Tony: Your video is 100% more informing than any travel show I've watched. And I'm retired and I watch them all. Thank you for your tremendous insight into renting a car ( no need to have nerves) and staying away from the masses as in- too many tourist. lol. The entrapment that happens with luggage on public transportation would make me dazed and confused. I would be happy to dine in a small village with the locals and my translator app! Loved your trip. Keep on traveling.
Thank you for the kind words Josh! It is greatly appreciated. I just completed a second trip in middle and northern regions and most of it was in a rental car again. I know we traveled to quite a few places where tourist rarely go and once again those locations proved to be some of our favorites. If you would like to come along you can find it here: th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
From one Tony to another, I can’t thank you enough for this video! We just got back from an anniversary trip where we rented the same car as you albeit the cabriolet version for about a week. Drove from Rome, up to La Spezia, over to Maranello, down through my namesake city “Porretta” in Tuscany, back down to Rome and right up to the Colosseum, best trip I’ve ever taken and honestly owe you credit! Would have been such a shame to ride trains busses and cabs, the countryside was incredible to drive through. Great video, made a genuine impact on our vacation. I have a great appreciation for Italian drivers now, different lifestyle! Having my GPS on my phone also made it simple to get around. Thank you Tony!
Thank you so much for following up and I am so glad you enjoyed your trip! It makes me very happy to make a positive impact and I know you enjoyed the countryside. So much beauty and history everywhere you look!
re: passing lane etiquette (8:20), this is the custom in Spain and Portugal as well. So refreshing compared to here in New Jersey, where left lane campers abound with no fear of being ticketed.
No kidding! I drove the PA Turnpike from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh roughly 225 miles the other day. I passed no less than 50 cars using right lane as they were just camped out in the left lane. Plenty of them had NJ plates. So aggravating a problem that just shouldn't be in the states. Thanks for watching!
@@TonysFordsandMustangs Many NJ drivers are NYC transplants who have zero regards for road etiquette. Those folks need to stick with public transportation.
Thank you for a very informative and confidence building video! Wife and I will be driving Milan to Dolomites to Venice and this got me more excited for the journey 😎
Thank you for watching and enjoy your trip. No driving in Venice :) but get the water taxi ticket 3 euros per day and you can ride all you like. Some of the outer Islands offer hidden gems.
Thanks you very much for the kind words. I do have a few on the channel and a part two to this video from our last trip to Italy. You can find those in the playlist. th-cam.com/video/NCbPTwF0-2k/w-d-xo.html
SUPER HELPFUL, thank you soo much! ❤ We we’re there around the same time last year. We will return for my sisters wedding in Florence. Afterwards we are going to do North Italy and Switzerland by car. Can’t wait! Congrats to your daughter!
Thank you so much for the kind words and for watching! One more tip. Look at rental location away from the airport. It can be a real $$ saver. A $20 train ride can save you hundreds off the cost of a rental. Safe travels!
Thanks for this video Tony. I have been to Italy before and travelled by train. After watching this, I’m definitely driving. Thank you for taking the time to put this video together.
Thank you and we considered driving to Sicily. It would have taken the better part of a week to drive around the entire island so we took a pass. We will definitely do so in the future. Don't be afraid to explore more as we found multiple places there that looked amazing! Best of luck!
I and my friends are going to Catania next week and are so excited about traveling there. Also thinking about renting a car there. Can you give some advices about local renting?
@@azamatbaibulanov9209 I know this is old but we are planning on doing the same thing next week and would be interested to hear what your experience was like and who you rented from...
You drove through the entire Campania region, which ironically is the region my family hails from. My last name is Campana. They dropped the I in Campania at Ellis Island in late 1896, leaving us with Campana. I've visited back in 2009 and felt at home immediately. I currently reside north of New Orleans, but yearn for my return.
I understand exactly how you feel and loved the area we drove through. We are going back as my daughters would like me to get my citizenship and that's going to take a few weeks in country. My Grandfather came through Ellis in 1904 and my Grandmother in 1905. It is a beautiful country to drive through and I plan to drive the northern region at some point this year.
Thanks man, I've been to holidaying in Rome for more than 20 years, hiring a car every time. That said ive picked up some things I wasn't aware of, and like you i got a parking ticket too. I initially thought it was a scam, but with a goggle search i found out it was real, and because we go to Italy at least once a year i thought it wise to pay it. I really enjoyed your three videos, thank you.
As Italian, I can confirm everything. I also agree with avoiding driving in the main cities. If your trip only touches main cities, then use fast train (Italo or Frecciarossa) to travel in between. Within the cities then use public transports or walk. But if you aim to see small towns (borghi) and countryside, then you definetely need the car. By the way, the latter is the most authentic and exciting Italian trip you can do 😊
I am going back sometime this year for a few weeks. I will be mapping out a route again and renting a car for a majority of the trip. There is too much to see and experience in the countryside. As you stated it's more authentic and a less touristy trip. Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@Wish117 I guess it depends on where you are and the value of your luggage. We felt safe at the locations we stopped at because they were very rural. Our thoughts were If there are very few people in area the chances are lower that someone would break into the car. Would I do that in a major city, no. There is crime everywhere but overall I felt much safer in Italy then I would in most large U.S. Cities. That said IF you have a place to stay for the evening and you can drive there to drop your luggage I would.
Very informative guys thank you! Also are you suggesting that if I rent a car from Rome and decide to drive to Florence...I shouldn't? and take a train? My plan was to drive from Rome to Florence, mayben then to Venice and back to Rome and the to Naples..first time in Italy, so I'm curious to know what would be best, train or car for the cities I'm planning.
@@diego.c4ddefinetely train, especially if only one or two people. Driving in italy can be stressfull (traffic, roadworks, unexpected fines) and expensive. To drive between main cities you most likely have to get the motorway which it's quite pricey, and so parking in the main cities is pricey too! If you look at Italo or Freciarossa few months prior your trip you should find great deals there. I said if one or two people because obviously you have to buy a ticket per person. If you are travelling as a family of 4-5 people than you'd need to work out what's cheaper: car rental+fuel+motorway etc vs amount of train tickets to buy. Ah: intercities fast trains take half time than car journeys in Italy. So big time saving too.
How cool. Tony you and I drive essentially the same '22 Oxford White HP Mach 1s (except mine's an A-10) and I was in Italy for three weeks about the same time you were, from mid-September into October. In fact, I was watching your videos about the HC trap removal from Italy, anxiously waiting to get back to remove it like you did for the extra +18 hp. I drove daily in northern Italy between Arona and Cameri for two weeks (through hundreds of roundabouts like you mentioned), eventually to Milan then to Como, where I dropped the car off since we were traveling to Venice, Florence, and Rome by high-speed rail. We covered Como, Venice, Florence/Tuscany/Pisa, and Rome in only eight days, so didn't have time to drive. The Frecciarossa 1000 and its near-200mph speed was the way to go between the big cities. I did drive a few hours over to Maranello, Sant'Agata, and Modena one Saturday from Arona to see the Ferrari and Lamborghini factories and museums though. Definitely worthwhile if you ever go back and haven't done those.
Thanks for watching and we do plan to go back. We hit all the big cities by rail as well. The biggest issue for us we had to pack for 24 Days and a wedding making our suitcases bulk up weigh 45lbs each. That plus a laptop bag and the wife's backpack made things difficult. We will be back and explore the country some more and hit the northern region but since we have seen most of what we wanted to see the larger cities we will most likely bypass them next time around. I have Arona on the list don't worry. ;)
Grazie mille signore, I am returning home to Sicilia and I am very nervous. I am in my 20s and left when I was a child. My nervous level is at a 10 but you have brought me a lot of peace with your video. I am going from Palermo to Corleone and possible some more small towns in the rural country. I am going in December through January
You should be just fine. There is nothing on your route that would concern me. One more piece of advice look at rental locations a few miles away from the airport. Check online first but typically the price difference is ten times the cost of the cab ride. Buon viaggio e buona fortuna!
I also recommend Europcar for car rentals. I rented twice in Venice, and once in Marseille. First class service and price was fair. I have read bad reviews about some of the cheaper car rental companies.
Solid advice, great job on the toll system. I understand how it can be intimidating and confusing (one of the oddities: the credit card goes in the same slit as the ticket does). My advice as a local: - multiple, small destiantions not easily accessible with transit => car; - if "only" visiting bigger towns and cities => (high speed) train + local transit. I love driving on mountain roads, but in big cities... Honestly, don't waste your precious time having to deal with rentals, stuck in traffic, etc... if your trip does not require that. I went to Rome from a city in the north, and I've considered both options: - 2h50m on the high speed train (+ 68€ ticket) seeing the charming countryside zipping by at 200mph while sitting comfortably on my seat; - 4h30m driving (+ 155€ fuel & tolls + having to find a parking spot in Rome + all the mileage on the engine etc). The choice was obvious for me. Public transport between cities and small villages is often reduced to a few coaches per day and that can really impact your visiting schedule and costing you a lot of time, that's where a car comes in handy.
Quick example of a 1-2 week trip in the north, in case anyone is interested: (mixed driving + train) - High speed train to Venice (cars are useless there, unless you drive on water 😂😂) - Train back to Verona (the city is beautiful). - Then, after visiting the city, rent a car there and start exploring around the Lake Garda area (if you can, avoid driving on the roads along the shores of the Lake during the weekend during summer, it can only bring frustration) - All the little towns starting from the south east: Peschiera, Sirmione, Lido di Manerba (beautiful view from the roman Rocca di Manerba), Salò - Don't forget to get Gelato every afternoon - for those who like driving, I recommend Strada della Forra... ( th-cam.com/video/L2eEvGwTPZc/w-d-xo.html the size of a Fiat 500 will really help in this one! haha). - Riva del Garda and Lake Ledro - Then if you have more time, go north and see Trentino, Süd Tyrol and the Dolomites. - Eastern side of the Garda lake, or, if you like red wine, stop by in Valpolicella and try some Ripasso or Amarone on your way back to Verona right from the winemakers. Yes, speed limits are not followed much. I still would not advise to speed, for obvious reasons and also as speed cameras/radars are common, especially in the north. As you noticed Trucks have, by EU law, speed limiters to 90 km/h so you won't see heavy trucks speeding at least.
Thank you for commenting! I appreciate the input of a local and I love your country. I really enjoyed the country side and found that I didn't need to get too far outside the cities to enjoy it. I am planning another trip to Italy and I will be driving most of it but will once again I will not drive in the larger cities. Parking is rough and the public transit system is very good and accessible. I will not spend as much time in the bigger cities on our next visit as there is so much to see and experience outside the cities and you get to do so without the crowds.
@@LRTOTAL Thank you! That is the area I intend to explore next! We saw Venice last time Monday - through Wednesday in October. It was not crowded very nice. However we went by train straight back to Roma for my Daughters wedding. I saw very little of the North part of the country.
Also I think the biggest hassle driving in some the large cities are the ZTL zones that you find in Milan, Florence and Rome that you are forbidden to drive in unless you are a resident and/or have a pass. The fines can be substantial.
