Rome vs Milan ...airports

Jim, I haven't been through Malpensa, but I arrived at Fiumicino in 2015 having had essentially no sleep for the previous two nights. I managed to find my way to the train station, buy the right ticket and get on the right train. So I have to say the airport was probably pretty will signposted. I was not looking for rental cars, however.

This year we flew in and out of Malpensa, rather than Rome, for the first time since 2000. We were delighted with how much easier it was to navigate. We've always managed to survive the Fiumicino experience, but it sure isn't as pleasant as Malpensa. We also were not looking for rental cars.

Had no problem with FCO, but was not looking for rental car location.

Have been through both. FCO busier but no real issue.

I alternate between the two, depends on what construction is going on. Signage is pretty good at both.

I returned at Europcar FCO recently and found the signage quite clear upon entry (although there were several next-signs to read as you funneled in toward the right parking garage). Picking up and departing should be even easier.

I have travelled through both and found them both pretty easy to navigate. However, the walk to the car rental area at FCO is very, very long.

Agree with Patricia - picked up a car a couple of years ago at Rome - easy with good signage.

Just as easy. Just more people since now Malpensa is a just a fancy cathedral in the desert after Alitalia abandoned it and moved the hub to FCO.
I don’t know where you get your car, but I will give you the example of Europcar below, since they are all in the same parking towers. Plot on Google Maps.
You will arrive at T3 probably, which is the large terminal to the West of that parking structure where Europcar is. So you will have to follow directions to the rental cars (logo displaying car with key over it). Then you take that skywalk that you can see also on the map, and as you cross the roadway on the skywalk, the parking/rental cars towers are the first to come. I usually stay at the Hilton, which is a much longer walk on the same skywalk, as you can see. Once you rent the car just follow directions to Rome. However stay on the right on the freeway because you need to keep an eye for the A12 (E80) to Civitavecchia. Take the E80 north and go straight all the way to Grosseto. Couldn’t be easier.

Europcar
Aeroporto internazionale Leonardo da Vinci, Via dell' Aeroporto di Fiumicino, 320, 00054 Fiumicino RM, Italy
+39 06 6576 1211
https://goo.gl/maps/WgY9XjXXAf82

Calling the 2nd italian airport (20 millions of passengers each year) a "cathedral in the desert" seems a little unfair to the Milanese, the hard work they did to save Malpensa and to the glittering work they did to tell the rest of Italy they saved Malpensa.

These days we should all be nice with the Milanese, they are a little traumatized.

Anyway, 40 millions of passengers use Fiumicino so it is twice as crowded and disfunctional as Malpensa; but Fiumicino and Grosseto are on the same side of the Apennines mountain range. I think this makes driving to Grosseto after a long flight ten times easier.

Agree with the others. Renting at FCO and departing for points north was easy, even after a long overnight flight.

To be clear ... I don't rent cars. I lease them through AutoEuope.com and Peugeot's Open Europe long time lease program. A superior way of having a car if you are staying in Italy for more than 3 weeks. Two locations in Italy to pick up the car ...Milan or Rome.
It really is a superior way to have a car if you are staying for a month or so

Then I don't know where you have to go to pick up the leased car.

But the drive from Fiumicino to Grosseto is straightforward. All freeway, except for a short stretch as you cross the border with Tuscany. That portion of the E80 hasn't been completed, so it's a regular 2 lane highway. But you are on it for a short time before it becomes a divided 4 lane freeway again. Just be careful not to speed on that 2 lane stretch. The speed limit goes down to 70 km/h on that portion.

Dario. If you remember when the new remade Malpensa opened in 2000, you will understand what I meant. It was a thriving growing airport then, built to accommodate over 40 million passengers a year, but after Alitalia left, I think they are down to 18 million. Beautiful modern airport, but you can hear the echo of your voice in some of the gate areas off peak times. Maybe one day it will reach that number of pax.

My first experience with Malspena Airport in Milan will be this July. Questions, what Hotel will give me access for a day of touring, hopefully walking distance to the Last Supper, Basilica, Galleria, etc. Would like best information of getting from the airport to the hotel and then the next day from the hotel back to the airport to meet our Tour Group. Any information would be greatly appreciated. As far as the hotel just something clean and breakfast included. Thanks

Hi Rachelle -
As your situation doesn't involve car rental, it's probably best if you start a completely new thread with your questions. People who might be able to provide answers may not see your post buried here, and it can become confusing for posters to discuss different topics by different people in the same thread. :O)

We've flown into each airport many times and neither one presented any challenges. Malpensa is smaller than FCO, so maneuvering around could be a little easier.

Buon viaggio,