Where to start/end our trip and rental car question

Laura,

A few initial thoughts.....

• Rather than return to Florence for the rental car, you might try renting in La Spezia. That's somewhat "on the way" from the C.T. to Tuscany, so would be easy to do.
• With a rental car, don't forget the compulsory International Driver's Permits for each driver (used in conjunction with your home D.L.'s), and you may want to do some research on the dreaded ZTL (limited traffic) areas that are becoming more common in Italy (ie: expensive fines).
• You can certainly request an automatic transmission, but if the rental agency is "out of stock" you may have to settle for a manual transmission. You might want to take some lessons....
• One of the easiest locations to drop the car is Orvieto (Umbria). There are rental agencies near the rail station, and it's only an hour by train from Rome.

Which of the five Cinque Terre towns are you planning to stay in?

Good luck with your planning!

Hi Laura,
We were in Italy this Fall, arriving in Milan on Sept. 19 and departing Rome on Oct. 16 thinking the same thing about the weather. We got to Florence on 9/28 and the next day it poured buckets. It rained off and on for the next two weeks. Conclusion: just like any where else I don't think you can accurately predict the weather as far out as when you need to buy air tickets.

We picked up a car in Florence and returned it in Siena. The rental agency didn't need the international driver's permit; he said it was for the police. We got the car from Europcar and the return location in Siena was about a 10-12 euro taxi ride to the train station.

Have a great trip.

Regarding the I.D.P. question, you may find it helpful to read THIS excellent website on the topic. Regardless of whether the rental agency (or even the Police) ask for it, it's the law. If you're ever involved in an Incidente Stradale and can't produce an I.D.P., the penalties could be more severe (and probably more costly).

Cheers!

Rent the car in La Spezia.

Do you need to return the car at the airport if you are going to Rome afterwards? Just return it downtown Rome. The rental car locations neat the Tiburtina station are not difficult to drive to (near the freeway exit) and there is no ZTL (restricted traffic zone) to contend with.

The OP needs an automatic car. It is highly unlikely you will be able to get an automatic in La Spezia- or most smaller towns in Italy for that matter. Check AutoEurope to be sure. If you are not comfortable driving a manual, please don't try to do it in Italy- there will be enough new things to deal with already. Who wants to be that stressed on vacation? Or take a couple lessons at home and see how you feel then- some people pick it up quickly but others require a LOT of practice to get comfrotable, especially on hills.

One alternative itinerary is to fly into Milan- even if you have no plans to visit it may have better flight options than Florence. Take the train down to La Spezia, visit Cinque Terre, then take the train to Florence and pick up the car when you finish.

Thanks all! As it turns out we do have better flight options going into Milan (or Pisa) so we'll plan to go directly to CT from there, then head to Florence for a couple days and pick up the car on the way out of town. Checked with Auto Europe and they assured me that if I book an automatic, that's what I'll get. Who knows how true that is. But based on my research, autos do seem to be more available in the big cities/airports.

And yeah, I know it would be better to learn to drive a manual. A friend did try to teach me several years ago and I had a tough time picking it up, after a half hour she asked if we could please stop so I didn't ruin her clutch! We've looked into driving schools in our area and eventually did find one that still teaches a manual class but it's a one day, 1.5 hr class, and then we don't have access to a car to practice on. My dad has one but doesn't live nearby (only wish he had it when I was learning to drive!). So yeah, we are going to try to learn but trying to be realistic- unless I get super comfortable with it, don't want to to take the chance in Italy and be a hazard on the road.

We had the same itinerary as you in May, only we had Venice in the front end (flew into Venice and out of Rome). We rented our car in Florence and dropped it in Rome, as I priced out all the options with the smaller towns/trains (and coordinating the dates and when offices were open) and that just made the most sense for us. It was a little hectic traffic-wise, but since both rental offices weren't in the main traffic hub (where it's much crazier), it was more like driving in a major city here anyway.

The International Driver's Permit is no big deal and I get one every time I go to Europe, just to be on the safe side. Just go to any AAA office -- they take your photo, you pay them $15 or so, and they give you the permit. It's good for one year from whatever date you put on the permit.

We rented our car in Florence and dropped it in Rome,

Becky- can I ask which locations you used in Florence and Rome for car pick up/drop off?

In Florence, it was on the Via Borgo Ogsinnatti (sp?) with Budget/Avis and dropped off near the Borghese Gallery in Rome. We took cabs to/from both locations.