Rome: Hertz drop-off locations convenient to Pantheon?

I would drop it at the termini or at the FCO airport. The termini will be closer. From the termini, you can easily take a taxi which should be about a 10 minute ride or from the airport you can take a cab but the ride is at least a half hour.

Donna

Another possibility could be the Via Gregorio VII, just south of the Vatican. It looks relatively easy to reach from the ring road, and is close to the Pantheon area. I assume a taxi ride won't come prohibitively expensive.

Where is the last place you are staying overnight before heading to Rome? Does it have a Hertz office and train station nearby? Maybe you wouldn't have to drive into Rome at all.

What is your objective?

If you are looking for a location that is easy to reach coming from the Roma Nord A1 exit (where you will be coming from) so that you don't have to venture driving inside the city, then there is no Hertz office that is easiest than Via Salaria. From there you take a taxi to your hotel. You have luggage I suppose, so I don't recommend public transit especially because you arrive at commute time.

If you are looking for a location that minimizes your taxi ride to the hotel then the locations on Via Sardegna (near Via Veneto) or the one on Lungotevere delle Armi (near viale Mazzini), are closer (but not a short walking distance, so you will need a taxi still).

A lot will depend on how comfortable you feel driving inside a city that is rated as one of the most chaotic and congested in the world. If you feel intimidated driving in Manhattan, then Rome is not for you either. If you are used to NYC traffic, then you could consider a different location closer to the city center.

Going all the way to Fiumicino airport, 30km away, would make no sense whatsoever, at least for me.

Roberto: good question. My objective is to minimize total travel time. I am fine with NYC traffic, and have driven Naples. Shortest travel time raises the issues of where to drop off the car given my destination, and also mode of transport (i.e., car/taxi/uber versus public transit). thanks.

Shortest travel time at that time of the day is likely via Salaria and then taxi from there. The reason why it's shorter it's because its location minimizes your chances of getting lost as it's near the GRA. A taxi driver knows his way better than you and if there is traffic a taxi has the option of traveling on the bus lanes, which would be off limits to you. That option involves however a slightly higher taxi fare, since the taxi has to travel a longer distance.

In term of traveling options from the drop off location (whichever you select) and the hotel, the best option, if time is important to you, is obviously a taxi. A bus will take longer and it's not convenient if you have luggage. I see no advantage in using Uber in Italy. UberPop was declared illegal by the courts in Italy. The only option is UberBlack, which connects you to a professional limo driver. Uber in Italy is at least 10%-15% more expensive than a regular taxi and it's not any faster because they can't use the bus lanes like taxis can.

Roberto, you answered my question as comprehensively as I could have imagined - which included extracting the key consideration which I didn't provide initially. Many grazie.