DRIVING a car under 21

I don't think so, I believe that all the drivers need to be within the minimum and max ages for the rental agency. I think Hertz has an age 25 minimum in Italy. But once again, you'll need to ask the rental agency and get it in wrting if you are counting on it in your plans.

thnx

"Question for you: Have you yet figured out whether your 20 year old grand-daughter will be allowed to be a driver on the rental contract, and if so, how much extra that's going to cost you?
I assume she has not driven in Italy before? Does she know what to expect, or did you just tell her: don't worry, it will be fun?
:) "

I talked with someone from Auto Europe. In Italy, my age is no problem. It will cost $20 per day extra for a 20-year-old to drive.

Of course I have told her it "will be fun"

She will be driving only on the lesser roads in Tuscany, not on the Autostrada, I don't think, anyway.

I will be driving in the North and will have a new contract for Tuscany. That way I can have 2 different types of car. I loved my Renault Clio in Tuscany but it won't be the best for the Alpine country.

I really appreciate all the help I have received here.

thnx

Yes. I am 78 and grdaught. is 20. I thought it would be fun for her to be able to drive in Italy part of the time.

Suggest you follow the advice in the 1st post, you will want to nail this down before you get to the rental counter. Many first-time drivers in Italy report, when they return, that to be honest, driving in Italy was more different from driving here than they thought. A few newbies know before they go that driving there will be different in some important ways than driving here (that are safety-related, yours and others safety). Other newbies (your gd, not you) go vaguely thinking, "yeah, no problem."

" You need to nail this down before you get to the rental counter."

Doing that today

"Many first-time drivers in Italy report, when they return, that to be honest, driving in Italy was more challenging than they had expected and not what, in all honesty, most people would describe as "fun."

Two years ago I had a blast. I had a car in Tuscany for 3 weeks and went all over. Stumbled into Florence by mistake - 3 tickets the next January! Got lost 3 times but made it back to my place. It was an adventure!

What's nice about Italian drivers is that they are very predicatable. (Huh? What? You say. Let me clarify: I mean in the Tuscan countryside. I can't figure out what they're doing in the cities. It appears to be the complete opposite in cities, but I don't worry about driving there.)

Anyway, back to the point. They may drive fast, but they compensate for that by driving well, or more importantly being very predicatable. Being predictable by definition means they conform to a particular code of conduct and I know exactly what they will do I can effortlessy adjust for it-- as they expect me to. It is very different from America.

Here's the catch, your granddaughter needs to know what those expectations are because other drivers expect her to conform to them as well.

So, telling her that driving in the country is "fun" may imply that she only needs her existing knowledge and driving style and the rest will be cake. While many foolish people do this, they create hazards for other drivers, then come home with the perception that "Italians are crazy drivers" completely unaware THEY were the ones causing the problem. I hope your grandaughter will do lots of research before driving in Italy. I'm sure she can handle it if she prepares herself.

Thanks, Laura. Before I went to Italy 2 years ago I read up quite a bit on Italian drivers and driving. I still have those printouts. They were very good.

Also, I have already checked out AutoEurope and I will be able to rent a car, also Ash will be able to drive for a $20 per day fee.

Except for the 3 tickets I got in Florence driving was a real adventure. Nothing like leaving my Italian home, starting out on a road, not knowing where I was going but enjoying everything I found. Tuscany was a wonderful place to do this.

As for Florence, I was so excited about my first day of driving, going up a secondary road, thru small town after another, that I was in Florence before I realized it. But it was all so exciting.

I have no regrets about the tickets. I am so squeaky clean at home that that didn't bother me. Hated to pay it, but, as I have been saying, it was all an adventure.

Hey NanC. ONe thing to clarfiy with them is if $20 is just the extra driver charge, or in addition to it. A lot of companies WILL charge you both underage/ and extra driver fees. Just an FYI. - Sounds like you two will have a blast! :)

Ah ha --- didn't think of that. The guy said $20 surcharge per day.

I have added that to my list of things to ask when I do rent the car.
thnc