Southern Italy and Sicily

Train travel in IT is spectacular and much easier than renting a car. https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html. If you can, fly in and out of the airports Naples and Palermo.

So going from Rome airport to where on then Adriatic Coast?

I usually rent a car in Italy unless I am staying in a city, but train is also a good option--it depends on where you are headed..

What problems are you encountering with rental cars?

What is the actual itinerary? What does a car ferry have to do with anything if you plan to fly? Your rough plan sounds fine to me as far as I can understand the question.

Car ferry with a rental car? Are you actually staying IN Rome at all, because if not then just fly into Palermo. Your “plan”, as it were, needs more work, details, dates because as it stands now you’re sort of planning to fly into Rome, then drive to Naples and then drive to the Adriatic and then drop the car off in Naples? Which makes ZERO sense because Napoli IS NOT on the Adriatic Coast. If you’re planning on going from Naples to Sicily by ferry those take like 8-11hours depending on which one you pick. You do know that Italy has an extensive high speed rail network upon which you can take a train from Naples to Sicily, which goes via ferry, which isn’t included in the train ticket price. Personally, I’d either fly to Palermo, but, if you’re so inclined for the adventure, take the train. I definitely wouldn’t drive though.

We will not be staying in Rome, as we have spent alot of time in Rome.
I 'm not planning to go from Rome to Naples......it is Rome to a town in the Adriatic region, then finally make it to around to Naples.
Then possibly flying to Palermo from Naples. I did check the car ferry to Sicily, so that we wouldn't have to give up the rental car, but it was too long of a journey and iffy if rough waters. Help with places to stay.

Also, I was flying into Rome because would be the best flights. We have traveled all around Italy except the Southern areas.

There could be another airport near the “Adriatic town” from which you could fly.

If you're goin to a northern Adriatic city Rimmi, San Marino look into flying into Bologna or even Venice. It'll be so much easier than driving from Rome. If that isn't an option connect in Rome to a smaller airport like Lecce. Again easier than driving from Rome. I drive the northern Adriatic from Venice about 10 years ago and it was beautiful and quite easy.

Also if your only reason for returning to Rome or. Apples is to fly to Sicily you should look in to the Adriatic airports near your destination to see if any fly direct to a Sicilian airport as there are several airports in Sicily.

Adriatic Coast where?
The Adriatic Sea goes from Trieste in the north at the border with Slovenia to all the way south to Santa Maria di Leuca in Puglia.
Since you are talking about Southern Italy and Naples, I assume you are going to Puglia rather than Trieste.
You could consider flying to Bari (BRI) or Brindisi (BDS) in Puglia, if you fly ITA Airways or a partner airline (like United, Lufthansa, Swiss), you can see if you can get a flight from Rome FCO to one of those two airports and save yourself several hours of driving.

Regarding dropping off the car in Naples and catch a flight, unless you need to be in Naples for other reasons, there is also the possibility of flying from Bari to Palermo or Catania non stop with Ryanair (also from Brindisi, but only seasonally, not sure in October). That would save you also almost 4 hours of driving.

You can certainly split the car rental into two separate rentals, if you don't want to deal with the drive, which is indeed long (from Bari to the Strait of Messina it's at least 5 hours, then you need the short ferry across.)

Thank you Roberto and Steven