Thank you for the kind words and for watching! I made a second video just a few weeks ago which covers Parking, Speed Cameras, and Zone Limited Traffic Areas. th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for your video - I've been considering visiting my ancestor’s hill town in Basilicata near Matera (only not accessible by public transit), and you gave me encouragement! 🚗
Well done Tony. I enjoyed the video. My first trip to Italy was with my dad who wanted to visit some of the places that he had been to during WWII. I one track after marrying my Italian wife. We now spend part of the year there in her family village, slowly restoring the old house. Driving there takes a few minutes to change style, but by the time that I am on the GRA I am in full Italian mode. Speaking of mode. Did you know that some Italian cars have a City mode? As far as I can tell, all it does is change the power steering boost. Cheers
Thank you watching and for the kind words. I have been back to Italy a couple times since this video was put out. I have driven in different directions each time for no less than 3 weeks at a time. I still am not fully in Italian mode but I am much closer. :) Best of luck with your restoration. You certainly found a beautiful place to call home.
Good info here, Tony. Seems like a lot of people are trying to nail down just how much luggage they can fit into one of these Fiat 500's. Need to keep in mind that these rental companies are likely to give you something other than what you booked. Just happened to me in Rome. Booked a Fiat Panda and Hertz "upgraded" me to a POS Lancia hybrid. We packed light so just had 2 22" carry on bags and 2 day packs and the carry on bags barely fit in the boot with the back seats up. I picked up the car at Rome Termini train station and headed right out of town to a timeshare in Tuscany. Drove all over Tuscany for a week while based at the timeshare then to Bologna for one day. We had 2 days left to plan so chose the Grand Hotel in Remini for those nights and so glad we did. That left us with a coast to coast 4 hr trip back to Rome for the flight home. Hertz abided by my request to waive the CDW though I had read that it was required and expensive. They only charged $306 for a 10 day rental. I was pleased. Only hiccup I had was using a self service pump. Apparently I did not close out my transaction somehow and bought the guy behind me $66 in gas.
Fantastic auto travel video, especially in Italy. Congrats to you and wife Tony. This video will settle a long debate with my girlfriend who believes that , TRAIN isthe only way to see Italy. Contrary, Ciao.
Thank you for the kind words and I have two more videos in series if you have any more trouble. The train is nice IF you are only going to the big cities however that is only a portion of what Italy has to offer. The countryside has plenty to offer and it is more authentic, less touristy, more laid back. I certainly recommend Italy by rental car as I prefer my time spent traveling around the countryside over my time in the large cities. If you want to check out other parts of the country The second trip was my favorite or our trip to Sicily both mostly by car here's link to my playlist: th-cam.com/play/PLz2M3b_orpr2q4z8YyX2d3mn6-Hi7FT5f.html
Thank you for watching and make sure you watch the second video in the series. It will especially important in Tuscany. As long as you don't derive into the major cities you will be fine. I will have a 3rd and final video in the series coming out shortly. I just returned from a 1,850 mile journey from Rome to Sicily and back. There will be some additional general thoughts that should be helpful. th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
Tony, I totally agree with you about renting a car. That's the most convenient mode in order to to travel around Italy. You can control your own pace and save time while raveling there. Love your channel.
I will certainly watch the other, I travel extremely lite when it comes to clothing. 60 to 90L back pack so a Vespa 300 would be my source of transportation, my next location would be Gallipoli by arrival and departure through Brindisi. Thanks again for your input
The wife and I only take two carry ons, a backpack and laptop bag. It makes getting out of the airport very easy. I doubt I could get that amount strapped to Vespa. Thanks again!
Tony, I couldn't agree with you more on everything you said about the advantages of driving in Italy, especially in the South. Having a car allows you to see things you would never see without one. I map out with much detail how I plan to spend my time and see what really interests me. You were also spot on about returning for an extended stay in Vieste. I have been there twice for absolutely the most peaceful antidote to life itself. Each time I stayed at the Hotell II Castellino Relais, a really wonderful little place of only about 20 rooms right on the beach just outside of town. Highly recommend the place in everyway. I knew I was in the right resort region when I was one of the only Americans there and most were from Italy. It is where the Italians go on their vacations! There are so many beautiful beach towns along the Gargano coast and if you have a car you can explore all of them which would be impossible without wheels.
Thank you! We stayed at Castellino Relais as well while in Vieste. I got balcony room for $90 a night which was a bargain. I really enjoyed our time in the car and I plan to go back again shortly and of course I will explore more of the country side by car. Thanks for watching!
@@TonysFordsandMustangs Wow!! I can't believe you just happened to stay at the same place. The breakfast spread was really top notch and it is great place to unwind. The little huts along the beach serves some good food for a quick lunch and it is not hot dogs and burgers but a good Italian dish of the day. There are really wonderful places to have dinner not far from the resort including a place about a five minute drive called Cariglia Carni which is a barbecue place you would not expect to see in Italy but is on par with any Texas barbecue you may have attended. Again, this is a place you would never be able to go to without a rental! I am presently planning out a nearly month long trip in Italy which includes much time exploring by car. Best to you in your travels and keep the videos coming!
@@jmdecato Small world right? We got a 5 cheese pizza from Pizzeria Da Enzo con Forno a Legna. It had to be all of 30 inches across for $20 euros and it was awesome. Way more than the the two of us could handle but somehow I picked up the slack for the team. :) There just happened to be a car rally running through town that evening which was fun for me to see. Safe travels to you and yours and I'm looking at 2.5 weeks this time and really looking forward to stopping at some new locations that are tucked away in the Mountains in another Fiat 500.
Hello from Sao Paulo Brazil and congratulations on the beautiful video. I'm going to Italy in April 2025 and I booked a Fiat 500 hybrid and on the road what was the consumption per liter per kilometer?
Hello and thank you for the kind words. I didn't actually track our consumption. The Fiat 500 does very well on gas however it is slow to accelerate and the hybrid battery will run low on long trips. It recharges on down hills and while braking so it will come back quickly. That said I wouldn't want another car while italy. It's size allows you carry luggage comfortably and still navigate the narrow streets. IF you have not yet watched my other videos in the series I would recommend you do so as each will give you different insights and tips to make driving there more comfortable. I'm planning to return in April as well. After 3 separate trips covering a month each there are a few places I still want to visit. Here is a link to my playlist for Italy : th-cam.com/play/PLz2M3b_orpr2q4z8YyX2d3mn6-Hi7FT5f.html
I went last year and rented a car for the same reason - I wanted to explore the ancestral homeland of my Great Grandparents. They both came from VERY rural pastoral settings, one in the Province of Parma in Emilia-Romagna, the other from the province of Belluno in Veneto, up in the mountains. Renting a car was stressful but really only in the cities that I visited to stay in for lodging purposes (city of Parma and Treviso). The highway driving was not that bad, but the narrow streets and roundabouts were stressful in the cities. If I were to do it again I would recommend staying somewhere way outside busy urban areas but near a train station so you can find parking, that way if you do want to visit the cities you can use public transport and not use your car.
Yes I would agree IF you want to see the large cities use public transport and IF want to see the country side rent a car. I split the trip up so we could do both. I will be back in Italy soon enough and I will plan a similar trip. I enjoyed our time in country more than I did in the cities. It seemed much more authentic to me.
@TonysFordsandMustangs i so agree with that. The food was better and cheaper in the more rural areas, the people were nicer, and there still plenty of things to see, like castles on hills, churches with cemeteries with a stunning view of the mountains, and small hamlets with maybe 10 houses but all from like the 15th/16th centuries... and NO CROWDS. Venice was so cool but insanely overcrowded! I am going back in 19 days and cant wait to see all the beautiful rural scenery again.
@@mikeg8375 I found that traveling in the cities Monday through Thursday wasn't nearly as crowded as the weekend. I won't too far behind you for our trip. Enjoy!
Nice video… We are looking to hire a car when we go in a few months - some great tips… I agree it seems that hiring a car is the best way to see Italy - what I will say though is that trains help take cars off the road so less traffic/stress for me! If no trains then more traffic and harder to park 😁
Glad it was helpful and we did use the trains for the travel into the larger cities. That's a whole other level of driving. The country side is great to explore by car and we plan to go back in the next few months and do it again. There will be some travel by train again, I just won't enjoy it as much.
Thanks for your input. This year we are renting a car and traveling throughout Tuscany and your thoughts are appreciated. I'm curious though, when were you in Matera.? Last year we met a nice couple that drove the same route you speak of. It was a rainy night - November 20, 2022. We were in a tiny casual eatery late in the evening. You look like the couple, but I could be wrong. If it was you, what a small world!
Thanks for watching and good luck with your trip! We were in Matera in mid October so it wasn't us and It barely rained our entire trip which was nice.
Thank you very much Peter! I completed a second with some additional information. It taken in Central and Northern Italy. th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
Beautiful video thank you. We are going to Italy later this year. I haven’t driven on the Right side for many years and feel nervous, despite driving on the Left for 34 yrs. I don’t have the confidence I had as a young man visiting and driving in France. Greetings from Australia 🇦🇺🏳️🌈
Thank you very much! If you give yourself a little bit of time outside the major cities where traffic is light I think you will adjust quickly. Really once outside the Cities we found traffic to be very light. Many times we were the only car on the road. Best of luck and enjoy your trip. Driving around the country was easily my favorite part of the trip.
Since you are going to Florence I would highly recommend you watch part two driving in the central & northern part of Italy. You will need to know these things as well. th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
Tony, excellent, and informative thank you. I’m heading to southern Italy and will certainly avoid the bigger cities. Did you organise Europe Car from home or when you were in Italy?
Thank you for the kind words! I reserved the car a few month prior to leaving. I made sure to grab it after visiting Rome & Venice picking it up in Sorrento. I spent some time looking for a rental office that had good reviews and was close to a train station. The Sorrento office checked all the boxes. We walked 3 blocks from the train station to our hotel and spent the evening walking around Sorrento. The next day we took the train to Pompeii. The following morning I walked across the street from our hotel and picked up the car, drove back across the street to grab our luggage and my wife and we headed south.
Glad it was helpful! I did a follow up which covers Parking, ZTL Zones, traffic cameras in Italy. You can find that here: th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
Recently traveled in Italy for two weeks, mostly by train but did rent a Fiat 500 hybrid to explore some of the small villages in Piedmont- definitely worth it, but driving in large cities is completely f'n nuts if you're from North America.
Oh totally hear that! Also, your totally right about paying 110% attention ALL THE TIME is sooooo true... but also knowing that everyone else is doing the same thing. Don't play music. Just listen to your GPS and stay alert. The Fiat 500 would be a slow, useless little piece of crap where I live in Western Canada, but on the roads, streets, hills and villages of Northern Italy you can completely understand and appreciate what and where it was made for and it's absolutely perfect for it :)
I rented a car in Rome and drove to Pompeii and through the Amalfi coast while staying several nights in Priano. Has to be one of my most memorable trips. Several months later while back home in the states I received two driving violations via certified mail. I happily wired Italy $700 and will be returning this year. I had a similar experience driving through France. 😂
@@Alyssalovesjesus214 I was a little ignorant and didn’t know to stay out of the ZTL zones. The ZTL zones are clearly marked, just stay out of those areas and you’ll be fine. I just returned from a 3 week trip and I was much more vigilant this time and I’m hoping no citations in the coming months. It’s absolutely worth trying a vehicle.
