HELP--How to transport group of 8 adults around Italy for 14 days?

I just returned from Italy traveling with a group of 7 adults. My suggestion may not one you want to consider. I would suggest you modify your itinerary so that you can rely on public transportation. We took trains, ferries, or buses everywhere and it worked out well. Yes, there were places we didn’t get to see (my husband was eyeing the vineyards from the bus between Verona and sirimone) but you never can see everything anyway.

We had a similarly sized group in Greece three years ago and we did rent multiple cars. It is a challenge to keep track of each other (I once was following a white car that was NOT my husband). It is doable, although COVID has resulted in sell off of cars snd car rental rates are much higher now. For that reason and the the availability of reasonably priced trains in Italy, I planned an itinerary that did not involve renting a car. It worked out very well. It was nice to relax once we were on board rather than having to always be “on” when navigating in a foreign country.

How expensive is your “pretty expensive” amount? More than $2,000? True, a van’s going to be much costlier than a single economy car. Your post was intriguing, so for a quick exercise, I searched Websites for Europcar, then Sixt. Both indicated they had no inventory available. Don’t know whether that’s too far in the future for them, or what.

Then I tried Hertz, but the Website locked up partway through, so I couldn’t obtain any price details for a random 2-weeks, picking up van in Rome and returning in Milan. Maybe it was me, maybe their Website.

Giving it one more shot, I tried Avis. They indicate to book early, as inventory for those dates is limited. So with some kind of discount they say was applied, although I didn’t submit any discount request, it looks like it’s $1,900 to $2,000 for a 9-passenger, stick-shift Fiat Talento van. Certainly not super cheap, but what’s price for a private driver, or tour, for 8? Looks like it seats 9, but I don’t know how it accommodates luggage, as well.

Apparently a Chevy Suburban only holds 7 passengers these days, and that’s without any luggage. Europcar shows a 9-passenger VW van as a potential model, and Hertz lists 12-passenger vans by both Ford and Chevy. Maybe that’s the right size for 8 people plus baggage.

Is a European motorhome worth investigating?

Given your itinerary I would recommend to rent a car only after you leave Rome to visit Tuscany (Montepulciano) and return the car upon arrival to Florence. You won't need a car while in Santa Margherita. The Ligurian Riviera is well served by trains and to visit Portofino, it is best to take a bus or the ferry because the parking structure of Portofino costs an arm and a leg per hour, and it is not easy to park a large van. You can go from Florence to S.Margherita by train (one train change at Pisa or La Spezia), or, if you prefer not to deal with train changes, you might even consider a private limo service. I checked prices online and for 8 passengers it would be under 500 Euro, one way (the train is only Eur. 21.60 per person).

For the rental prices of rental for the period that you definitely need a car (Rome-Montepulciano-Florence) are high now, but it's too early to look at AutoEurope for April 2022. Due to the pandemics they are probably negotiating contracts only for a few months ahead. Check about 90 days prior. I usually make arrangements about one month ahead.

In any case, it is never a good deal to rent one van. The rental cost of one van is about equal to the rental cost of 4 economy cars or 3 compact cars (or two large cars) , so you are better off splitting your group into multiple cars (sizes according to luggage needs), assuming you have 2-3 adults willing to drive. Vans aren't easy to drive in small spaces and Italian streets aren't like those of Texas.

These are the prices for 5 days I tested for next month (Zero Deductible):
ECONOMY CAR $258
COMPACT CAR $325
MIDSIZE CAR $363
STATION WAGON: $418
LARGE (FAMILY) CAR $596
VAN (7 OR MORE): $1,031

I might fly into Rome and revise the itinerary to put Florence next because you can easily get between those two cities by high speed train. You don't need (or want) rental cars in Rome and Florence. You'll use public transportation in those cities. I'd rent two cars when you leave Florence and use those to drive to Montepulciano. It's only about an hour and a quarter drive, so even though you are going past Montepulciano to go to Florence from Rome, the back-tracking to go back to Montepulciano isn't horrible. You definitely want cars when you are in Montepulciano, if you intend to take day trips to other towns those three days. Then drive to Santa Margherita. Return the rental cars there and take the train to Milan.

Rental cars will be a lot more affordable than a private driver and put you in control over each day's schedule of activities.

We traveled in Italy with a group of 10 in 2017 and rented three vehicles. If we had tried to fit into just two cars, one would have had to be a large van, and we knew that this could be an issue in Tuscany. There are so many small and charming towns and villages to visit, but the roads are narrow and parking spaces are sometimes hard to find and a tight fit.

Also, if your group all travels in one vehicle, there's no opportunity to provide your group members with a choice of activities on a particular day. Each person's choice is to either go along or stay back. With two cars, you can sometimes go in different directions. So, for example, half your group could go on a wine tasting excursion while the other half enjoy a natural mineral springs area. When there is something you all want to do, you take both cars. A two week trip gives you a lot of togetherness. Building in the flexibility of breaking into two groups from time to time could be a good idea.

