Rent a car in Umbria

There are no car agencies in Montepulciano

Maybe pick up in Perugia drop in Chiusi

Check AutoEurope.com

We had a car in Montepulciano and drove to Assisi then dropped the car in Spoleto and took train to Rome

Orvieto only has Hertz and they are not offered by AutoEurope anymore due to bad service

In 2021, we spent several weeks in Umbria, taking the train from Orvieto to Perugia and then trains from Perugia to Assisi and a few other towns, then rented a car in Perugia from Europcar (we always rent from them), drove to many towns, then finally returned it to Terni. We could have taken a train from Terni to Rome, but we were staying in Narni, so we took a train or bus (I can't remember which) from Terni to Narni, and then the next day took the train to Rome.

Two ideas:

1) As ChristineH suggests pick up the car as you depart Perugia and drop it in Chiusi. This would have to be Avis/Budget as they are the only agency in Chiusi. Likely faster, no need to rely on train connections, but involves more driving and needing to navigate out of Perugia.

2) Take the train to Chiusi from Perugia (1 change at Terontola Cortona), pick up the car at Avis/Budget in Chiusi and return it there. Slower and requires timing the train connections, but involves less driving and potentially cheaper to return to the same location.

We rented from Avis in Chiusi coming from Florence and it was straightforward.

Researching this has been frustrating, to say the least, so I appreciate the input. If I’ve understood correctly, the trains running from Chiusi to Rome aren’t as frequent as say Perugia to Rome, so I’d need to time leaving Montepulciano to get to Chiusi and drop off the car in time to get on a train back to Rome. It almost makes me wonder if I should just rent the car in Orvieto for the entire trip. It might be somewhat more expensive and not even necessary for each day, but convenience does matter to me.

The other thing that worries me is potential bad weather. I was scrolling IG earlier and thought I saw that there’s hail in Florence today? I do not drive in snow or ice, let alone in the mountains of Italy!

Could you post your full itinerary so we could determine where/ when best to pick up car?

I land in Rome the evening of the 5th. I’m going to stay near Roma Termini since I’ll be tired. In the morning, I plan to walk a bit in the city to see the sights, then catch a train ultimately ending up in Perugia where I’ve rented an apartment from the 6-10, then from the 10-13 I’m in Montepulciano, then back to Rome where I’m staying at the Hilton at the airport before an early flight out.

I’ll definitely plan to see Assisi and Gubbio. I’m not sure where else I’ll wander yet, but have a few ideas. A younger relative will be flying into Rome and catching a train to Perugia on the 7 or 8 and will be with me until we get back to Rome. This is her first trip, so I’m trying to work out all the details as smoothly as possible. Thank you for your continued assistance!

You really only need the car in Montepulciano
Pick up as you leave Perugia and drop in Chiusi or just drive all the way to FCO since you are staying there last night.

Or train to Chiusi and pick up there, not sure how timing will work with that - they close mid day

Not sure why Orvieto is in the mix?

ETA
3/10 is a Sunday so rental agencies probably all closed
Not sure about Perugia-have you checked?

Looks like you’ll have to pick up at Perugia airport

The quotes I am seeing on AutoEurope.EU are super expensive
AutoEurope.com not much better
Do you need an automatic?

I don't want to drive to FCO. While I don't mind driving in the country and parking outside towns and villages, the traffic near the city would be too stressful for me. I can drive a manual, even taking off on a hill. I don't parallel park though, regardless of the vehicle. :)

I think there's a car rental near the train station in Perugia, which wouldn't be too hard to get to from the apartment I'm renting. My worry about Chiusi is that the trains to Rome don't seem to run as often. I mentioned Orvieto because it seems like multiple trains go to and from Rome there regularly, so regardless of what time I drop off the car, it shouldn't be too difficult to get a train back to Rome in a reasonable time frame.

Thanks for your ongoing help!

I think there's a car rental near the train station in Perugia,

There are several, but they are all closed on Sunday. Your problem is where to pick up- Perugia airport seems to be only option on a Sunday. (Avis and Budget open on Sundays)

There are multiple trains Chiusi to Roma- almost every hour. I assume you are dropping on 3/14- Thursday- look at a Thursday next week on Trenitalia to see your options.
The drive to FCO is no more difficult than driving from Perugia to Montepulciano.
If you drop at FCO you go right to your hotel. If you drop in Chiusi or Orvieto- you still have to take train then LE to airport then to your hotel.

Orvieto is further from Montepulciano, you are not staying there, correct? And your only option then is Hertz not open Sundays in Perugia). Can't book with AutoEurope.

Is it possible to move your trip out 1 day so you can pick up car on a Monday?

Christine, I appreciate your help and patience with this so much. Sometimes things that are unknown can be stressful and I worry about messing up, but I woke up this morning and remembered that when I was researching for my first solo trip, someone here pointed out that as long as I have my passport and a credit card, I can get myself out of pretty much any mistake I make, so I went ahead and booked a rental car from Perugia (by the train station) on the 9th, with drop off at Chiusi on the 13th. Honestly, this morning it seems pretty straight forward, so I'm not sure why I was stressing about it so much. Again, thank you!