I've been communicating off-list (thanks Ken and David) about public transit vs. car rental for traveling from Orvieto to Civita da Bagnoregio. These exchanges have suggested the following question: What is the most attractive destination (in Italy) you have either visited or heard about that is accessible only by car, or accessible by public transit only with real difficulty?
Alternatively, "What are the most attractive destinations . . . ?"
Besides any of the stunning Alpine pass roads (Stelvio, Gavia, San Bernardo, Spluga are my favorites), I'd pick up the Promontorio del Gargano.
The Piano Grande, which I saw as a walk from Castelluccio (not too far from Norcia in Umbria).
Everything is accessible by public transit. Even the smallest towns need to have some bus service.
However a car is a more efficient use of your travel time when you visit any rural area or smaller villages in any region (Tuscany, Umbria, Sardinia, Sicily etc.) and also the mountain regions of the north (Dolomites, Alps etc.).
Italy has beauty to show everywhere. The only areas I don't care much for are the flat areas of the Po valley. Not much different from any farmland in the US Midwest. I'm not too fond of places where you can't see any hills around.
The Marinelli Bell Foundry in Agnone Italy. It is one of the oldest family owned businesses in the world. Agnone is a small community located in the gorgeous countryside.
Everyone, thanks a lot for the suggestions and information. Destinations go on the wish list, Roberto's comments go into the travel-strategy file. Looks like I am going to jump off the deep end and rent a car in Italy next summer! (Not in Rome, though, or any other city; low-population areas only.)
we just got back from our 4th trip to Italy where we were actually in country for 14 full days. Have used both trains and cars. this last trip we rented a car upon leaving Venice and drove to Lake Como, small towns north of Turin (ancestral homeland),Milan (stayed out by Malpensa), Vernazza-Cinque Terra, Lucca (short shuttle train day trip to Pisa), Sienna (day trips to Assisi, Volterra, San Gimagnio spelling?)and then stopped at Orvieto before heading to Romeairport to return rental car and fly home. Glad we drove as we would have wasted far too much time trying to catch busses and local trains to visit smaller cities. Parking the car outside the walls was not a problem at either Luca or Sienna as our B&Bs / hotels were near free parking areas. At the Cinque Terra we just parked our car for a small daily fee at Levanto and took the short local train to Vernazza. Later this winter Vernazza will have their parking lot restored above the town to make that visit even easier. If you do drive don't bothe with a Garmin GPS. Not worth the cost and not very accurate.
Just to echo Roberto's comment carless transportation is easy and a very good way to see Italy. But it does depend on how much time you have and how far apart your destinations are. I have rented cars in Italy and did not find their roadways difficult but I would prefer not to drive. We spent over 30 days travelling from Milan to Palermo (including Sardinia) by plane, train, ferry, bus, and a few taxis but never rented a car. Will be returning in 2014 to do it along the east coast of Italy.
Enjoy your trip!
In ten trips to Italy, we have rented a car only once - to visit some small Tuscan hilltowns. We successfully (though admittedly slowly) did the Gargano peninsula on public transportation, as well as five weeks (two trips) to Sicily. We just prefer the hassles of public transportation to the hassles of car rental.
Any recommendation on car rental company which offers competitive price and good service? Because I booked one from the Holiday Autos and they provided me a car from a company called Maggiore, which I found people gave so much negative reviews on them. So I cancelled the booking and try to other reliable one.
Due to time constraint and cannot deal with the train schedule, we planned to drive from Pisa to Cinque Terre, then to Venice, which I reckoned will save a bit of our time.
Try Autoeurope we rented from them in Austria last year and we were very pleased with their service and price. We are also planing on renting from them again this spring in Italy. You can go on their website and get an quote immediately or by phone.
