Driving trip with senior parents (ANSWERED by many; Thank you.)

Some friends mentioned that many cities will not let cars into the city centre

That is correct. Search (including on these Forums, using the Search area on each page) for the term ZTL, the Italian acronym loosely translated as Zone of Limited Traffic.

Generally most cities and towns prohibit traffic within the walls. This is to make things more pleasant for pedestrians and residents, to preserve the old buildings, reduce pollution and prevent traffic jams.

Failure to avoid one or more ZTLs will likely result in huge fines arriving by mail some months after you get home as well as fees charged by the rental car company to furnish your details to the police. This Forum is replete with stories about these, usually complaining about not expecting the fines and how it took too long. Don't put yourself in that position.

Residents of the town can get permits to allow them to enter specific ZTL areas, and you may be able to get your car white listed for a trip into a ZTL to drop off luggage or pick it up but it MUST be arranged in advance and you need to check on it because sometimes they neglect to notify the police in a timely way so you wind up with those fines again.

I've never had a ZTL fine (or any other kind of Italian fine) despite visiting Italy by car many times (I drive from my home in England) but I also know how to recognize a ZTL sign and I simply do not enter one. Ever.

If you are concerned about driving, parking and fines for driving into inner cities and towns maybe you could think about this idea.

Pick a base in two medium sized places that have have good train connections such as Lucca in Tuscany, Verona in Veneto, Stresa along Lake Maggiore or many others. Once you are there and have left your luggage for the week at a hotel or rental, you’ll be able to tour by minivan tours, boat or little train trips without luggage.

Enjoy planning!

Hi lugubres, how about staying in the Cinque Terre and Siena as your home base? This means you can fly in and out of Milan, which tends to be ITs cheaper airport. You can fly non-stop between New York and Milan.
I would rent a car at Milan’s Malpensa airport and drive to Vernazza (Cinque Terre) that takes 3h 45m to get to. You can then drive to Siena (3h 15m) from Vernazza and explore Tuscany. To get back to Malpensa airport it’ll take 4h 45m.
In the Cinque Terre you want to visit all five towns that make up the Cinque Terre (Monterosso al Mare [30m], Manarola [45m], Riomaggiore [45m] and Corniglia [45m]). You can also explore more of the riviera if desired i.e., Santa Margherita Ligure (1h 30m) and Porto Venere (1h 15m).
In Tuscany, consider driving to Pisa (1h 45m), Lucca (1h 45m), Volterra (1h), Montepulciano (45m) and San Gimignano (1h).
As far as theft goes, don't leave anything in your car when you park it. I've rented a car in Tuscany twice, and had to walk to get inside a wall or a zone. Perhaps you could park your car and hop in a taxi to get to the city center.

I agree with the others that if your main reason for wanting to rent a car is the convenience of transporting luggage (and the senior parents that go with it) door to door, you may be biting off more than you can chew. Driving on your own in Italy is a challenge not to be taken lightly.

Since you have already visited some of the major cities, where is it in Italy that your parents want to go? Is there a certain region (for example, with ancestral connections)? Or do you want to experience the countryside, regardless of region? If you can provide specifics along these lines, I'm sure those of us who've been there can give you additional advice.

My late mother had a friend who owned a house on a hill in a picturesque, Italian hill town. She would arrive with her children and grandchildren every summer, climb up to the property and then stay put for the summer. Her offspring did all the schleping up and down the hill. The point here is that your parents may end up walking a lot due to the vehicle restrictions but you may end up lugging not only your luggage from the parking areas, but all of their, too. You might want to look into an organized tour that provides some luggage service and a bit of door to door service wherever possible. A lot has changed in the 20+ years since the lira.
Rick Steves tours wouldn't provide those services.

Thank you everyone for the quick and very informative replies. I guess driving in Italy might have to be off the table with the prevalent ZTL zones.

