Dropping off a car from Tuscany--Rome airport or somewhere else?

I was looking for the answer to the same question. Any thoughts?

After touring Tuscany and Venice, we took the controlled access toll road south about 90 minutes from Siena.

We dropped our rental car at Hertz in Orvieto--across the street from the train station. The ride into Rome on a local train was 70 minutes. Things went smoothly.

We didn't have any worries finding gasoline or navigating the streets of Rome trying to find Hertz's city center rental car operation.

va,

The usual method favoured by many here is to drop rental cars in Orvieto, as the rental agencies are close to the station and it's an easy trip into Rome.

If you have time, spending a day or two in Orvieto would certainly be worthwhile, as it's a beautiful hill town with an interesting history. If you do decide to stop there, be sure to see the incredible Signorelli frescoes on the ceiling of the Duomo.

One other point to mention is that there are ZTL areas in many towns in Italy, although most are not enforced by automated cameras to the same extent as in Florence.

We have dropped a car at FCO, and I recall it being fairly simple. You don't go through the city of Rome. Orvieto is quite wonderful; but if you add it to your itinerary, you would almost certainly have to spend a night. You could drop the car and take the train to Rome; but then you'd have to get back out to FCO. Unless there is a train from Orvieto to FCO, I think you would be adding unnecessary complications to your departure.

@Roslyn,

"Unless there is a train from Orvieto to FCO, I think you would be adding unnecessary complications to your departure."

Actually, it's not that complicated, although going directly to the airport from Orvieto would involve two trains. The first leg would be from Orvieto to Roma Termini (about an hour), and then the Leonardo Express from there to FCO (about 32 minutes). There may be an alternate route by travelling to Roma Tiburtina or another station, and then via FM1 to FCO but I didn't check.

@va,

If you do decide to use the trains for part of your trip, BE SURE to validate your tickets prior to boarding the train on the day of travel (if it's a Regionale), or you'll risk hefty fines which will be collected on the spot!

Thanks for all your thoughtful replies. We would be arriving for a 5 day stay in Rome, so no need to get back to the airport right away--just thought the airport would be an easier drop-off than somewhere in the city. I can see now that dropping the car off in Orvieto might make sense for us, rather than overshooting Rome, then having to get back into the city. A few other questions:
If we drop the car off in Orvieto are there lockers for luggage at the train station in order to visit for a while?

Is it necessary to get tickets in advance for the Duomo to see the Signorellli frescoes?

Thanks!
Virginia

va,
I don't want to confuse the issue for you but we stayed in Pienza in September and drove to Rome where we dropped off our Hertz rented car in the Villa Borghese area. It was a great spot since it was only 2 blocks away from the taxi stand which took us to our hotel. I picked up gas on the Autostrada and I used the GPS on my IPHONE to get me there. I also double checked the route on Google maps and street view to make sure where I was going. It worked out fine. I did consider driving to FCO but didn't want to waste the time or extra money but you have 5 nights in Rome so maybe time isn't a consideration for you. Sounds like a great trip - have fun!
Mike

I don't think there is a luggage deposit at the station; why not keep your bags in the car until you finish your visit to Orvieto and then turn in the car?

The Signorelli Frescoes do need a ticket, but you can get one at the gift shop (down a flight of stairs), I've been there several times and there is not a long line (unless you follow a tour bus into the Cathedral, but even then, you won't have to wait since the entry to the Duomo is free; pick up your ticket for the Signorelli Frescoes, visit the rest of the Cathedral, and go to the Frescoes whenever you see fewer people there.

va, If your timing works out I would definitely tour Orvieto, one of our favourite hilltowns. We especially enjoyed the underground tour which demonstrated how the citizens endured a seige for many months. The Duomo is spectacular, outside and in. It is easy to park your car and take the funicular up to the town. One caution however is to check what day of the week you would visit before returning your car. The rental agencies close at 1:00pm on a Saturday and are completely closed on a Sunday. We almost missed getting our rental as our Rome to Orvieto train was cancelled due to a train derailment up the line and we had to dash via metro from Roma Termini to Tibertina stations. We eventually made it to the Orvieto Hertz location @ 12:59 pm along with a crowd of other renters and got our car. The Hertz staff good-naturedly stayed open until everyone was served. It was a good thing that we had allowed an extra 90 minutes or we would have been carless until Monday morning, with reservations in Asissi that same afternoon. It seems like an adventure now but at the time, very stressful. So don't schedule yourself too tightly to allow for the OOOPs factor. Have a great trip!

