Help with rental car advice- Newbie :)

1. Obtain an International Driver Permit at AAA. If you get stopped by the police without one, you’ll be open to a substantial fine. Some rental agencies will not let rent without one.
2. Learn about ZTL’s. (Zona a Traffico Limitado) Areas, for the most part in city centers, with limited access to locals. Hefty fines if you drive into one. Note that SOME hotels within the ZTL allow entry by recording your license plate number and reporting to the police. Email the hotel to find out.
3. You will be charged for insurance on your rental by law. This might negate any additional CC insurance. My advice would be to bite the bullet and pay for zero deductible along with the rental. Many credit cards will not insure a rental in Italy. Contact the issuer of your specific card to determine its coverage.
4. Italy also has speed cameras and traffic tutors that monitor your speed and for which a ticket can be issued.
5. Stay in the right hand lane unless you are passing someone.
6. I no longer bother with a GPS relying solely on my iPhone but I do bring a windshield or dashboard mount with me.
7. Most rental vehicles have a USB port that can be used for your smart phone to connect with its radio and charge the device.
8. Download a great playlist!
9. Never leave luggage or any valuables visible in the vehicle.
10. If you haven’t checked with either AutoEurope or Kemwel, it’s sister company, do so. Generally great prices and customer service.

Good advice above from Philip. I'd take issue on one item...

If I use a c/c that has coverage, do I need to purchase the coverage with them?

Can't generalize about all credit cards. You need to ask the credit card's insurance folks about that (call the credit card, ask to be forwarded to the insurance folks, ask them).

In Italy, all rental cars are required by law to include some (minimal) insurance, so you have no ability to accept or decline that -- it comes with the car.

If you have a Chase Sapphire Preferred (what I have), you must decline all OPTIONAL insurance that's offered or else it voids the card's coverage, so do that. You should still call your card and ask them to be sure (things can change). I've used the free/included insurance from that card for over a decade on dozens of trips (including several in Italy), have never had any issues with it, and it has probably saved me thousands of dollars in insurance costs over the years. I plan to continue to take advantage of that benefit. YMMV.

Google Maps works quite well in most places; it works best if your phone has a cellular connection, so getting a local SIM is ideal. You can often get by with just downloading the maps for your area via wifi (set it up before you go) but you won't have the same degree of detail and no ability to do searches, find POI, etc. Personally, I'd never pay the exorbitant fees to the rental agency for their GPS; I'd buy my own at home and bring it with me before doing that...I have one, but I no longer think a stand-alone GPS unit is really needed (I always get the local SIM) -- my venerable Garmin NUVI GPS is gathering dust on a shelf (I may someday want to use it if I'm headed to some unique place that that has no cellular service -- it did come in handy in places up in the Faroe Islands a few summers ago).

Be sure you have a good (paper) roadmap (MIchelin or equivalent -- buy it at home and bring along), and be sure you know how to use a map (some people don't). Your phone with cellular service (be sure to bring a charging cable and dashboard phone holder!) plus a good map (serves as a backup if phone is lost/stolen/not working) and you will be fine. Drive carefully and have fun.

To elaborate further on the question of cc insurance coverage . . . I have relied on it several times in Italy, and have actually collected on claims for incidents there and elsewhere. It is absolutely critical that you check with the insurance department of your card issuer, as the poster above stated. The mandatory insurance will not void any other.
If you do get convinced to purchase the rental agency insurance, read carefully before forking over your money. I was once ready to do that when it caught my eye that damage to tires and windows was excluded. I stuck with my cc coverage. I seem to vaguely remember that “no deductible” may sometimes mean something other than it seems to.

Thank you so much and this was helpful. I am planning on having my iphone and paying for coverage and not getting a sim card. They told me I could use my phone as regular with this international plan. Did I understand it correctly? If so I think I am planning on using google maps.

I will get the drivers license and check my coverage. Thanks, I think....I am a bit less nervous. :)

Im in Italy now and will probably need to get a SIM card since using a data plan from home only offers 3G coverage. I’ve had issues using google maps but sometimes it works just fine. I don’t want to risk it while on the highway. I also plan on using cc rental insurance through my Costco Visa card

@ Philip

thanks for the reminder about IDP - had forgotten about that!

Sixt rental car does not require an IDP if your license is in a Roman alphabet like English. I have traveled in Italy a bunch and have never been asked for it - even when stopped with routine checks. (Just my experience! )
On internet -
“At SIXT, we require that if your driver’s license is printed in a non-Roman alphabet (Arabic, Chinese, Cyrillic, etc.), it must be accompanied by an IDP. Any driver’s license originating from countries not part of the UN treaty must also be accompanied by an official translation into English.”

No matter what the rental car company says, Italian law specifically requires an IDP or official translation. It's cheap and easy. We've been stopped several times and had to show it - local cops may not ask for it but Carabinieri and Polizia Stradale will - it's what they do!

I used my android smart phone by signing onto wifi each evening and searching my next destination and hitting ‘directions’ from current location, then load it onto the home page. No data plan required. No problems. Salerno, Matero, Alberobello, Ostuni, Lecce, Vieste & Naples. Definitely have a paper map as sometimes the instructions are wrong or seem odd. Also take numerous photos of your vehicle all corners, sides, wheel when you pick it and drop it off. This has saved me money in Naples and Sydney, Australia.
Next trip to Italy in October is all public transport: trains, buses and taxis.
Enjoy.

What is your cell provider? In the past, my TMobile always worked just fine. But this year I found it too slow (in Spain), so they've changed something. You can temporarily upgrade so you have higher speeds.
Driving in Puglia consists of "at the roundabout, take the second exit" -- you'll be fine!

International roaming will almost always be slower than buying a local SIM. The reason for this is that your data is routed back through their servers in the US (for TMobile at least), which adds latency.

It shouldn't really affect GPS or navigation, just might be a small annoyance if you're walking around a city and need to look something up

Learn about using your phone in the Phones & Tech section of Travel Tips on this site.

Check to see if your phone is unlocked or if it can be. I’d recommend getting the TIM Tourist SIM card. It costs €30 and is good for 30 days. I also recommend getting the voucher on line. (If you want to get the voucher, choose the button that says ACTIVE on the bottom of the screen.) If you’re flying in to FCO, there are TIM Stores in the terminals where you can activate your phone.

Since this is Italy, and you are a first-time renter, make sure that you understand the ZTL situation. There are plenty of discussions of this, but none in this thread.

For a full comprehensive guideline for driving in Italy. Download this sites PDF. Located at bottom of page.

https://italybeyondtheobvious.com/

IDP is available at AAA either in person or online.
Cost around $25.

We used Google maps with our AT&T international plan three years ago…it worked seamlessly throughout Italy in very remote areas…even deep, narrow river valleys. We’ll be using it again this fall. Have a wonderful trip!

"I will get the drivers license and check my coverage."

One point to clarify.....

The International Driver's Permit is not a license and must be used in conjunction with your home D.L. You'll have to bring both.

As others have mentioned, you'll need to be very careful to avoid ZTL areas as they exist in many towns and cities. Each pass through one will result in an expensive ticket, which you likely won't know about until several months after you get home.

I tend to prefer using public transportation where possible, especially in Italy as it's more cost effective (especially for a solo traveller) and less of a hassle.

You may find this interesting - https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/driving-in-southern-italy-this-summer .

What is the upper age limit for renting a car in Italy?