My wife and I are going on a tour of the cities next month. Afterwards, I’m renting a car in Rome and making my way to my hometown in Calabria. Can you recommend the place you stayed in Mattera? This was the most informative video on driving in Italy.
Thank you for the kind words! We stayed at Caveoso Hotel in Matera. You need to park above the old city in a garage and walk your luggage down. I failed to do this and received a ticket in the mail exactly a year later which prompted a second video with a few more tips. You can see that here: th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
Like everything else in life, it depends. If you want to travel deep into inner Sicily or to some other rural backwater, you need a car. For many tourist destinations and big cities, however, driving and parking can be awful. A few years ago, I returned from a trip to Tuscany and got a ticket for entering a privileged resident zone of Livorno with the rental car. I had heard of those traps and really paid attention but apparently one of these inconspicuous signs had eluded me. The letter had taken its time to arrive and I realized I had to drop everything and transfer the fee right away lest it would go up by 50% - never mind thebpostal speed (and Italy can collect those tickets in my country...). Last autumn, I flew to Milan Airport, rented a car and drove it to our holiday destination at the Ligurian coast - a small town with an excellent train connection but limited parking - our host told us that driving and parking in those coastal towns becomes a refined form of hell in the tourist season. So, for visiting Liguria again, I'd take the train any time...
I did make a follow up video regarding ZTL zones, traffic cameras, and finding parking lots. I agree there is no reason to drive to the big cities and I did mention that in both videos. That said I prefer the country side to the big cities. To each their own.
Hi Tony, great video! My Husband and I are travelling to Italy in May and will be hiring a car. A lot of the Fiats say that they only have space for 1 large suitcase. Did you struggle at all for space in the Fiat?
I we had 2 larger medium suitcases (45 pounds a piece) A backpack, and a laptop case in the back. We were in country for 27 days and had a wedding so we packed plenty. The rear seats do fold down and we did that but I think we could have fit more into the 500.
Thank you sir! Make sure to the second video as I cover other items of note that you should be familiar with prior to renting a car. th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
I tried renting a car in Rome. So we signed the papers and jumped into the car and drove off!! Then we wanted to set the navigational system to our destination. But the menu system was in Italian, and set up to navigate back to the rental company. So we wanted them to set up the system to be in English. But no-one there spoke any other language but Italian. So we had to give up, and fly home again. This was before google translate and google maps.
Navigation with google maps and connectivity to phones has completely changed the game. Also english is much more prevalent in today's Italy. I think you would find things very different today. Thanks for watching!
I use google maps which is an ap on my phone. I plug the phone into the cars USB port and apple carplay is available on the LCD screen of the car. I make sure to have an international data plan for my phone when I travel. IF you are looking at renting a car in Italy I have two other videos you should watch prior to doing so. I have taken 3 trips there over the last year and driven good distances each time. It's really the best way to see the country. you can check out the other 2 videos at this link th-cam.com/play/PLz2M3b_orpr2q4z8YyX2d3mn6-Hi7FT5f.html
@@TonysFordsandMustangs thanks, going to rent a car on the island of Sardegna for 6 days and definitely use Google Maps here in the USA just wondered if the rentals there in Italy came with GPS ilike they do in the UK
@@Mr.Steve-O The GPS waa an option for us and not included in the cost of a rental. I had great cell coverage in Italy for all 3 of our trips. I do not know how you will make out on the island. Best of luck with your trip!
Great video with lots of good tips. However, I wish you would have mentioned that you rented a manual-shift car and that an automatic would have cost at least double. I’ve been looking into an automatic Europa car for 11 days that’s going to cost nearly $1,500 including no-deductible insurance (strongly recommended) and a one-way drop off fee of $63
Thank you. I never asked for an automatic so I had no idea there was an additional cost. Also the deductible wasn't that high ($500 euros) so the idea of spending additional cash on that made little sense to me. If there was an accident and I was out $500 euros well, ok. You are really paying for "personal accident protection" on yourself and the passengers. I have plenty of Insurance on myself already so I didn't require it. Costs are going vary on when you rent the car. My cost was under $500 for 11 days. I was there at the end of September and into October and I only took the basic Insurance. I do not recommend the additional insurance but to each their own.
Thank you and I went with the standard insurance. It comes down to how comfortable you are with assuming a bit of risk. The last car I rented had hail damage all over it. Which was perfect as I knew I wouldn't be dinged for a dent. I have yet to have a through walk around with Europcar. I can't speak to the other companies. I would also suggest you watch my second video that covers parking, ZTL zones, and speed cameras. th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
Great video. So helpful. Thank you so much for sharing. We plan on taking train from Rome to Chiusi, renting a car for a 3 day stay in Tuscany. Trying to decide whether to drop car off in Siena and take train to Florence or dropping car off at Florence Airport? Do you think traffic is too congested outside Florence?
Thank you for the kind words. Siena is an easy drop off location. I stay away from airports for pick ups or drop offs as it typically costs you quite a bit more for the convenience. I would not want to drive into Florence or any of the major cities and the Florence Airport is in a congested area. It's really night and day difference once you get outside the city limits in regards to traffic. We saw little or no traffic while driving around Tuscany. Once in Chiusi you should be free to drive all around the area and explore with very few issues regarding traffic. I do recommend Civita di Bagnoregio but only for a couple of hours. (It's very small), the "things to do" button on google maps can really be helpful when plan your day and your route. There are many hidden gems in Italy where the trains don't stop. I find them to be authentic and much more enjoyable as apposed to the well know tourist spots. Safe travels!
Tony, greetings from Sydney Australia. So you picked up the car in Sorrento and dropped it off in Siena, near Florence?? I’ll probably do the same however will also spend a week travelling through Sicily. Funny, I googled Matera, it’s 150 kilometres from where my parents are from.
Yes I did and Sorrento worked out really well for us. We selected a hotel that was maybe 3 blocks from the train station and the rental office was directly across the street. Driving the Amalfi Coast can be a bit frightening as the road has many tight turns and it's up there. That stated you can easily avoid it. Once you get out of the Sorrento there will be very few cars on the road all the way to Sicily. Matera is a very unique city and well worth a day or two IF you can spare it. Best of luck and thank for watching!
@@TonysFordsandMustangs thanks for responding. I’ll check out Europe Car, they’re also in Australia and have a good name. We were in the US a few years ago, visitors my wife’s family (also Italian) in New Jersey. I can’t begin to tell you how much we loved it, such a great place, great people.
@@robcig One more tip. Look at locations away from Airports or train stations. I'm pricing out another trip and a 45 minute train ride and a cab ride to a local rental office is going to save me over 600 euros on a rental car for a 14 day trip. Same car, same amount of days, only picking up and dropping off at two local offices away from the airport. Picking up and dropping off at Rome Fiumicino Airport was $1178 picking up at Pomezia just south of the airport and dropping off at Vicenza $522.
Great video, Tony. Thank you. Can i be sure of getting an automatic transmission, or should I learn how to drive a standard, just in case? How far out can i book a car? Thank you!😊
Thank you for watching. You can absolutely reserve an automatic transmission when you make your reservation so don't worry about that. You can book a car a year out if you wanted to however I wouldn't do that. I select the car and enter my dates as soon as I know I going. I than watch the pricing over a series of weeks. Rental pricing for a trip can fluctuate by a few hundred dollars from day to day or week to week. Once I find out what the lower price range is for my dates I book it. Since you are planning on driving you need to watch the other video in my series as I cover other topics you need to know. here's a link to a playlist and have a great trip! th-cam.com/play/PLz2M3b_orpr2q4z8YyX2d3mn6-Hi7FT5f.html
What a great video! Exactly what I was looking for. I have a question though - We are planning from Venice to Florence to Rome to Sorrento. Do they allow pick up at Venice and dropoff at Sorrento? Any advise is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Thank you for the kind words and yes you can pick up and drop off at different locations without a issue or a price increase. I would recommend you watch my second video especially in the areas where you plan to drive. As it would make planning a bit easier and shows you how to avoid tickets. th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
Very helpful thank you . Heading to Italy from Australia only fear is we drive left here .. we going to drive from Lucca to vibo Calabria with kids .. any tips for a stopover ??
Glad it was helpful! If you are renting a car in Italy I would suggest you watching the other videos in the series. I cover other items you should be aware of and will be helpful. th-cam.com/play/PLz2M3b_orpr2q4z8YyX2d3mn6-Hi7FT5f.html
A lot of information in a wonderful video, Tony. I will be going to Tuscany for about a week, staying in the countryside. I have rented a fiat 500 hybrid but I am tempted to pay a bit extra for a slightly larger vehicle (Cupra Formentor). Do you think this will be too big for the country roads and is the Fiat 500 enjoyable enough to drive at 70 kph? Kind regards.
The hybrid is no power house by any means however it does well enough to cruise at 120 kph for hours. I prefer it for Italy because of its size. There have been several occasions where I would have lost a side mirror in a larger car. I have a second video with additional info on renting a car in Italy I highly suggest you watch as well.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs Thank you for the input and I really appreciate the fast response. I think I'll be sticking with the Fiat then, especially when the recommendation is coming from an American who loves muscle cars hehe. I'll definitely be checking out your other videos as well. Hope you have a wonderful trip and enjoy Sicily! Can't wait to go there myself one day.
Thank you for watching and i believe it is the best way to see the country. If you are planning another trip I did learn a bit more on my two additional trips there and I would encourage you to watch the videos in the series. One on the central to the Northern part of the county and the other from Rome to and all the way around Sicily and back. th-cam.com/play/PLz2M3b_orpr2q4z8YyX2d3mn6-Hi7FT5f.html
Always buy full insurance. I live in Italy so I know the rules. Drive as fast and reckless as possible and ignore all stop signs. Never look in the direction of oncoming traffic, only in the direction that you want to drive. Speed limits are only recommendations and NEVER put down your phone.
I found distracted driving to much less of an issue there than it is in the states and I found the drivers to better there than we have here. If I wanted to pass I could and the that's not the case here in the states. Drivers here constantly camp out in the left lane. Many times you have to drive ten miles or more behind two drivers going the speed limit. That is annoying as hell. Every red light here is a chance for young drivers to look at their phone intently. They rarely know when the signal light changes unless you blow your horn. True that stop sign have little meaning in Italy but the roundabouts with great sitelines make that much less of an issue. Here in the states we have very few roundabouts and plenty of drivers who can't comprehend how to approach one. (I guess the yield sign concept is difficult for Americans) They either close their eyes and don't yield or they stop. I would be all too happy to trade driver edicate practices with you. :) Thanks for watching, it is appreciated.
Thank you Tony, I'm from Sydney Australia. we drive on the left, I'm taking a trip to Italy in September, like you i want go back to my Mother's village, Sinopoli. For me its driving on the wrong side of the Road. I've never been before wish me luck... I got the city where those Greek ruins are, Paestum. if you have time could you let me know the town where the artefact's museum are located.