We really enjoy travelling independently on our own in the past so that's why haven't considered any organized tours. Might be time to do a mix of bus/train travel on our own along with some organized day trips or longer ones in minivans.

Ah we are not attached any particular region at the moment as we are not of Italian origin. We just want to visit areas with great culinary traditions. Once I've read more and have more of an idea, I will ask more related questions if I get that far :-)

Thanks again for all your help!

Lugubres

For a two week trip, I would fly into either Bologna or Verona, take a taxi to your hotel or apartment, and stay there, taking trains to other smaller towns. You will eat very, very well and both areas are very flat and there is lots to see. Stay in a nice old part of town, not near the train stations --- just call a taxi (you'll save so much money from not renting a car!). There are food tours you can go on and see, for instance, cheese being made. Ravenna is only an hour by train from Bologna.

We've rented apartments in both cities, also in several of the towns near each -- if you thought you could fly in and then take a short train ride to one of the smaller towns, I would recommend Parma or Modena (from either Bologna or Milan airport).

Trains without luggage are a breeze!

@nancys8
Yes I think we've stayed in Bologna but didn't have time to explore and didn't realize that it was a foodie city until years after our first trip. Yes thanks for mentioning Parma (cheese & ham) & Modena (balsamic vinegar). It'll be a treat!

Taxi: Sorry to ask as we usually don't take taxi. Do you get one from the hotel and get a fixed pricing? How do you call one when you are away from the hotel?

Thanks @Nancys8

We’ve used taxis a lot more in Italian cities recently when traveling with a group. You can ask a business, restaurant or hotel to call a taxi for you or find the nearest taxi stand (least expensive). For instance the last time we were in Rome and didn’t want to walk after a long day of sightseeing we would find a taxi stand on our phone map and walk to the nearest one. It rarely cost more than 10€ in the city door to door.

Once you know your cities, you can ask here or search for more specific taxi information.

lugubres, can you tell us a bit more about your mother's abilities? So far you've only mentioned some potential issues with public transit but not her ability to get around small towns themselves. For instance, I personally wouldn't send a senior with bad knees or hips to the Cinque Terra as there are so many steps, steep inclines and whatnot to have to navigate, not to mention few accommodations with lifts.

So if getting on and off trains/buses is of concern, there may be more to take into consideration. Once off a train/bus - or out of a car - there can be host of concerns for the mobility challenged that need to be taken into consideration.

If you haven't been to Italy since the lire, I think you'll find some things a bit changed. :O) The trains really are a great way to get around as you can get on them in the center of many cities/towns, and off of them in the center of many others. It depends of the towns you choose. If your accommodation isn't an easy walk from the station, yes, take a taxi. Oh, and wherever you go in Italy, be careful not to book accommodations with rooms up multiple flights of stairs: more common than not.

@Mona: thanks for the taxi information.

@Kathy: I appreciate your asking for more clarifications on my mother's ability. Thank you.
My parents can walk and has disabilities. It's just as they are in getting on with age, they will find stairs more tiresome and might need more rest. Sometimes mother's leg will act up and she might feel "weight" down a bit when it's too hot and might experiencing sensation when it's too cold. Just exploring things to make things easier for them but also within our budget.

In 2018 she was able to climb Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) with my father. Slower than me of course. We started after breakfast and she had more breaks. I think we finished in early afternoon and arrived in Stavanger lodging to put some laundry in the machines and went for a walk.

Ah even during pre-Lira time, the train system was super and got us around very easily. Plus in the rest of Europe, train station and bus station are often close to each other and in the city centre.

So true about the accommodations with multi flights of stairs. I still remember the one in Lisbon. We did get stronger by the end of our stay but how I hated when we forget something after we went down.

Have you and your parents been watching the CNN Stanley Tucci series, Searching for Italy?

I highly recommend that you all watch it, maybe together and with napkins to tend to your salivating mouths. There's a lot to be learned and great culinary reasons to visit the places he goes. This is a link to some of the options for watching it. And depending on when you plan to go, it's been picked up for another season.

