Renting a car in Sicily and car insurance

I can tell you only that I rent a car often in Southern Italy and Sicily. I rent from SIXT and take every insurance that they offer, with no deductible.. Imagine what would happen if you ding your car in a parking lot and have no insurance...

Liability insurance is included in the vehicle price, so that isn’t an issue,

There are a few CDW options (will be different by company). One can get basic CDW, CDW where there is a deductible, but not as much as basic CDW, and full CDW with zero deductible.

In Sicily one needs to be aggressive yet defensive at the same time. If you are nice and let one car in, three others will go too. There are plenty of narrow streets in the towns.

We normally pay the extra money (and we did in Sicily) and get the zero deductible coverage for peace of mind. Fortunately, we didn’t have any issues.

My experience with Enterprise has been it doesn’t push any additional insurance, but be aware that if you don’t get additional insurance and total the vehicle you’re liable for the full value of the vehicle. Dings, scrapes, etc., and you’d pay full repair price. Get whatever coverage you feel comfortable with and can afford.

Compact is perfect size. Even a midsize gets tight in some places.
Get the zero deductible insurance
Download EasyPark app and connect to your credit card
Don't leave stuff visible in your car when you park.
Driving in Sicily is no sweat. It'll take a little bit to get used to the rhythm, but by the end of your first day you'll be dialed in. As mentioned above, people are generally aggressive and oddly polite compared to Minnesota where drivers are very passive aggressive and territorial.

Certain coverage is included in the rental cost by Italian law. These are the components:

Included in the rental by law:
-TPL or Third Party Liability (RCA or Responsabilità Civile Auto, in Italian) = Covers damages to other persons or vehicles or property OUTSIDE of the vehicle
-CDW or Collision Damage Waiver=Covers the damages to the vehicle you are renting, but there is a deductible generally exceeding 1,000€ or 2,000€ which you will be responsible for.
-TP or Theft Protection=Covers the theft of the vehicle, but also subject to the same deductible above.

Not Included and therefore requiring extra coverage with a full coverage policy which in Italian is known as KASKO.
-Deductibles (as explained above)
-Damage to certain parts (windshields, windows, tires, undercarriage, roof, interiors)
-Medical Expenses for you and the passengers inside the vehicle
-Road Assistance and Towing

Compact size in Italy may be smaller than what people consider compact size in America, so the cargo area may be less than you expect. But if you are traveling with a party of 3 or less, you can still fold the back of the rear seat, and utilize that space. I usually rent compact/midsize SUV (for example in the past few years I had Fiat 500X, Jeep Compass, Jeep Renegade, Opel Mokka, Ford Focus Station Wagon, MG HS) and I have no problems navigating in Italian roads. Compact/Midsize SUVs are the most popular segment nowadays, especially outside cities. Small cars and minicars, popular in Italy in the past, are still in vogue for city commuting, as they are easier to park in small spaces, but for family outing and extra-urban driving people prefer larger models, especially compact/SUV, so you will see a lot of those.

Can anyone tell me the cost of CDW (car insurance) with no deductible?

It may change from rental company to rental company.

I use www.autoeurope.com (a broker/consolidator), which I recommend to everybody renting in Europe, and these are the options:

• Basic Plus CDW with deductible = included in the price of the rental as explained above.
• Full Protection Coverage (covers everything including windows and undercarriage) with zero deductible = usually an additional $8 to $15 more a day depending on vehicle class and rental company (for a compact or economy, probably about $8 to 10 extra)

I always select the Full Protection Coverage and that is what I would do in your case. Assuming you are renting for 2 weeks, it would be about $100-$150 extra in total. That's way less than one dinner for two people in San Francisco, and you have peace of mind.

No one can tell you the price because there are so many variables.

For example, I rented for about 2 weeks this past June.

I rent directly from SIXT, if they have an outlet in my desired location. (I no longer use AutoEurope)
In June I rented in and out of Bari airport.
I take every single insurance possible, including for tires and roadside assistance. No deductible.
I also request a GPS installed in the automatic vehicle.
I drive an Audi at home so I request an automatic car of the same manufacturer in Italy.

Final charge, including fill up of petrol cost me about $100 e. per day.

I'm pretty sure you do not have to pay that much but that gives you an idea of a rental more or less on the luxury side, direct from the rental company.

I checked a random week in October on www.autoeurope.com with pick up and return in Palermo, and the price for an compact SUV (like Jeep Avenger), with SIXT, was $60 a day ($420/week). Renting a compact/economy instead of a SUV, still with SIXT, would cost about $10 a day less.

There are other Italian companies like Autovia, Rental Plus, Centauro (Spanish company), which charge less, but I usually stick with well known and well established multinational brands like Sixt, Europcar, Hertz, Avis, Budget, and also SicilyByCar, which is a well established Italian company born in Sicily over 60 years ago.

The Full Protection coverage would add $9 a day to the total.

I don't know if renting directly from SIXT, rather than through AutoEurope.com would be the same or more.

So check AutoEurope and see what is on offer for your dates, and determine if Enterprise still offers you the best deal.