Traveling Italy by Car

Steve, I don't know of specific parking lots, but there is usually public parking near the main entry points to a city. Also, the larger cities tend to have a "ring road" that gets you around the city rather than through it. Venice is probably the easiest, you need to leave the car at a garage before you take the vaporetto to the city. Depending on where your last stop is, you might consider turning in the car before you get to Venice, since it will be sitting in the garage while you are in the city (unless you plan to daytrip out of Venice).

Steve, coming from South and taking the exit Firenze Impruneta (formerly Firenze Certosa) there is a parking lot above the city, the cost is 15 Euro per day. You can catch a bus into town. The precise address is Via del Gelsomino. As you leave the highway, drive through Galluzzo, then a group of houses called Due Strade. The flow takes you up to Via del Gelsomino, you can't miss it. Closer to town is the parking space in Porta Romana, from where you can do everything on foot. The entrance to the parking lot is to the left of the large gate (porta Romana, one of the former gates in the city wall). The cost per day here is 20 Euro. If you want to drop your luggage at the hotel, you can do so, but must give the hotel your license plate, so that they can tell the police that you had the right to drive into the city. If you miss doing this, you will get a fine and the car rental company will charge your credit card. The parking in Venice is called Piazzale Roma, can't miss it. Unfortunately I have no information for Roma. Have a wonderful trip.
Katharina

Re car parking Venice: We were in Piazzale Roma last month and there now seems to be what they call a "people mover" from the huge Tronchetto garage at the end of the causeway. We had parked at Tronchetto (do NOT drive into Piazzale Roma, as it is teeming with huge numbers of buses) a couple of years ago and had to take a vaporetto into the city, so a people mover seems like a great idea. We didn't see it, but check it out.

Even though I drive about 80% of the time and generally prefer the car, if I were going to so many major cities I wonder why you are driving. Are you going to spend time in the countryside? Maybe you can get your car after your visit your arrival city and get rid of it before you visit your departure city, thus avoid a few days of parking dilemas.

And given the possible bad weather at that time of the year, I'm also wondering why you're planning to rent a car to drive those long distances. Trains are so much easier. Anyway, that's just my 2 cents. Happy travels.

I was a little hesitant to ask myself, but since others have, this trip screams 'use the trains'. I LOVE to drive myself but that is because I like to stop when/where I want but it sounds like you have a solid itinerary already. Unless there is something else on your schedule, I think a car might be more of a headache and expense. As others here can tell you, parking near Florence is difficult if you haven't done it before. Best of luck either way!

Wow!! I didn't expect so many quick responses. Thanks! I will check out train passes, but they have gone up so much in price since the last time my wife and I traveled in Europe using them, I'm afraid going by car would be cheaper. We shall see.

If money's the only consideration, here's the elements you need to consider for the car: 1. Car rental: The smallest one won't do for three people with their stuff - - you will have to move up a notch, probably two. 2. Insurance: You're going to have to choke that yourself since your credit card won't cover it in Italy. 3. Tolls: Viamichelin.com will give you a pretty good idea of those. 4. Gas: Figure thirty miles per gallon and ten bucks a gallon - - both numbers are probably off, but in the aggregate, you'll get pretty close. (That's roughly a buck every three miles or thirty-three cents a mile). 5. Drop-off fee: Italy seems to be unique in that there is often a drop-off fee for returning in a different city. 6. Parking: Whatever anybody else said. My rough number is twenty to twenty-five euro per day. 7. Transportation: You've got to get from parking to where you're going and back to the parking place. 8. Time: Each day costs you something, so each hour is a fraction of that. (I use cost per day divided by waking hours.) If you use up hours dorking around with logistics, you've got to spend more time/money to do whatever was on the schedule. I've never ridden an inter-city train in Italy in my life, but I'd be starting to think about it with your trip.

Steve, train passes in Italy rarely make sense economically. It's almost always cheaper to buy point-to-point (PTP) tickets. Trenitalia is the site to use to find out prices. You will probably need to use the Italian names for the cities (e.g. Firenze instead of Florence). Also, you'll probably discover that renting a car in Italy is a lot more expensive than you think. More info on Italian trains here at Ron in Rome: Riding the Train in Italy. Happy travels.

Steve Great great advice from Previous Posters! This is why the Helpline is so valuable! Bobbie

I'm convinced; train it is. Thanks for all of the feedback. It was extremely helpful.

Every now and then, someone on this site (usually someone other than the original poster) will object if people give a response beyond the original question, as in "He didn't ask if he should take the train - he asked how to travel by car!!" I'm glad you found the broader responses helpful, Steve. Have a great time. And consider coming back here after your trip to report on how it went and to give any tips you learned from your own experiences. Buon viaggio!

Steve, I was going to mention the issues of each driver requiring the compulsory IDP as well as the prolific ZTL areas especially in Florence which will result in a €100+ ticket EACH time you pass through one. However, as you've decided to travel by train, this won't be a problem. The only thing that "stands out" is visiting Civita di Bagnoregio at Christmas time. You'd still have to take the Bus from Orvieto to Bagnoregio, which may be operating on reduced frequency at that time of year. More importantly I suspect it will be VERY QUIET at that time. It's not likely that any of the small Cafes will even be open, as the residents will be involved with their holiday celebrations. Happy travels!

I think you have the right idea. Parking will be more plentiful and either cheap or free outside of cities. You can use a GPS to find public parking in the area you want. Usually there is an option to find parking near you, that will list the public parking options and distance from your current location. I always use the feature for parking, ATMs, grocery stores and gas when I need them. Another option is to pick lodging with free parking on the outskirts of a city that has convenient public transportation into the center. I would choose that for future visits to Florence but not Rome (because of the time to get to the center of the city) or Venice (because being in Venice is what it's all about).