Best of luck! Paestum's museum is right down the street from the Ruins across the street. You can't miss it and it's easy walking distance from the ruins parking lot. The museums in the video are National Archeological Museum of Sibaritide and National Archaeological Museum of Siritide both of which are much farther south. I think you will be fine driving in southern Italy. Also check out my second video as that is helpful when you are planning your driving days. th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
video with your phone milage the full outside of car all scratches, we rented and they tried too hit us with damage $2000 dollars luckily I had video of damage they drop the case. other wise I would do it again. love the rest stops.
Hi Tony great video! Couple questions. Can we show up and book a car in person or reserve ahead of time? Also, there will be four of us with backpacks and carry ons , would the car you rented be big enough or should i opt for a size up? How strict are they with pick up/drop off times? Thank you!
I reserved my car ahead of time and I would recommend you do as well. Most rental companies don't have a lot of extra cars sitting around. Also I would at any location a few miles/KM away from the airport as you get a surcharge when you rent at an airport location. The Fiat 500 has little or no luggage space so for 4 people plus carry on/backpacks I would upsize for sure. I didn't test them on pick up or drop off times so I cannot speak to that, sorry.
Great information. I am visiting in August 2023 and have rented same Hybrid 500. What did you do when you visit big cities attraction like in Rome, Venice, Florence or Pisa.....did you park some where in city center close to major attractions OR park far outside and use public transport specially crowded Rome reaching Colosseum for e.g....Please suggest some parking options for Rome and also Venice if possible? Appreciated! Ahsan
I planned my trip around the rental. We split the trip up hitting the big cities using public transport and picked up the rental in Sorrento. We then drove for 11 days through southern and central Italy finally dropping the car in Siena and once again picking up public transport to finish the trip in Florence and Pisa before returning home. That stated we did drive to Tivola to get to Siena which is only 35ish kilometers west of Rome with no issues what so ever. Really the traffic even in Rome isn't bad until you get well inside the ring road. So staying close and taking the train into the city would have been our plan B for Rome. Once in Rome the taxis are everywhere and relativity inexpensive. We took those to the farther out locations. I didn't think the traffic was all that hectic in Florence especially on the southern side of the city, there is only one road into Venice and a car is useless there so perhaps find a place in Marghera to stay and take the train in during the day into the early evening. One more piece of advice IF you can, stay away from the big cities on the weekends as that's when they are the busiest. I believe August will be the busy season for tourists as it is so being in those places on a weekend wouldn't be my first choice. I hope this helps and best of luck!
Awesome video and very helpful for my planning. I am going to visit Italy for my 10 year anniversary and I want to rent a car. Off the bat, you started with stating that you avoided driving in the big cities. Is there a reason why? I am going to every city that you mentioned haha. I will land in Milan, then go to Venice, Florence, Pisa, Rome, Naples and Amalfi Coast. I was aware of the international license but not about the tolls. Around how much is each stop? Also, is there a restaurant that you highly recommend in the city? Grazie mille
First off thank you for watching! If you spent time in the big cities you would understand my choice of not driving in any of them. Parking is at a premium and IF you intend to visit the tourist spots it's near impossible to find a spot. Cabs will drop you off blocks away as that is as close as they can get. I really wouldn't recommend it especially Rome, Florence, Naples and Venice. You would be fine finding a location just outside any of these cities and taking public transport in during the day and returning at night. One it will save you a lot of money on Hotels. For example we stayed in a Castle in Tivoli right outside Hadrian's Villa which is about 30 Kilometers out side of Roma (30 minute train ride) at 90 Euros a night. Our hotel in Rome was 225 a night. The traffic in the cities versus the country side is also night and day different. Try to visit the country side during the weekends and the major cites during the week if you can. We stayed in Venice (you can't drive there at all as there are no roads) on a Monday and Tuesday at the end of September and it really wasn't that busy which made it perfect. My daughters went there on separate weekends and it was packed. I had made the same mistake in Florence and hit that on a weekend and it was very, very crowded. That lead to wasted time waiting to see anything. I would tell you to rethink your trip just a bit and hit the big cities by rail and DO explore the country side by car. As to restaurants we found that IF you avoid the places near the attractions that have menus in English and hit the places with high google ratings just few blocks away you make out much better. Our best meals were also had outside the big cities. That said the bad places in Italy are by far better than most places you find in the states. Also IF I had to do it again I would skip the Amalfi Coast altogether. If feels like one big tourist trap, the streets are narrow, with very steep inclines, crowded, and filled with small shops selling the exact same tourist items. It is much better to see it by boat and appreciate the landscape then it is actually be in the cities. By contrast we loved the time we spent on the coast of the Adriatic. Vieste and that entire peninsula offer a lot of scenic beauty, great food (we got our favorite pizza in Vieste) with out all the touristy stuff. I imagine it is what Amalfi was in the 70's. The tolls are really nothing to worry about I don't think we paid more then a few euros on any of the roadways. You do pay a lot of tolls but none are that expensive. Learning about the English button made life much easier with tolls and gas stops. Best of luck and learn to use the translator on your phone. That is very useful in the country side. You won't need it in the cities.
hi . 1st of all great video , very helpful! Planning my trip there with my wife, considering of renting a car to make a circle from Venice down to San Marino, after Florence, Pisa, Genoa, Milan, Verona and back to Venice. Have some questions for you. How much is the tollroad fee? How much is the parking fee? And why the rent was so expensive, you didn't book online, as with skyscanner I see 140euro for WV polo? Thanks and keep posting
Thank you for watching! The toll roads were never that much however there are a lot of them. $8 euros was the most we paid on any given day and we paid by credit card at all the tollbooths. I only paid to park once and the was in Matera at a public garage and it was 8 euros a day. We didn't drive much in the Northern part of the country. We do plan to do that when we go back to Italy later this year. We rented through Europcar directly online and skipped the additional insurances. I think a lot of it depends on the time of year and where you pick the car up. We did not pick up the rental at the airport. IF you travel by cab to an in town location your fees drop by a significate amount $20 a day less or more depending on the type of car you rent. I would suggest you look at a location near the airport and take a cab. The hours at those location vary so be mindful of that. We paid $447 for 11 days in a Fiat 500 which I thought was more than reasonable. Are you looking at $140 for your entire trip or for the day?
@@TonysFordsandMustangs I see now, for 11 days it's reasonable. The price I found was for 4 days . So the same price. And without extra insurance, which I don't know worth to pay or not. Still thinking
Thanks for watching. Highly recommend Europcar. Also we picked the car up in one city and dropped it in another with no extra charge. You do not need additional insurance as insurance is included in the cost of your rental. www.europcar.com
Hi Tony, your video is very informative and helpful, really enjoyed it. We are planning to rent a car for our trip in Sardinia and we really want a Fiat 500 but concerned about its trunk size. What are your experiences about the 500's luggage capacity? We would bring a medium size (27 inch) luggage plus a cabin sized one. What do you think, can they fit in the car trunk, below the parcel shelf without folding down the rear seats? Thank you, Adam
Glad it was helpful! You will need to fold the seats down to fit anything of size in the back of a Fiat 500. The area below the parcel shelf is very small. If you have more than two of you in the car and luggage it's not the best choice. Best of luck and enjoy your trip.
I made a second video during another drive around central Italy. I would urge you to watch it as well. It covers parking, limited traffic zones and speed cameras. th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
US roads are boring in the sense that there is a constant speed that essentially needs no skills but see the Italian roads especially rural like Amalfi where u need out of the ordinary steering skills of course no speed but isn’t that enjoying life.
There are plenty of roads in the U.S. that are challenging to drive and offer great scenery however you need to seek them out. These roads are not common place as they are in Italy. That has a lot to with the terrain. Thank for watching.
Did you do all the driving? You emphasized how alert the driver needs to be, and I imagine that detracts from your ability to enjoy the scenery. Also, how challenging is it not being a fluent speaker of Italian when trying to understand road signs and such?
Yes I did all the driving. Yes you need to alert however the level depends on where you are driving. In the cities its more so however down south the roads are not congested at all and you can really take in the country side quite a bit. Way more than you can on the trains. The trains go through countless tunnels and ditches so your line of sight on one is very limited. As to the signs I can read Italian at all however there are plenty of graphics on the signs and most are self explanatory. I made a follow up video if you are considering making the trip (I highly recommend you do) you can see that here: th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
@@jpo566 Thank you very much! Make sure to watch the other videos in the series. Each one gives different information all of which be helpful should you decide to drive through Italy 🇮🇹.
I rented a car in Italy and the gas station had a guy that puts the gas for me. I read gasolio and asumed that was gazoline. I was wrong. I filled the fiat tank full with diesel
400 euros for 12 days would be such a good price but sadly I have searched recently for the same fiat 500 hybrid for only six days from the same company and the quote was 900 euros!! The whole car new is maximum 15.000 euros, I am very dissapointed..
My wife and I would like to move to Italy or Spain after she retires from her US fed Govt job in a few years (I'm already retired--US military, 2014). I'd like to take my 2021 Ram 1500 Laramie Crew cab 4x4, 6.4' box...
Thank you for service. I'm ex-Air Force. There are not many big trucks running around in Italy. Many of the streets in the older cities are very narrow as they were not built for automotive traffic. Gas is expensive in comparison to the states as well and it maybe difficult to find parts and when you plan to sell it on you may find the market limited. I think the old adage when in Rome would apply here. That said you could do it but it would require some route planning before you go places and perhaps a second car for the into the city trips? It is beautiful there as the overall cost of living is less than what you find in the states so it certainly retiring there could work for you. Best of luck.
I could have done that however our drop off time was early AM as we had picked up the car early in the AM and I would either have to wake very early in AM to make the drive from Civita di Bagnoregio or pay for an extra day. Plus it was short cab ride to the station from the rental car office in Siena so that made more sense to me.
@@TonysFordsandMustangsso buying two trains tickets dragging suitcases and taking a cab in Pisa made more sense? Not to me. Penny wise dollars foolish.
I'm looking at renting a car in Italy in October. The rental company websites don't give good info on legroom in the back seat but, more importantly, "room for 4 carryons" in the trunk. From the reviews, I'd guess that your 500 had ok leg room but can you confirm that it DOESN'T have room for 4 carryons? Thanks
Thanks for watching and the 500 is just big enough for two people and luggage. We had two rather large suitcases a backpack and a laptop bag in the 500. We did fold the rear seats down.