Googling something like "tucci searching italy" will produce more on the series.

As a person who now travels solo and loves renting apartments, I agree with those who recommend renting an apartment in 2 towns, spending most of the time in those places exploring and eating and making side trips to other close by locations.

A big advantage to renting an apartment for me is that you can be on your own time schedule. There are no requirements to get out so the cleaners can get in. There are no limits to the time breakfast is served. You can come and go as you please. Food shopping in local markets can be fun. Take away is usually a possibility. Laundry can be done at "home."

Wherever you stay, make sure the place has appropriate climate control for the time you're there and that it is accessible enough for your parents. You may need to look at lots of pictures to verify that.

Keep in mind that elevators may start one floor up from the ground and end one floor below the top. The entrance may actually be up a few steps from the street. Walk-in showers with the wand hanging on the wall may be preferable to the typically narrow and deep Italian tubs.

At 75 with cranky knees, tub bathing is way back in the rear view mirror for me. The train/bus thing is a concern, but the last time I was in Italy (2017) I learned to look for elevators at train stations. They're often a bit away from the main entrance, but the walk is typically flat.

Have fun with the planning. And don't be surprised if things change a few times before you go.

From a luggage standpoint I find inter-city buses easier than trains. The bag doesn't have to be carried up the steps onto the bus, and you're much less likely to run into flights of steps at bus stations. (Having said that, I've mostly used trains in Italy and have had little, if any, experience with large-city bus stations in Italy).

In addition to the ZTL areas which exist in many Italian towns and cities, you'll also need an International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. You can obtain an IDP at any CAA / AAA office for a small fee. These are valid for one year. You'll also have to be concerned about automated speed traps, including the Traffic Tutor on motorways, fines for driving in bus lanes and of course parking.

There is a risk of theft if you leave your luggage in the car. It may not happen often, but it's something you'll have to keep in mind. You might want to have a look at a copy of the RS Italy guidebook as there will be good information there on driving in Italy. You'll also need to watch luggage closely when riding trains or other public transit, as theft can occur there also.

I find that it's generally easier and faster to use trains (especially the high speed versions) to get between cities. I'm also in the "senior" category so often use Taxis to get from the station to my hotel. If I need a taxi when I leave the hotel, the desk clerk arranges that. If I need a taxi when out walking around, I look for the nearest taxi rank. You may find this article about the taxi situation in Rome helpful - https://www.romewise.com/taxi-in-rome.html .

Hopefully travel will be possible again in the near future. Some of the travel experts have said that they don't believe international travel will start to get rolling again until 2022. We'll see how accurate that is.....

Thank you again everyone for all your input and leads.
Thank you Lo for mentioning Tucci's show and apt rental.

Car rental is off the map. Train travel will be the choice (as it was in our first trip), but now supplemented by taxi when needed.

Hope to travel when we are out of this pandemic situation safely.

lugubres, we ALL hope to be traveling sooner rather than later! Sigh....

Really, with the thoughtful advance planning you've already begun, you and your parents should be fine. Just look for accommodations with lifts or which are on what we sometimes call first floor (it's ground floor in Europe), and don't overplan the daily sightseeing. Slow and steady as she goes! 😉

It goes without saying that the lighter the bags, the easier it's going to be to move from place-to-place. You've got enough of that under your belt already not to need that reminder but, well, your parents might? No one cares if you wear the same thing multiple times; all tops match all bottoms; fabrics which can drip-dry overnight are a plus, etc. You remember, right? 🙂

Oh, you might remember from your previous trips as well that restaurant biffies are often in the basement; down a (sometimes steep) flight of stairs?

Not many trips left for parents so I would like and hope to honour their "dream list" as much as possible :-) Their health situation could change suddenly.

Thanks @Kathy, all sensible suggestions & reminders. Yes covering less sites and take more breaks are the call of the day.

