Picking up a car in Bologna and traveling to Cortona where we are staying at a villa for a week. On route to Cortona would like to stop in Arezzo for lunch, but we will have a car full of Luggage. Always heard this is a no-no, to leave a car parked full of luggage. Another choice would be to train to Arezzo and pick up the car there, but what do we do with our luggage before we get the car? Advise and your experiences appreciated.
We have the same situation going home...from Cortona to Rome. Hope to hit Orvieto for lunch. Would like to ditch the car in Orvieto and train into Rome, but again, what to do with luggage and packages (since I'm sure we'll have lots of goodies from 2 weeks in Italy).
Posted by
Portlandia
3313 posts
Steve - If you expect to have more luggage than you can comfortably carry on a train you have some choices to make.
First of all, be sure to reserve a sedan as a rental car. You can store your luggage in the trunk and out of sight. Hatchbacks and station wagons are very common rental vehicles in Europe so it's important to specify a sedan.
Arrezzo is a pretty safe town to park in. The usual advice applies - easily seen, well lighted parking spots.
It's dropping the car in Orvieto and training into Rome that will test your ability to tote luggage and the goodies you want to buy. There's no way I would want to keep the car and park it in Rome. So I wouldn't want to have more luggage and souveniers than I could carry on the train.
One option: prepare to mail your excess stuff home. There are Mailbox Etc. offices everywhere. It could be expensive, but choose the slowest service home.
Posted by
Collierville, Tennessee, USA
500 posts
I haven't done it at Arezzo, but we stopped in San Gimignano for a visit and left a car full of luggage in the parking lot with no problems. If you park in a busy area with a lot of people around during the day time, it might lessen the risk of theft. On certain weekends in Arezzo there is a huge antiques fair. I have been but can't remember which weekend, maybe the weekend of the first Sunday of the month. We took the train to the fair. If you drive, it may be hard to find a parking space or a place for lunch.
I understand that some train stations have lockers for luggage, etc., but I have never used them. We have been to Cortona 5 times are returning this fall if you have any questions about it or daytrips from there. A fun website to check is eurobimbo's journey to enlightenment. Tania and Keith are from California and moved to Cortona. They recently bought a house outside of Cortona. They have a wealth of knowledge about things to do in and around Cortona and are very nice.
Posted by
OP
Seattle, WA, USA
9 posts
Good Advice all, thanks. I'm very curious if anyone has used lockers in either Arezzo or Orvieto train station...I think i'll start a new topic to get a direct answer to this. The problem is not the amount of luggage to take on the train, I fully intend to pack light, but it's a 2 week trip. The issue is carrying luggage around any town...can't really enjoy much if your toting a bag around. So my concern is counting on lockers in these towns. The sedan choice is a good one, but there are 3 of us traveling, that's 3 - 5 pieces of luggage...so unless I rent a huge car (which I do not want to do) no truck can accommadate. Again thanks for the replies.
Posted by
Collierville, Tennessee, USA
500 posts
Does the villa you are renting have a washing machine? If so, it makes it much easier to pack light. We almost always stay in a house or an apartment with a washing machine.
Posted by
Sheboygan, Wisc., USA
934 posts
We recently traveled by car in Italy for 18 days with four people.We didnt have any problem getting everything into the trunk.Maybe you could ask for a station wagon as they have more room but also have a cover over the luggage.Many times you can park in guarded lots although they might cost a little more.
Posted by
Lake Forest, CA
206 posts
If you rent a compact car, you will need compact luggage. Trunks are small. Do not leave anything in English, like maps and books, visible in the car, or anything in English. We always buy a newspaper of the country we are in and toss that in the back seat just in case someone is checking out the car. Also, our recent rental in Austria had the Hertz sticker on the window, so we removed it. If you have a hatchback type car, back it in very close to a wall so no one can open it.
Weather one week, two or like the three weeks we did in September to Austria, one small suitcase should be all you need. A lot of luggage is a headache on trains too. Check out packing tips and remember: half the clothes and double the money.