Andy, I can't say as with complete accuracy as I have yet to make a cross border trip. I always feel like other parts of Europe are not as enjoyable as Italy so once I driving there I'm see as much as I can and stay in the country. I will be making a trip like this soon and from what I have researched, As long as the rental agency is aware of it and there maybe a fee involved, it shouldn't be an issue as Italy and France have open borders. Best of luck on your trip and make sure to watch my other two video regarding your in Italy and there is others items you should be aware of prior to driving there. th-cam.com/play/PLz2M3b_orpr2q4z8YyX2d3mn6-Hi7FT5f.html
I did visit Italy in October 2018. With me, my now ex-girlfriend and her friend. 2 women who just decided that I rent a car to see more from Italy. I’m used to driving. But after 13 years of living in Canada / USA, I didn’t realize that my foot got kinda “frozen”. Driving in Canada & USA with maximum speed of 100kph / 65mph, I just thought that Italians are just crazy - until a Italian friend we picked up on a trip, tapped my shoulder from behind as I was driving. “Hey. We are in Italy. Are you not German? You should know how to drive fast.” I listened and my eyes looked at the speedometer. 100kph! Now I understood why everyone did pass me angry, waving their fists and flipping me the finger. “Ohhh. I completely forgot…” From that moment on it was again pedal to the metal. 165kph on Italian highways. I totally forgot how fun driving was. 😂 Small Fiat and 5,865km in 4 weeks! After the Italy vacation, I really needed a vacation. 😅
Thanks for sharing your experience! My Hybrid rental topped out at 130kph so I spent a lot of time in the right lane. It was perfect for the cities and the countryside and spent most of our time there.
If you are talking about a 1 day driving tour. Sure you can arrange that through multiple companies. We arranged some walking tours through Air BnB. They were very good tours that were relativity inexpensive. That said, the last place I would worry about driving would be the Tuscany Countryside. Few of the country roads are busy and it's easy to navigate.
I plan flying to Milano. I do speak Italian but I haven't been in Italy since 1989. I plan on going directly to Vicenza first. My question is do you think it's best to rent from airport or simply just rent at my first destination by way of train. I'm concerned about the transition from disembarking plane, getting luggage and then finding car rental area. Also,Did you pay your car rental with your airline ticket or just simply pay at counter with no reservations? Thanks
I got my rental reservations well in advance and I would suggest you do so as well as cars can be in demand depending on when you are traveling. IF you are flying into Aeroporto di Milano-Malpensa you are a few miles outside of the city and need not travel through it to get to Vicenza. There are several rental car agencies directly across the street from the terminal. I typically do not rent at an airport because many times there are additional fees but in your case I would. It's really no easier to make it to the train, find your platform, hope the train is on time, etc. plus you would have the hassle of dealing with your luggage the entire time. It seems that it would be easier to cross the street to rental counter and pick up your car and stow your luggage once.
rental companies in Italy seem to have basic insurance but customers would be responsible for excess amount if damage. Is this something that a credit card benefit would cover just like in states? Or you recommend purchasing rental company additional coverage to reduce or get rid of excess?
I guess it depends on your finances and your willingness to roll the dice. I have never taken the additional insurance. Over hundreds of rentals and have only had to buy a windshield once in Canada that cost me $400. Over hundreds of rentals I saved enough to buy a couple of cars. The insurance that came with my rental in Italy covered all but a few items that I wasn't worried about so I waived it. Really it depends on how risk averse you are personally. www.europcar.com/protection-package-details/portugal-italy-belgium
Is it accurate that you're not allowed to drive your car inside something referred to as ZTL (Zona a Traffico Limitato), which is like the center of Rome and Milan?
Yes it is very accurate and i covered this and few other items in my second video that you should know prior to driving in the central and northern parts of Italy. th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
I guess you could but it would be easier and cheaper to stop at the AAA office. You don’t need it at the rental office however if you are stopped for any reason it would be nice to have.
Thanks for the quick response! I don’t live in the U.S. right now so I have no idea where a AAA office would be. lol. I’m a good U.S. driver and if I can drive where I live right now (Philippines), I feel I can drive most places. Thanks for the confidence boost!
We packed for 27 days and a wedding so we were far from light. Our bags each weighed just under 50 pounds, the wife had a back pack and I carried a laptop bag. There were two of us. We folded the rear seats down and had no issues. Thanks for watching.
Thank you for watching the video and not at all. We really don't pack anything valuable and we pack light so normally it can be covered and out of sight. The Fiat 500 doesn't stand out as a rental car and I am not in the big cities with the car. There are times when we stop by the hotel and drop off our luggage prior to venturing out but when we stop while on the road the luggage is in the back of the car. After spending the better part of 3 months there in the last year and a half I can say without question that I feel much safer in Italy than I do in America.
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Tony: Your video is 100% more informing than any travel show I've watched. And I'm retired and I watch them all. Thank you for your tremendous insight into renting a car ( no need to have nerves) and staying away from the masses as in- too many tourist. lol. The entrapment that happens with luggage on public transportation would make me dazed and confused. I would be happy to dine in a small village with the locals and my translator app! Loved your trip. Keep on traveling.
Thank you for the kind words Josh! It is greatly appreciated. I just completed a second trip in middle and northern regions and most of it was in a rental car again. I know we traveled to quite a few places where tourist rarely go and once again those locations proved to be some of our favorites. If you would like to come along you can find it here: th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
From one Tony to another, I can’t thank you enough for this video! We just got back from an anniversary trip where we rented the same car as you albeit the cabriolet version for about a week. Drove from Rome, up to La Spezia, over to Maranello, down through my namesake city “Porretta” in Tuscany, back down to Rome and right up to the Colosseum, best trip I’ve ever taken and honestly owe you credit! Would have been such a shame to ride trains busses and cabs, the countryside was incredible to drive through. Great video, made a genuine impact on our vacation.
I have a great appreciation for Italian drivers now, different lifestyle! Having my GPS on my phone also made it simple to get around. Thank you Tony!
Thank you so much for following up and I am so glad you enjoyed your trip! It makes me very happy to make a positive impact and I know you enjoyed the countryside. So much beauty and history everywhere you look!
re: passing lane etiquette (8:20), this is the custom in Spain and Portugal as well. So refreshing compared to here in New Jersey, where left lane campers abound with no fear of being ticketed.
No kidding! I drove the PA Turnpike from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh roughly 225 miles the other day. I passed no less than 50 cars using right lane as they were just camped out in the left lane. Plenty of them had NJ plates. So aggravating a problem that just shouldn't be in the states. Thanks for watching!
@@TonysFordsandMustangs Many NJ drivers are NYC transplants who have zero regards for road etiquette. Those folks need to stick with public transportation.
Grazie! Great video and you have alleviated my potential concerns about getting a rental when I visit in April!
Great to hear! I'm glad it was helpful! We will be going back in the next year and I will be in rental 100% of the time.
I understand Tony, I’ll keep an eye out for your videos.
Thank you for a very informative and confidence building video! Wife and I will be driving Milan to Dolomites to Venice and this got me more excited for the journey 😎
Thank you for watching and enjoy your trip. No driving in Venice :) but get the water taxi ticket 3 euros per day and you can ride all you like. Some of the outer Islands offer hidden gems.
Tony, thank you very much for the very helpful video.
You should travel more and create more of those clips… I’ll definitely follow.
Thanks you very much for the kind words. I do have a few on the channel and a part two to this video from our last trip to Italy. You can find those in the playlist. th-cam.com/video/NCbPTwF0-2k/w-d-xo.html
SUPER HELPFUL, thank you soo much! ❤ We we’re there around the same time last year. We will return for my sisters wedding in Florence. Afterwards we are going to do North Italy and Switzerland by car. Can’t wait! Congrats to your daughter!
Thank you so much for the kind words and for watching! One more tip. Look at rental location away from the airport. It can be a real $$ saver. A $20 train ride can save you hundreds off the cost of a rental. Safe travels!
Thanks for this video Tony. I have been to Italy before and travelled by train. After watching this, I’m definitely driving. Thank you for taking the time to put this video together.
Thank you for watching. I think once you drive through Italy you won't want to take the train again.
Renting a car in Catania Sicily for short road trip to Palermo. Your video and tips are helpful. Graze!
Thank you and we considered driving to Sicily. It would have taken the better part of a week to drive around the entire island so we took a pass. We will definitely do so in the future. Don't be afraid to explore more as we found multiple places there that looked amazing! Best of luck!
I and my friends are going to Catania next week and are so excited about traveling there. Also thinking about renting a car there. Can you give some advices about local renting?
@@azamatbaibulanov9209 I know this is old but we are planning on doing the same thing next week and would be interested to hear what your experience was like and who you rented from...
You drove through the entire Campania region, which ironically is the region my family hails from. My last name is Campana. They dropped the I in Campania at Ellis Island in late 1896, leaving us with Campana. I've visited back in 2009 and felt at home immediately. I currently reside north of New Orleans, but yearn for my return.
I understand exactly how you feel and loved the area we drove through. We are going back as my daughters would like me to get my citizenship and that's going to take a few weeks in country. My Grandfather came through Ellis in 1904 and my Grandmother in 1905. It is a beautiful country to drive through and I plan to drive the northern region at some point this year.
I’m convinced. Car rental it is! Thank you.
Good choice! Thanks for watching!!
Thanks man, I've been to holidaying in Rome for more than 20 years, hiring a car every time. That said ive picked up some things I wasn't aware of, and like you i got a parking ticket too. I initially thought it was a scam, but with a goggle search i found out it was real, and because we go to Italy at least once a year i thought it wise to pay it. I really enjoyed your three videos, thank you.
Thank you very much for the kind words and I'm glad you enjoyed the videos.
As Italian, I can confirm everything. I also agree with avoiding driving in the main cities.
If your trip only touches main cities, then use fast train (Italo or Frecciarossa) to travel in between. Within the cities then use public transports or walk.
But if you aim to see small towns (borghi) and countryside, then you definetely need the car.
By the way, the latter is the most authentic and exciting Italian trip you can do 😊
I am going back sometime this year for a few weeks. I will be mapping out a route again and renting a car for a majority of the trip. There is too much to see and experience in the countryside. As you stated it's more authentic and a less touristy trip. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Is it safe to leave lugguage in the car while going through these road trips?
@@Wish117 I guess it depends on where you are and the value of your luggage. We felt safe at the locations we stopped at because they were very rural. Our thoughts were If there are very few people in area the chances are lower that someone would break into the car. Would I do that in a major city, no. There is crime everywhere but overall I felt much safer in Italy then I would in most large U.S. Cities. That said IF you have a place to stay for the evening and you can drive there to drop your luggage I would.
Very informative guys thank you!
Also are you suggesting that if I rent a car from Rome and decide to drive to Florence...I shouldn't? and take a train?
My plan was to drive from Rome to Florence, mayben then to Venice and back to Rome and the to Naples..first time in Italy, so I'm curious to know what would be best, train or car for the cities I'm planning.
@@diego.c4ddefinetely train, especially if only one or two people. Driving in italy can be stressfull (traffic, roadworks, unexpected fines) and expensive. To drive between main cities you most likely have to get the motorway which it's quite pricey, and so parking in the main cities is pricey too!
If you look at Italo or Freciarossa few months prior your trip you should find great deals there.
I said if one or two people because obviously you have to buy a ticket per person. If you are travelling as a family of 4-5 people than you'd need to work out what's cheaper: car rental+fuel+motorway etc vs amount of train tickets to buy.
Ah: intercities fast trains take half time than car journeys in Italy. So big time saving too.