All are helpful comments, thanks--lots to think about! We're dropping the car off on a Friday, so hopefully, no worries there. We're picking it up the previous Sunday in Florence, so I've checked that Hertz is open on Sundays. Again, probably using the airport for pick-up to avoid ZTLs.

If you pick up the car on Sunday, the Florence airport might be the only option since all others are likely closed.
If you choose not to pick up on Sunday, a cheaper option (and just as easy) is to pick up from a city location.
Hertz on "53 via del Sansovino" is on the way to the A1 freeway entrance (Firenze Scandicci entrance). If you rent from Europcar, then the easiest is "via del Gelsomino", on the way to the Florence-Siena entrance.
In both cases you'd need a taxi from your city center hotel to reach those rental offices.
As I said, for a Sunday pick up, the airport is the only option.

For returning in Rome I would base that decision on whether you intend to visit Orvieto or not. If you plan to visit Orvieto for a day, you might as well return the car upon arrival, visit a few hours, then take the train to Rome. Not sure about the luggage though. Maybe the rental agency will hold it for your while you visit. I'm not sure if Europcar has an office in Orvieto, however, in case you intend to rent from them.

If you don't intend to visit Orvieto, then you should go to Rome and return there. The easier way coming from the north is to follow directions to Naples as you approach Rome, rather than take the Diramazione toward the Roma Nord exit. In other words you will bypass Rome metro area to the east, by staying on the A1. As you approach the junction with the A24 you would follow directions to ROMA EST. Basically you would take the A24 toward the city (from East to West). At the end of the freeway you will be at the TIBURTINA station. All rental companies have offices at or around the Tiburtina station. That location is the easiest because it's right off the end of the freeway, therefore there is no city driving to do, except for maybe a few hundred meters to the actual office.

Thanks for your very specific advice, Roberto. It will be very helpful as we figure out what to do. We're booked thru Sunday in
Florence, so the airport may be the only way to go. The specifics on returning in Rome are very helpful, giving us options to either return the car in Orvieto and take the train, or visit for a while, and drive to Rome to return the car without going to Fiuminico. Another possibility as I read and think about the posts, is for us is to make Orvieto one of our day trips from Montepulciano, and not try to squeeze it in to the trip to Rome, then dropping it at the Tiburtina Station. Thanks, again!

va,

There is no luggage storage (Deposito Bagagli) at the station in Orvieto, however according to the guidebook it's possible to store luggage at Hotel Picchio, which is a short distance from the station. (the price listed was €4 per bag). After storing luggage, you can take the Funicular up to Piazza Cahen, and it's a short walk from there to the Duomo. Hopefully that information is still correct.

Regarding tickets for the Duomo, as I recall there's a T.I. right across from or close to the Duomo entrance, and you can buy tickets there. The Signorellii frescoes that I mentioned earlier are in the Chapel of the Madonna di San Brizio, which is at the end on the right side of the altar (when facing the altar), if my memory is correct. A couple of other interesting sights there are St. Patrick's Well (a marvelous engineering feat in its day) and the Orvieto Underground tour. The guidebook has good information on sights there.

We dropped our car at Tiburtina last week, and it was much easier than driving to the airport and finding the right return. We were driving from Siena and Orvieto made a good midway stop. Found parking easily at the top by following the "blue P' signs for the center.

In addition to the Hotel Picchio described in the book, I have to believe that the car rental office would agree to hold your bags if you have just dropped off your car there.

Thanks for all your great information. I have also been following the other current driving question and learned some great tips there, as well. That made me think of one more question regarding a GPS. Any recommendations as to whether to bring our own iPhone or Android (we use those for navigation in the US) or is it better to rent one from the car rental company, or some other option? I see on Rome2rio, that you can download their app to a smartphone or tablet, but would the data usage be much more expensive than using a GPS from the rental company? Any suggestions appreciated.

va,

" but would the data usage be much more expensive than using a GPS from the rental company? "

You'll need to check with your cellular provider to get some idea what the data roaming charges will be when operating in Europe. Some older versions of iPhones used with Verizon (ie: iPhone 4 and older) don't have the capability to operate in Europe, so you'll need to check that too.

I find a dedicated GPS to be more useful when driving, and I usually pack along my trusty Garmin Nüvi. They're fairly inexpensive these days (~$150-200, depending on model - check Amazon or Costco). As I usually travel solo, having the voice directions is a valuable feature and iPhones are not loud enough, especially with traffic noise. If you have a "navigator" along on the trip, an iPhone should work fine.