Renting a car in Pisa for Southern Tuscany

Not sure what suggestions you need. Car rental web sites? Directions from Pisa? Driving rules in Italy?

I am looking for suggestions as to the best way to book a rental. Which company would you use for booking a rental? I have been checking the Auto Europe ap on my iPad. How far ahead of my trip should I book a car? Manual transmission is the least expensive to rent and most economical to drive. Which car model was best for you? I have my route already to Civitella so I know that.
Are there surprises I might encounter at the car rental counter in Pisa? Are there questions I need to ask any booking company or rental company?

Kent - I always book through AutoEurope and have been very happy with their service. I book about 3-4 months ahead of my trip with a good idea of where/when I'm going, but they have made changes for me after the booking with no problem. We always get manual and if you know how to drive one I think this is the best way to go. We also try to get a diesel car if possible. I get the smallest car that will fit the number of people we have + luggage. With 4 people it is usually something like a Ford Focus hatchback station wagon. With 2 it is a smaller car, nothing fancy but can't really remember models. I'm sure someone else will talk about needing an International Driving Permit, but we've never been required to show this at the rental counter - you will, however, be required to show your U.S. driver's license. Finally, know ahead of time whether you'll need the insurance offered. It is my understanding that the rental insurance is required in Italy to be part of the contract. Not 100% sure this is the case, but none of our credit cards cover Italy so we always get the insurance when we are renting there. We have found it pretty easy to drive in Italy. Have a great trip!

The prices seem pretty fair on AutoEurope so we will likely use that service. We will call our credit card companies(2) to see what they say about renting a car in Italy and to see what if any services they might provide like insurance. Just curious, why do you reserve your car so far ahead of time?

We usually do our Europe trips with frequent flyer tickets, which means I get those tickets and book our trip some 6-9 months in advance. I enjoy the planning part so I start my research about that time and eventually book the car and hotels because by that point I have a pretty good idea of where we want to go. I do "take a break" from the planning, only changing things as they come up and then finally coming back a month or so out from departure for a final look. So its just my personal preference to do the "big" things early on. Having said that - we don't do a daily itinerary ahead of time except for booking busy museums (like the uffizi). One reason we've really enjoyed having a car, especially in Tuscany, is for the freedom it allows us to plan at least a part of our trip as we go.

Kent,
Last trip we rented using Gemut, who booked through AutoEurope and had a good experience. We actually got a better price with Gemut for the same thing. Likewise they were very helpful via email and phone answering our many questions about what was covered and what was not as well as insurance questions. From what I understand, CDW is mandatory when renting a car IN Italy and most credit card companies do not cover cars rented IN Italy. In April, we are renting through Kemwel (I think associated with AutoEurope). A four day rental picking up in LaSpezia and dropping in Orvieto will cost $200.00. We booked and paid for last fall. (For the same reasons Karen mentions).

Kent: AutoEurope.com is a consolidator that buys rentals in bulk from European rental car companies. They're located in New England. I booked a car in Florence Easter 2012, and AutoEurope sent me to a Hertz city location for a cheaper price than I could have rented from Hertz. And I turned the car in at Orvieto train station without any drop off charges. Note that most airports have substantial fees/taxes, and it's far cheaper to rent in a city. You might want to price the car both ways. CDW is required on all Italian rental cars, but the rates are far more favorable than CDW in the U.S. Chances are you'll be putting substantial miles on the car, as Civitella Marittima is pretty far south, and Off the Beaten Path.
For two people, I found a Ford Fiesta to be perfect. Get the smallest car class and you might find yourself in a Smart size car. 4 people would need a Focus size car minimum. With their very small engines, all the European cars make good use of $9 per gallon gasoline.

Kent, make sure that you completely understand what a ZTL is. Map the ZTL's in any city where you will be driving,(Pisa,etc. otherwise you can end end with fines in the hundreds of $$$ in the next two years! (type ZTL in the "Search box" in the upper right corner of this page.) Take along your SD drivrs license, and your International Drivers Permit, that you pick up at your local AAA office. Bring along your GPS from home, programed with maps of Italy. And also buy a Michelin fold out map of Italy. Make sure that you understsnd the Italian name for gas and diesel...or you will be getting a big bill from the rental agency for the car repair. Stay the heck out of the left (fast!!!!!!) lane in the EU, unless you are passing. If you don't you will learn "why" real quick. We always rent a car when we are in the EU. You just need to me mindful of the laws, and customs of each Country. That is why I ALWAYS read the "auto rental" section of my guidebooks.

Thanks for giving us so much to consider. We will check car prices in the city of Pisa to compare with prices at the Pisa Airport.
The suggestions of getting the big things taken care of early are real good ones. All we have now are our lodging reservations made but we will get on the stick and get our air and rental car taken care of soonest. My stomach is in a real knot until all of the big things are taken care of. Thanks so much all of you.

The airport location is probably the only choice in most instances. The Pisa airport is so close to the station and to the city center (about a mile) that they don't even bother to open additional offices in town. Europcar has one along the river, Hertz may have another one, but otherwise they are all in or near the airport.

We do know what a ZTL is and the suggestion to mark them on our map is a good one. We do have the Italian maps for our Garmin GPS and we have checked it out and it works. We have purchased a foldout Michelin map for the area. We will pick up our car at the Pisa airport. We are also mindful of speed cameras everywhere and not to use the fast lane for driving but only for passing. We will be reserving our flights and car today for our June trip.