How cool. Tony you and I drive essentially the same '22 Oxford White HP Mach 1s (except mine's an A-10) and I was in Italy for three weeks about the same time you were, from mid-September into October. In fact, I was watching your videos about the HC trap removal from Italy, anxiously waiting to get back to remove it like you did for the extra +18 hp. I drove daily in northern Italy between Arona and Cameri for two weeks (through hundreds of roundabouts like you mentioned), eventually to Milan then to Como, where I dropped the car off since we were traveling to Venice, Florence, and Rome by high-speed rail. We covered Como, Venice, Florence/Tuscany/Pisa, and Rome in only eight days, so didn't have time to drive. The Frecciarossa 1000 and its near-200mph speed was the way to go between the big cities. I did drive a few hours over to Maranello, Sant'Agata, and Modena one Saturday from Arona to see the Ferrari and Lamborghini factories and museums though. Definitely worthwhile if you ever go back and haven't done those.
Thanks for watching and we do plan to go back. We hit all the big cities by rail as well. The biggest issue for us we had to pack for 24 Days and a wedding making our suitcases bulk up weigh 45lbs each. That plus a laptop bag and the wife's backpack made things difficult. We will be back and explore the country some more and hit the northern region but since we have seen most of what we wanted to see the larger cities we will most likely bypass them next time around. I have Arona on the list don't worry. ;)
I’m so glad I’m not the only one who wants to drive in Italy. We are driving from Venice to Rome praying it’s scenic
Google maps can make it scenic IF you use the things to do button and pay attention to the attraction signs. Best of luck!
Grazie mille signore, I am returning home to Sicilia and I am very nervous. I am in my 20s and left when I was a child. My nervous level is at a 10 but you have brought me a lot of peace with your video. I am going from Palermo to Corleone and possible some more small towns in the rural country. I am going in December through January
You should be just fine. There is nothing on your route that would concern me. One more piece of advice look at rental locations a few miles away from the airport. Check online first but typically the price difference is ten times the cost of the cab ride. Buon viaggio e buona fortuna!
I also recommend Europcar for car rentals. I rented twice in Venice, and once in Marseille. First class service and price was fair. I have read bad reviews about some of the cheaper car rental companies.
Thanks for the comment.
Very entertaining and informative. I have driven in Italy and found your advice to be right on target. Fiats are fun to drive !
Thank you so much it is appreciated!
Solid advice, great job on the toll system. I understand how it can be intimidating and confusing (one of the oddities: the credit card goes in the same slit as the ticket does).
My advice as a local:
- multiple, small destiantions not easily accessible with transit => car;
- if "only" visiting bigger towns and cities => (high speed) train + local transit.
I love driving on mountain roads, but in big cities... Honestly, don't waste your precious time having to deal with rentals, stuck in traffic, etc... if your trip does not require that.
I went to Rome from a city in the north, and I've considered both options:
- 2h50m on the high speed train (+ 68€ ticket) seeing the charming countryside zipping by at 200mph while sitting comfortably on my seat;
- 4h30m driving (+ 155€ fuel & tolls + having to find a parking spot in Rome + all the mileage on the engine etc).
The choice was obvious for me.
Public transport between cities and small villages is often reduced to a few coaches per day and that can really impact your visiting schedule and costing you a lot of time, that's where a car comes in handy.
Quick example of a 1-2 week trip in the north, in case anyone is interested: (mixed driving + train)
- High speed train to Venice (cars are useless there, unless you drive on water 😂😂)
- Train back to Verona (the city is beautiful).
- Then, after visiting the city, rent a car there and start exploring around the Lake Garda area (if you can, avoid driving on the roads along the shores of the Lake during the weekend during summer, it can only bring frustration)
- All the little towns starting from the south east: Peschiera, Sirmione, Lido di Manerba (beautiful view from the roman Rocca di Manerba), Salò
- Don't forget to get Gelato every afternoon
- for those who like driving, I recommend Strada della Forra... ( th-cam.com/video/L2eEvGwTPZc/w-d-xo.html the size of a Fiat 500 will really help in this one! haha).
- Riva del Garda and Lake Ledro
- Then if you have more time, go north and see Trentino, Süd Tyrol and the Dolomites.
- Eastern side of the Garda lake, or, if you like red wine, stop by in Valpolicella and try some Ripasso or Amarone on your way back to Verona right from the winemakers.
Yes, speed limits are not followed much. I still would not advise to speed, for obvious reasons and also as speed cameras/radars are common, especially in the north.
As you noticed Trucks have, by EU law, speed limiters to 90 km/h so you won't see heavy trucks speeding at least.
Thank you for commenting! I appreciate the input of a local and I love your country. I really enjoyed the country side and found that I didn't need to get too far outside the cities to enjoy it. I am planning another trip to Italy and I will be driving most of it but will once again I will not drive in the larger cities. Parking is rough and the public transit system is very good and accessible. I will not spend as much time in the bigger cities on our next visit as there is so much to see and experience outside the cities and you get to do so without the crowds.
@@LRTOTAL Thank you! That is the area I intend to explore next! We saw Venice last time Monday - through Wednesday in October. It was not crowded very nice. However we went by train straight back to Roma for my Daughters wedding. I saw very little of the North part of the country.
Also I think the biggest hassle driving in some the large cities are the ZTL zones that you find in Milan, Florence and Rome that you are forbidden to drive in unless you are a resident and/or have a pass. The fines can be substantial.
Thank you so much, so informative video about renting a car and going on a trip thru Italy!
Thank you for the kind words and for watching! I made a second video just a few weeks ago which covers Parking, Speed Cameras, and Zone Limited Traffic Areas. th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for your video - I've been considering visiting my ancestor’s hill town in Basilicata near Matera (only not accessible by public transit), and you gave me encouragement! 🚗
Driving in southern Italy is easy and full of scenic beauty. I highly recommend it!
Well done Tony.
I enjoyed the video. My first trip to Italy was with my dad who wanted to visit some of the places that he had been to during WWII.
I one track after marrying my Italian wife. We now spend part of the year there in her family village, slowly restoring the old house. Driving there takes a few minutes to change style, but by the time that I am on the GRA I am in full Italian mode.
Speaking of mode. Did you know that some Italian cars have a City mode? As far as I can tell, all it does is change the power steering boost.
Cheers
Thank you watching and for the kind words. I have been back to Italy a couple times since this video was put out. I have driven in different directions each time for no less than 3 weeks at a time. I still am not fully in Italian mode but I am much closer. :) Best of luck with your restoration. You certainly found a beautiful place to call home.
Good info here, Tony. Seems like a lot of people are trying to nail down just how much luggage they can fit into one of these Fiat 500's. Need to keep in mind that these rental companies are likely to give you something other than what you booked. Just happened to me in Rome. Booked a Fiat Panda and Hertz "upgraded" me to a POS Lancia hybrid. We packed light so just had 2 22" carry on bags and 2 day packs and the carry on bags barely fit in the boot with the back seats up. I picked up the car at Rome Termini train station and headed right out of town to a timeshare in Tuscany. Drove all over Tuscany for a week while based at the timeshare then to Bologna for one day. We had 2 days left to plan so chose the Grand Hotel in Remini for those nights and so glad we did. That left us with a coast to coast 4 hr trip back to Rome for the flight home. Hertz abided by my request to waive the CDW though I had read that it was required and expensive. They only charged $306 for a 10 day rental. I was pleased. Only hiccup I had was using a self service pump. Apparently I did not close out my transaction somehow and bought the guy behind me $66 in gas.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video and other than credit card issue it sounds like you had a great trip!
Fantastic auto travel video, especially in Italy. Congrats to you and wife Tony. This video will settle a long debate with my girlfriend who believes that , TRAIN isthe only way to see Italy. Contrary, Ciao.
Thank you for the kind words and I have two more videos in series if you have any more trouble. The train is nice IF you are only going to the big cities however that is only a portion of what Italy has to offer. The countryside has plenty to offer and it is more authentic, less touristy, more laid back. I certainly recommend Italy by rental car as I prefer my time spent traveling around the countryside over my time in the large cities. If you want to check out other parts of the country The second trip was my favorite or our trip to Sicily both mostly by car here's link to my playlist:
th-cam.com/play/PLz2M3b_orpr2q4z8YyX2d3mn6-Hi7FT5f.html
Just found your channel!! Thank you so much for the great tips! We look forward to driving through the Tuscan countryside soon!
Thank you for watching and make sure you watch the second video in the series. It will especially important in Tuscany. As long as you don't derive into the major cities you will be fine. I will have a 3rd and final video in the series coming out shortly. I just returned from a 1,850 mile journey from Rome to Sicily and back. There will be some additional general thoughts that should be helpful. th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
@@TonysFordsandMustangs Thanks soo much, again... I will definitely watch Part II and look forward to the next one. :-)
Tony, I totally agree with you about renting a car. That's the most convenient mode in order to to travel around Italy. You can control your own pace and save time while raveling there. Love your channel.
Agreed & thank you very much! It is appreciated!
I will certainly watch the other, I travel extremely lite when it comes to clothing. 60 to 90L back pack so a Vespa 300 would be my source of transportation, my next location would be Gallipoli by arrival and departure through Brindisi. Thanks again for your input
The wife and I only take two carry ons, a backpack and laptop bag. It makes getting out of the airport very easy. I doubt I could get that amount strapped to Vespa. Thanks again!
Another pro about renting a car is you won’t be affected by a sciopero. It’s a word you learn early on when you live in Italy.
That's true!
Same in France. Those Euro commies sure love their strikes.
Solid advice. For most americans-really, take a small car convient to amount of pssengers. Fits better espacially cities an mountains
Thank you and thanks for watching!
Great video both in content and technique. Better than Rick Steves. I have rented a car in Italy before and considering it again this summer.
Thank you! We are going back for soon and renting a car again.
Tony, I couldn't agree with you more on everything you said about the advantages of driving in Italy, especially in the South. Having a car allows you to see things you would never see without one. I map out with much detail how I plan to spend my time and see what really interests me. You were also spot on about returning for an extended stay in Vieste. I have been there twice for absolutely the most peaceful antidote to life itself. Each time I stayed at the Hotell II Castellino Relais, a really wonderful little place of only about 20 rooms right on the beach just outside of town. Highly recommend the place in everyway. I knew I was in the right resort region when I was one of the only Americans there and most were from Italy. It is where the Italians go on their vacations! There are so many beautiful beach towns along the Gargano coast and if you have a car you can explore all of them which would be impossible without wheels.
Thank you! We stayed at Castellino Relais as well while in Vieste. I got balcony room for $90 a night which was a bargain. I really enjoyed our time in the car and I plan to go back again shortly and of course I will explore more of the country side by car. Thanks for watching!
@@TonysFordsandMustangs Wow!! I can't believe you just happened to stay at the same place. The breakfast spread was really top notch and it is great place to unwind. The little huts along the beach serves some good food for a quick lunch and it is not hot dogs and burgers but a good Italian dish of the day. There are really wonderful places to have dinner not far from the resort including a place about a five minute drive called Cariglia Carni which is a barbecue place you would not expect to see in Italy but is on par with any Texas barbecue you may have attended. Again, this is a place you would never be able to go to without a rental! I am presently planning out a nearly month long trip in Italy which includes much time exploring by car. Best to you in your travels and keep the videos coming!