When this topic has come up in the past, it has sometimes been mentioned that, at least in some countries, a standard driver's license is not sufficient for driving a vehicle of the size you might need to accommodate luggage as well as people. I think in the US you'd need a chauffeur's license in that situation. So that's something to check on before getting too far along in the rental process.

I also wonder whether vans provide a means for covering your luggage. The standard advice is to leave absolutely nothing visible inside your vehicle when you park it at a midday stop or at your hotel.

Vickie's idea of changing the itinerary to:
ROME-FLORENCE-MONTEPULCIANO-S.MARGHERITA-MILAN is also very good.
The rental would be limited to FLORENCE > MONTEPULCIANO > S.MARGHERITA.
The designated drivers can return the rental cars at Rapallo (if renting Europcar) or Lavagna ( if renting Avis) after dropping passengers and luggage at the hotel. Then the designated drivers can find their way back to the hotel my public transportation or taxi.

I agree with the previous poster, you only want a rental car, possibly, for Montepulciano...so only rent for that segment. An option other than rent in Rome, return in Florence, would be to rent and return at Chuisi. It is right on the Rome-Florence rail line, you could avoid a drop off charge, as well as navigating around Rome and Florence. You might also consider renting two vehicles, it may be cheaper, or at least more available than a van large enough for 8 plus luggage.

Standard Italy warnings apply, you will need to buy CDW through the rental agency, need an International Drivers Permit (IDP) and read up on speed cameras and ZTL's in Italy.

When this topic has come up in the past, it has sometimes been
mentioned that, at least in some countries, a standard driver's
license is not sufficient for driving a vehicle of the size you might
need to accommodate luggage as well as people.

Those rules have been harmonised across the EU (and most other European countries). A standard license (category B in europe) allows you to drive any vehicle that seats 9 persons (8 passengers + driver) or less, and with a gross weight not exceeding 3500 kg.

driving a car in Italy is tricky enough, but a van????

I'm concerned that driving this many people around, whether in the not-looking-likely-to-work van or in several cars, will open up the driver(s) to criticism/grumping from the passengers.

Thank you all for the suggestions!

If having a rental car is a must, I think 2 mid size suv type would be the better solution than one huge van.

A VW Tiguan or Nissan Rogue ( aka Qashqai) are 5 passenger and have decent cargo space for 4 people.

These seem to be available with AT, to make life easier for all. Two of those would likely be less costly than the one huge van

While I absolutely applaud you for taking on a group of eight travelers , I learned years ago not to try and organize a trip for any more than four people at a time.
We will be interested in your trip report when you return.

It's been many years since I was last in Italy but I've traveled around the world and can't imagine trying to rent multiple cars for 8 people in Italy. Montepulciano is lovely from the pictures I just saw and obviously its known for its food and wine. Have you figured out all your transportation yet because how set in stone are you on going to Monte? As other people have mentioned with Covid more people will be wanting to rent cars and trying to get multiple vehicles might not be worth the time and effort. Is there another possible city or town option that you can go to instead where you can easily get to it by a train?

I'm just going to throw this out as I'm going back there in a month but what about Positano or Sorrento along the Amalfi Coast.? They have nice wine, Olive groves, Lemoncello and great food. Capri Island is right there. It's obviously not the same as Tuscany but a food for thought. Oh another option I just thought of. How about hiring someone for a private tour of the Tuscany region from Florence.? You could hire someone to take you to Siena, San Gimignano etc for the day and stop at various wine estate vineyards. There's a great site I learned about recently called Tours By locals where you can hire local guides. You can also go through a tour company such as Avventura Bellisima, Take Walks Italy etc and have them help design a private bus tour probably. You can then stay in Florence and from there go out for a couple trips into the country side of Italy. Last time I was in Florence we easily took the bus to Siena and San Gimignano. Also as an option you could stay in Siena Instead which might be easier to reach then Montepulciano via bus. Anyways I know you'll figure something out. It sounds like a really fun trip. Buona Fortuna

If having a rental car is a must, I think 2 mid size suv type would be
the better solution than one huge van. A VW Tiguan or Nissan Rogue (
aka Qashqai) are 5 passenger and have decent cargo space for 4 people.

For boot space, SUVs are usually a pretty bad choice to be honest. Two estate cars, like Volvo V90 or VW Passat, would in my opinion be a better choice.

I planned a 1 week trip to Italy in 2012 for 8. I spent months planning the trip, and I told everyone in no uncertain terms that we would not have space for any large suitcases. We would all be traveling by carry-on only. Some in the group thought I was crazy.

I arranged a van to/from Rome and the airport. The van held exactly 8 passengers, and had just enough space in the back for 8 carry-ons. While in Rome, we walked and used public transport. While visiting extended family in Sicily, we managed to squeeze into 3 different cars driven by cousins / uncles.

If any of us had taken large suitcases, the logistics of the trip would have been much more difficult.