Stay healthy and be positive.

Might be time to do a mix of bus/train travel on our own along with some organized day trips or longer ones in minivans.

When the Rick Steves "My Way" Tours are again posted for Italy,you might want to check them out. Transportion, and lodging are taken care of and you are free to do (or not do) your own thing in each place. Just somthing to consider.

Thanks @TC for the Rick Steves "My Way" Tours tip.

Why scare the OP with ZTL zones? You can easily visit and drive in Italy without ever needing to drive into the historic centers of towns and cities, there are plenty, in fact the vast, vast majority of places to stay are outside of the ZTL zones, accommodations within ZTL zones are the minority, the OP never needs to go anywhere near them and can drive her parents and their luggage right to the doors of her accommodations no differently than she could in Canada.

I agree Mike! Obviously for major cities, the train is the way to go (supplemented with taxi when needed), but if you are actually going to villages and small towns, you just park right outside the ztl--sometimes a mere block or two, not kilometers away. It is fairly easy with the slightest preparation. Yes, you might mess up and get a ticket--we've gotten one measly parking ticket after five amazing driving trips--but if one can afford international travel, that is hardly something to stress over. Other than knowing where to park and recognizing the ztl sign, what is the big deal?
Of course if you just intended to go to cities anyway, the point is moot. Choose where you want to go first, then decide how to get around.

We are in our mid + 70's and drove for a month in 2018. We landed in Rome and then drove to a small town of Cassino over night
and then headed to the to the heel of Italy stopping in Matera and then on to Lecce- we took all back roads which were very easy driving. Lecce we parked outside the city walls and our accommodations were just inside. We used this as a base for 4 days to drive and explore the heel and the small towns. From there back roads again to Alberobello and the Truilli houses and then up the
Adriatic coast stopping at smaller cities and enjoying the food.
We then drove up to Padua and after up into the Dolomites.
What I want to emphasize is there were no ZLT zones that we came across and the driving was easy.
The main consideration, is where your parents want to go. I would suggest looking at a map(Michelin) and see the logistics of driving vs the use of trains. As previous posters have indicated for the 2 weeks maybe staying in 2 different areas and day trips to different smaller towns may be the order of the day.
Whatever you chose to do enjoy the planning, and we are here to help.

You've gotten a range of information to consider. I think you should consider the type of trip that would work best.

Given your parent's age and situation, you might want to consider a trip with fewer stops. Moving every few days is the part of traveling that is most tiring for us. Our recent trips have involved less moving about.

We recently spent a charming week in Loches, France. We found a nice Air BNB and stayed put for the entire time. We did spend one day visiting two Chateaus and another day wandering around the countryside, visiting small villages. We did have a car, though.

For you, I'm thinking Lucca might be a good fit, although we haven't been in that part of Tuscany. It looks like if you got a central location, there would be plenty of exploring you could do within easy walking distance. You could take it easy, soak up the ambience and eat some great food. This would work much better than some of the hill towns like San Gimgnano and Siena, which are hilly. Volterra is fairly flat, but it is so small I don't think there's a week's worth of exploring to do. If you're up to it, maybe you could event rent a tandem bicycle to ride on the rampart. Also, you could take a day trip or two to see other places like nearby Pisa.

Thank you @Mike, @valadelphia, @Shelley, & @DougMac for pointing out the possibilities of driving in Italy if choosing the right smaller cities/towns especially if they are not well serviced by trains. Also thanks for some of cities/towns mentioned. Helps me tremendously.

Thanks @DougMac, the other possibility was driving in France, such as the Loire Valley but I'm learning from you that Loches is good too.

Thank you everyone for all your help.

How do I close off this question? I have more than enough information to go on for the moment.

How do I close off this question? I have more than enough information
to go on for the moment.

Just as you have done: by tasking us to kindly put a cork in it for now.. :O)
Other than deleting the thread entirely, that is.

Thanks @Kathy :-)