@@jmdecato Small world right? We got a 5 cheese pizza from Pizzeria Da Enzo con Forno a Legna. It had to be all of 30 inches across for $20 euros and it was awesome. Way more than the the two of us could handle but somehow I picked up the slack for the team. :) There just happened to be a car rally running through town that evening which was fun for me to see. Safe travels to you and yours and I'm looking at 2.5 weeks this time and really looking forward to stopping at some new locations that are tucked away in the Mountains in another Fiat 500.
Thanks to this video, now I feel more confident to rent a car in Italy
I'm glad I could help! Make sure to watch Part 2 as it covers a couple of additional should know items. th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
Hello from Sao Paulo Brazil and congratulations on the beautiful video. I'm going to Italy in April 2025 and I booked a Fiat 500 hybrid and on the road what was the consumption per liter per kilometer?
Hello and thank you for the kind words. I didn't actually track our consumption. The Fiat 500 does very well on gas however it is slow to accelerate and the hybrid battery will run low on long trips. It recharges on down hills and while braking so it will come back quickly. That said I wouldn't want another car while italy. It's size allows you carry luggage comfortably and still navigate the narrow streets. IF you have not yet watched my other videos in the series I would recommend you do so as each will give you different insights and tips to make driving there more comfortable. I'm planning to return in April as well. After 3 separate trips covering a month each there are a few places I still want to visit. Here is a link to my playlist for Italy : th-cam.com/play/PLz2M3b_orpr2q4z8YyX2d3mn6-Hi7FT5f.html
da italiano ti confermo che hai dato degli ottimi consigli, sia nel video che nei commenti, complimenti.
Grazie mille! È apprezzato!
I went last year and rented a car for the same reason - I wanted to explore the ancestral homeland of my Great Grandparents. They both came from VERY rural pastoral settings, one in the Province of Parma in Emilia-Romagna, the other from the province of Belluno in Veneto, up in the mountains. Renting a car was stressful but really only in the cities that I visited to stay in for lodging purposes (city of Parma and Treviso). The highway driving was not that bad, but the narrow streets and roundabouts were stressful in the cities. If I were to do it again I would recommend staying somewhere way outside busy urban areas but near a train station so you can find parking, that way if you do want to visit the cities you can use public transport and not use your car.
Yes I would agree IF you want to see the large cities use public transport and IF want to see the country side rent a car. I split the trip up so we could do both. I will be back in Italy soon enough and I will plan a similar trip. I enjoyed our time in country more than I did in the cities. It seemed much more authentic to me.
@TonysFordsandMustangs i so agree with that. The food was better and cheaper in the more rural areas, the people were nicer, and there still plenty of things to see, like castles on hills, churches with cemeteries with a stunning view of the mountains, and small hamlets with maybe 10 houses but all from like the 15th/16th centuries... and NO CROWDS. Venice was so cool but insanely overcrowded! I am going back in 19 days and cant wait to see all the beautiful rural scenery again.
@@mikeg8375 I found that traveling in the cities Monday through Thursday wasn't nearly as crowded as the weekend. I won't too far behind you for our trip. Enjoy!
Nice video… We are looking to hire a car when we go in a few months - some great tips… I agree it seems that hiring a car is the best way to see Italy - what I will say though is that trains help take cars off the road so less traffic/stress for me! If no trains then more traffic and harder to park 😁
Glad it was helpful and we did use the trains for the travel into the larger cities. That's a whole other level of driving. The country side is great to explore by car and we plan to go back in the next few months and do it again. There will be some travel by train again, I just won't enjoy it as much.
Thanks for your input. This year we are renting a car and traveling throughout Tuscany and your thoughts are appreciated. I'm curious though, when were you in Matera.? Last year we met a nice couple that drove the same route you speak of. It was a rainy night - November 20, 2022. We were in a tiny casual eatery late in the evening. You look like the couple, but I could be wrong. If it was you, what a small world!
Thanks for watching and good luck with your trip! We were in Matera in mid October so it wasn't us and It barely rained our entire trip which was nice.
What a joy to see this video.
Thank you very much Peter! I completed a second with some additional information. It taken in Central and Northern Italy. th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
Beautiful video thank you. We are going to Italy later this year. I haven’t driven on the Right side for many years and feel nervous, despite driving on the Left for 34 yrs. I don’t have the confidence I had as a young man visiting and driving in France.
Greetings from Australia 🇦🇺🏳️🌈
Thank you very much! If you give yourself a little bit of time outside the major cities where traffic is light I think you will adjust quickly. Really once outside the Cities we found traffic to be very light. Many times we were the only car on the road. Best of luck and enjoy your trip. Driving around the country was easily my favorite part of the trip.
Thank you (have an upcoming trip to Florence and the video helped)
Since you are going to Florence I would highly recommend you watch part two driving in the central & northern part of Italy. You will need to know these things as well. th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
@@TonysFordsandMustangs Thank you. Will do
We rented a car in august. Drove over 1000 Kilometers. We did get the international drivers licenses. It was great.
Agreed and thanks for watching!
Tony, excellent, and informative thank you. I’m heading to southern Italy and will certainly avoid the bigger cities. Did you organise Europe Car from home or when you were in Italy?
Thank you for the kind words! I reserved the car a few month prior to leaving. I made sure to grab it after visiting Rome & Venice picking it up in Sorrento. I spent some time looking for a rental office that had good reviews and was close to a train station. The Sorrento office checked all the boxes. We walked 3 blocks from the train station to our hotel and spent the evening walking around Sorrento. The next day we took the train to Pompeii. The following morning I walked across the street from our hotel and picked up the car, drove back across the street to grab our luggage and my wife and we headed south.
Super helpful video! Thank you!
Glad it was helpful! I did a follow up which covers Parking, ZTL Zones, traffic cameras in Italy. You can find that here: th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
Recently traveled in Italy for two weeks, mostly by train but did rent a Fiat 500 hybrid to explore some of the small villages in Piedmont- definitely worth it, but driving in large cities is completely f'n nuts if you're from North America.
I did say in the video I steered (literally) away from the large cities. That was intentional.
Oh totally hear that! Also, your totally right about paying 110% attention ALL THE TIME is sooooo true... but also knowing that everyone else is doing the same thing. Don't play music. Just listen to your GPS and stay alert. The Fiat 500 would be a slow, useless little piece of crap where I live in Western Canada, but on the roads, streets, hills and villages of Northern Italy you can completely understand and appreciate what and where it was made for and it's absolutely perfect for it :)
Great video! Thanks for the time and effort!
Thank you for watching it is appreciated!
I rented a car in Rome and drove to Pompeii and through the Amalfi coast while staying several nights in Priano. Has to be one of my most memorable trips. Several months later while back home in the states I received two driving violations via certified mail. I happily wired Italy $700 and will be returning this year. I had a similar experience driving through France. 😂
Thanks for sharing your story! You should watch the second video that tells you how to avoid these things :) th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
How can I avoid this? What did u do wrong?
@@Alyssalovesjesus214 I was a little ignorant and didn’t know to stay out of the ZTL zones. The ZTL zones are clearly marked, just stay out of those areas and you’ll be fine. I just returned from a 3 week trip and I was much more vigilant this time and I’m hoping no citations in the coming months.
It’s absolutely worth trying a vehicle.
My wife and I are going on a tour of the cities next month. Afterwards, I’m renting a car in Rome and making my way to my hometown in Calabria. Can you recommend the place you stayed in Mattera? This was the most informative video on driving in Italy.
Thank you for the kind words! We stayed at Caveoso Hotel in Matera. You need to park above the old city in a garage and walk your luggage down. I failed to do this and received a ticket in the mail exactly a year later which prompted a second video with a few more tips. You can see that here: th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
Super informative and fun video. Sweet Stang, as well!
Thank you very much! I will have some additional info to save some $ on a second video shortly.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs Awesome, will hit Notifications so we can see it. Thanks.
@@ReallyStrongGuy a quick tip on renting I didn't include. Do not pick up at an Airport. Take a cab to a down location and Save 20% or more
@@TonysFordsandMustangs Wow! That's a huge savings. Really appreciate the Pro Tip!
@@ReallyStrongGuy Best of luck and enjoy your trip. It's that way in Alaska as well
Like everything else in life, it depends. If you want to travel deep into inner Sicily or to some other rural backwater, you need a car.
For many tourist destinations and big cities, however, driving and parking can be awful.
A few years ago, I returned from a trip to Tuscany and got a ticket for entering a privileged resident zone of Livorno with the rental car. I had heard of those traps and really paid attention but apparently one of these inconspicuous signs had eluded me.
The letter had taken its time to arrive and I realized I had to drop everything and transfer the fee right away lest it would go up by 50% - never mind thebpostal speed (and Italy can collect those tickets in my country...).
Last autumn, I flew to Milan Airport, rented a car and drove it to our holiday destination at the Ligurian coast - a small town with an excellent train connection but limited parking - our host told us that driving and parking in those coastal towns becomes a refined form of hell in the tourist season.
So, for visiting Liguria again, I'd take the train any time...
I did make a follow up video regarding ZTL zones, traffic cameras, and finding parking lots. I agree there is no reason to drive to the big cities and I did mention that in both videos. That said I prefer the country side to the big cities. To each their own.
Hi Tony, great video! My Husband and I are travelling to Italy in May and will be hiring a car. A lot of the Fiats say that they only have space for 1 large suitcase. Did you struggle at all for space in the Fiat?
I we had 2 larger medium suitcases (45 pounds a piece) A backpack, and a laptop case in the back. We were in country for 27 days and had a wedding so we packed plenty. The rear seats do fold down and we did that but I think we could have fit more into the 500.
Fantastic video sir - thank you!
Thank you sir! Make sure to the second video as I cover other items of note that you should be familiar with prior to renting a car. th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
I tried renting a car in Rome. So we signed the papers and jumped into the car and drove off!! Then we wanted to set the navigational system to our destination. But the menu system was in Italian, and set up to navigate back to the rental company. So we wanted them to set up the system to be in English. But no-one there spoke any other language but Italian. So we had to give up, and fly home again. This was before google translate and google maps.
Navigation with google maps and connectivity to phones has completely changed the game. Also english is much more prevalent in today's Italy. I think you would find things very different today. Thanks for watching!
Wondered if GPS was wondering included in your rental car or was it an additional cost? Thx, your trip looked fantastic btw
I use google maps which is an ap on my phone. I plug the phone into the cars USB port and apple carplay is available on the LCD screen of the car. I make sure to have an international data plan for my phone when I travel. IF you are looking at renting a car in Italy I have two other videos you should watch prior to doing so. I have taken 3 trips there over the last year and driven good distances each time. It's really the best way to see the country. you can check out the other 2 videos at this link th-cam.com/play/PLz2M3b_orpr2q4z8YyX2d3mn6-Hi7FT5f.html
@@TonysFordsandMustangs thanks, going to rent a car on the island of Sardegna for 6 days and definitely use Google Maps here in the USA just wondered if the rentals there in Italy came with GPS ilike they do in the UK
@@Mr.Steve-O The GPS waa an option for us and not included in the cost of a rental. I had great cell coverage in Italy for all 3 of our trips. I do not know how you will make out on the island. Best of luck with your trip!
