2nd, and certainly they will be closed all day on Sunday 3 May.
The offices in Florence may also be closed on that day (for sure in the afternoon) with one exception: FLORENCE AIRPORT.
Therefore if you need a rental car, your ONE AND ONLY CHOICE is to rent from the Florence airport and drive to whichever destination, without bothering with the trains. Many rental cars in Florence airport, at least midsize and up, should have automatic transmission options. It’s going to be about one hour and a half drive from Florence airport, virtually all on multi lane freeways, so it’s easy. You can’t reach Macciano without a car, it’s a small rural hamlet with no more than 7 or 8 houses that is not served by public transportation, not even on regular days. I generally make arrangements on AutoEurope about a month or two in advance. Be aware that the last week of April is very busy in Italy due to the confluence of two holidays (April 25 and May 1st).

If you are coming from Rome, the same situation applies, you need to pick up your car in Rome (probably the airport also). The drive from Rome is a bit longer than from Florence.

May 1 is a holiday. Check the agency hours.

Where are you coming from on the train?
Where will you drop car and go after your time in Macciano/Tuscany?

You might need to consider picking up car day before or after (Sat am) and/or from a larger city.

I just checked autoeurope for pick up in Chiusi on April 30 - Avis/Budget has automatics on offer. Nothing on May 1- closed for holiday

I think May 1 holiday is your issue. Airport pick up is probably your only option on this day.

Hard to advise any further without those before/after details.

I don't know where you live or what your driving experience is but driving in Italy is not much different at all than driving in US.
The highway roads and signage are good so if you have to use a car more than you anticipated to get to where you are going-it makes sense to do that. Cost won’t be much more for one more rental day.
Seems like unless you can change your pick up date or pick up place your options are limited and well…IMO a pain in the neck.
Arezzo just isn’t a good place to pick up car unless you are staying there as well. Can you train to Arezzo on May 1- stay 1 night- then pick up car as you leave? Arezzo is worth a night at least.
Hertz is not close to Arezzo station- 15+ min walk or get a taxi. No Uber in Italy.

Hertz in Arezzo is a small franchise operated by this local rental/used car seller (see link below). You are not renting from Hertz USA and most importantly you can see in the link that they normally close on Saturday afternoon and on Sundays all day. The probability this place will be open on May 1st, is less than zero. Rent from Florence or Rome airport on May 1, then drive. Or go the day before and rent from Avis-Budget in Chiusi (the only game in town). They should have automatics.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/H52FnKsBCZesQ4XY9?g_st=ic

Reported to webmaster

I guess I need to add more details. Thank you all for your time and patience. This is for my honeymoon. We will be staying in the amalfi coast for a week..and I have a train ride that will take us up to chuision May 1st. We have a nice Airbnb in Macciano. It looks like it is near a bus station called garden house. After 5 days, we will end up going to Riva del garda. I wanted to go to Montepulciano during this part of Pienza and try wine, cheese, and horseback riding. I understand that the timing is poor as may 1st is a holiday and then the weekend follows. I wonder if we could make it around with just that bus system and taxis. I started looking at hertz in Arezzo because there were no good options in chuisi until Monday for automatic. I thought I could take a train to Arezzo and then drive it down. Now I’m thinking that maybe I could get away without a car? But with a holiday weekend, public transportation may be limited and I’m worried if we go out for dinner in Montepulciano that we won’t have a way back. I feel a little stuck but figuring it out and thankful for all of your kind/helpful responses

kiesling, I feel that Tuscany is one of the places where a car is very helpful. I don't LOVE to rent a mighty steel steed abroad, but the freedom to see more than one town in one day (up to three, usually), plus possible special meals, is worth a lot. I don't know about May (check climate websites) but in the midst of summer, the air conditioning break is also worth something. Italy is one of those mañana (I guess I should say domani) countries, where printed schedules are not, shall we say, inviolate. (I grew up in a big American city, and neither of my parents ever owned a car in their lives ... )

Many vistas in Tuscany were lovely, but we did not find the controlled access highway (to return the car at the Rome airport) special or attractive. We stayed overnight at the airport Hilton, so we could walk directly to the departure concourse the next morning.

From the Garden House bus stop on the State Road 146 to Macciano, it’s one km walk on a country unpaved dirt road, which has no sidewalks or street lights (if you walk it at night). If you are staying at the Macciangrosso Agriturismo B&B, then the walk is almost a mile. To me that is not an ideal place to stay without a car. If you are leaving from the Amalfi coast then you should rent the car in Sorrento or Salerno (but pick up the day before because they are probably closed on May 1st), or at the Naples airport. Not renting a car for your trip, especially in view of your rural accommodations, would be a very poor choice in my opinion.

The bus you would need for Macciano is the FT4, which connects the Chiusi train station to Montepulciano. Currently, at least in winter, the bus does not operate on Sundays or Holidays, therefore it is available only on weekdays and Saturdays. That may change with the summer schedule but it hasn’t been published in the AT site yet. Just be aware that on. May 1st many buses don’t run at all. Even in Florence I remember as a child that my father (a city bus worker in Florence, the largest city in Tuscany) worked only in the mornings of May 1st, if it was his turn to work at all on that day. Buses would not operate at all in the afternoon of May 1st. That may have changed nowadays, but just to give you an idea that May 1st is not a minor holiday. Things truly shut down on that day.

https://rd-sftp-data.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/autolineeToscane/IVU/OUTPUT/TIMETABLES_WINTER/EXSI/FT4.pdf

Where are you staying on Amalfi coast? Which town?
From where is your train from there to Chiusi?

Where did you plan to drop car and how will you get to Riva del Garda? (No direct train access- train to Rovereto from Florence then bus…I think)

Where are you going after Riva del Garda?

Still need more info about your itinerary.

You will definitely need/want a car in Macciano- no way around that.
You can’t get a car anywhere other than an airport on May 1.
Agencies will be closed May 2, May 3. So one option is to get the car a day earlier.

If you can change your plans slightly- leave AC on April 30 after picking up car in Salerno. (Take ferry from wherever you are staying on AC- the car agencies are near train station just a short walk from ferry but note their open hours!)

Drive to Macciano on April 30 (add that night here)

Drive from Macciano to Riva del Garda- keep the car while here as there won’t be anywhere there to drop it.
(Make sure both accommodations have parking)

Drive to your next location- where is that? Hoping it’s a big town or city that has a car rental agency.

OR
Train to Florence from AC then pick up car at Florence airport and drive to Macciano on May 1. (Tram/shuttle or taxi from station directly to rental agencies- taxi would be my choice)

This plan would be the least amount of change to your itinerary- you would probably just have to rebook your train ticket.

Figure out how you will get to Riva del Garda and onward.

We were just in Italy in October- picked up our car in Sorrento and drove to Orvieto then on to Pienza. The drive was very easy. This was not the first time we drove in Italy.
We dropped at FCO - also very easy (with Roberto's directions )