Great video with lots of good tips. However, I wish you would have mentioned that you rented a manual-shift car and that an automatic would have cost at least double. I’ve been looking into an automatic Europa car for 11 days that’s going to cost nearly $1,500 including no-deductible insurance (strongly recommended) and a one-way drop off fee of $63
Thank you. I never asked for an automatic so I had no idea there was an additional cost. Also the deductible wasn't that high ($500 euros) so the idea of spending additional cash on that made little sense to me. If there was an accident and I was out $500 euros well, ok. You are really paying for "personal accident protection" on yourself and the passengers. I have plenty of Insurance on myself already so I didn't require it. Costs are going vary on when you rent the car. My cost was under $500 for 11 days. I was there at the end of September and into October and I only took the basic Insurance. I do not recommend the additional insurance but to each their own.
Great video! What type of car rental insurance did you opt for?
Thank you and I went with the standard insurance. It comes down to how comfortable you are with assuming a bit of risk. The last car I rented had hail damage all over it. Which was perfect as I knew I wouldn't be dinged for a dent. I have yet to have a through walk around with Europcar. I can't speak to the other companies. I would also suggest you watch my second video that covers parking, ZTL zones, and speed cameras. th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
Great video. So helpful. Thank you so much for sharing. We plan on taking train from Rome to Chiusi, renting a car for a 3 day stay in Tuscany. Trying to decide whether to drop car off in Siena and take train to Florence or dropping car off at Florence Airport? Do you think traffic is too congested outside Florence?
Thank you for the kind words. Siena is an easy drop off location. I stay away from airports for pick ups or drop offs as it typically costs you quite a bit more for the convenience. I would not want to drive into Florence or any of the major cities and the Florence Airport is in a congested area. It's really night and day difference once you get outside the city limits in regards to traffic. We saw little or no traffic while driving around Tuscany. Once in Chiusi you should be free to drive all around the area and explore with very few issues regarding traffic. I do recommend Civita di Bagnoregio but only for a couple of hours. (It's very small), the "things to do" button on google maps can really be helpful when plan your day and your route. There are many hidden gems in Italy where the trains don't stop. I find them to be authentic and much more enjoyable as apposed to the well know tourist spots. Safe travels!
@@TonysFordsandMustangs Appreciate the advice. Thank you so much.
Tony, greetings from Sydney Australia. So you picked up the car in Sorrento and dropped it off in Siena, near Florence?? I’ll probably do the same however will also spend a week travelling through Sicily. Funny, I googled Matera, it’s 150 kilometres from where my parents are from.
Yes I did and Sorrento worked out really well for us. We selected a hotel that was maybe 3 blocks from the train station and the rental office was directly across the street. Driving the Amalfi Coast can be a bit frightening as the road has many tight turns and it's up there. That stated you can easily avoid it. Once you get out of the Sorrento there will be very few cars on the road all the way to Sicily. Matera is a very unique city and well worth a day or two IF you can spare it. Best of luck and thank for watching!
@@TonysFordsandMustangs thanks for responding. I’ll check out Europe Car, they’re also in Australia and have a good name. We were in the US a few years ago, visitors my wife’s family (also Italian) in New Jersey. I can’t begin to tell you how much we loved it, such a great place, great people.
@@robcig One more tip. Look at locations away from Airports or train stations. I'm pricing out another trip and a 45 minute train ride and a cab ride to a local rental office is going to save me over 600 euros on a rental car for a 14 day trip. Same car, same amount of days, only picking up and dropping off at two local offices away from the airport. Picking up and dropping off at Rome Fiumicino Airport was $1178 picking up at Pomezia just south of the airport and dropping off at Vicenza $522.
Great video, Tony. Thank you. Can i be sure of getting an automatic transmission, or should I learn how to drive a standard, just in case? How far out can i book a car? Thank you!😊
Thank you for watching. You can absolutely reserve an automatic transmission when you make your reservation so don't worry about that. You can book a car a year out if you wanted to however I wouldn't do that. I select the car and enter my dates as soon as I know I going. I than watch the pricing over a series of weeks. Rental pricing for a trip can fluctuate by a few hundred dollars from day to day or week to week. Once I find out what the lower price range is for my dates I book it. Since you are planning on driving you need to watch the other video in my series as I cover other topics you need to know. here's a link to a playlist and have a great trip! th-cam.com/play/PLz2M3b_orpr2q4z8YyX2d3mn6-Hi7FT5f.html
What a great video! Exactly what I was looking for. I have a question though - We are planning from Venice to Florence to Rome to Sorrento. Do they allow pick up at Venice and dropoff at Sorrento? Any advise is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Thank you for the kind words and yes you can pick up and drop off at different locations without a issue or a price increase. I would recommend you watch my second video especially in the areas where you plan to drive. As it would make planning a bit easier and shows you how to avoid tickets. th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
Very helpful thank you . Heading to Italy from Australia only fear is we drive left here .. we going to drive from Lucca to vibo Calabria with kids .. any tips for a stopover ??
Thank you for this video!
Thank you for watching!
Very educational, thanks
Glad it was helpful! If you are renting a car in Italy I would suggest you watching the other videos in the series. I cover other items you should be aware of and will be helpful. th-cam.com/play/PLz2M3b_orpr2q4z8YyX2d3mn6-Hi7FT5f.html
A lot of information in a wonderful video, Tony.
I will be going to Tuscany for about a week, staying in the countryside. I have rented a fiat 500 hybrid but I am tempted to pay a bit extra for a slightly larger vehicle (Cupra Formentor). Do you think this will be too big for the country roads and is the Fiat 500 enjoyable enough to drive at 70 kph? Kind regards.
The hybrid is no power house by any means however it does well enough to cruise at 120 kph for hours. I prefer it for Italy because of its size. There have been several occasions where I would have lost a side mirror in a larger car. I have a second video with additional info on renting a car in Italy I highly suggest you watch as well.
th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
@@TonysFordsandMustangs
Thank you for the input and I really appreciate the fast response. I think I'll be sticking with the Fiat then, especially when the recommendation is coming from an American who loves muscle cars hehe. I'll definitely be checking out your other videos as well.
Hope you have a wonderful trip and enjoy Sicily! Can't wait to go there myself one day.
We did then same thing. We'll worth it!!
Thank you for watching and i believe it is the best way to see the country. If you are planning another trip I did learn a bit more on my two additional trips there and I would encourage you to watch the videos in the series. One on the central to the Northern part of the county and the other from Rome to and all the way around Sicily and back. th-cam.com/play/PLz2M3b_orpr2q4z8YyX2d3mn6-Hi7FT5f.html
Always buy full insurance. I live in Italy so I know the rules. Drive as fast and reckless as possible and ignore all stop signs. Never look in the direction of oncoming traffic, only in the direction that you want to drive. Speed limits are only recommendations and NEVER put down your phone.
I found distracted driving to much less of an issue there than it is in the states and I found the drivers to better there than we have here. If I wanted to pass I could and the that's not the case here in the states. Drivers here constantly camp out in the left lane. Many times you have to drive ten miles or more behind two drivers going the speed limit. That is annoying as hell. Every red light here is a chance for young drivers to look at their phone intently. They rarely know when the signal light changes unless you blow your horn. True that stop sign have little meaning in Italy but the roundabouts with great sitelines make that much less of an issue. Here in the states we have very few roundabouts and plenty of drivers who can't comprehend how to approach one. (I guess the yield sign concept is difficult for Americans) They either close their eyes and don't yield or they stop. I would be all too happy to trade driver edicate practices with you. :) Thanks for watching, it is appreciated.
Thank you Tony, I'm from Sydney Australia. we drive on the left, I'm taking a trip to Italy in September, like you i want go back to my Mother's village, Sinopoli. For me its driving on the wrong side of the Road. I've never been before wish me luck... I got the city where those Greek ruins are, Paestum. if you have time could you let me know the town where the artefact's museum are located.
Best of luck! Paestum's museum is right down the street from the Ruins across the street. You can't miss it and it's easy walking distance from the ruins parking lot. The museums in the video are National Archeological Museum of Sibaritide and National Archaeological Museum of Siritide both of which are much farther south. I think you will be fine driving in southern Italy. Also check out my second video as that is helpful when you are planning your driving days. th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
Thank you Tony I'm looking forward to going can't wait.
video with your phone milage the full outside of car all scratches, we rented and they tried too hit us with damage $2000 dollars luckily I had video of damage they drop the case. other wise I would do it again. love the rest stops.
Hi Tony great video! Couple questions. Can we show up and book a car in person or reserve ahead of time? Also, there will be four of us with backpacks and carry ons , would the car you rented be big enough or should i opt for a size up? How strict are they with pick up/drop off times? Thank you!
I reserved my car ahead of time and I would recommend you do as well. Most rental companies don't have a lot of extra cars sitting around. Also I would at any location a few miles/KM away from the airport as you get a surcharge when you rent at an airport location. The Fiat 500 has little or no luggage space so for 4 people plus carry on/backpacks I would upsize for sure. I didn't test them on pick up or drop off times so I cannot speak to that, sorry.
Great information. I am visiting in August 2023 and have rented same Hybrid 500. What did you do when you visit big cities attraction like in Rome, Venice, Florence or Pisa.....did you park some where in city center close to major attractions OR park far outside and use public transport specially crowded Rome reaching Colosseum for e.g....Please suggest some parking options for Rome and also Venice if possible? Appreciated! Ahsan
I planned my trip around the rental. We split the trip up hitting the big cities using public transport and picked up the rental in Sorrento. We then drove for 11 days through southern and central Italy finally dropping the car in Siena and once again picking up public transport to finish the trip in Florence and Pisa before returning home. That stated we did drive to Tivola to get to Siena which is only 35ish kilometers west of Rome with no issues what so ever. Really the traffic even in Rome isn't bad until you get well inside the ring road. So staying close and taking the train into the city would have been our plan B for Rome. Once in Rome the taxis are everywhere and relativity inexpensive. We took those to the farther out locations. I didn't think the traffic was all that hectic in Florence especially on the southern side of the city, there is only one road into Venice and a car is useless there so perhaps find a place in Marghera to stay and take the train in during the day into the early evening. One more piece of advice IF you can, stay away from the big cities on the weekends as that's when they are the busiest. I believe August will be the busy season for tourists as it is so being in those places on a weekend wouldn't be my first choice. I hope this helps and best of luck!
Awesome video and very helpful for my planning. I am going to visit Italy for my 10 year anniversary and I want to rent a car. Off the bat, you started with stating that you avoided driving in the big cities. Is there a reason why? I am going to every city that you mentioned haha. I will land in Milan, then go to Venice, Florence, Pisa, Rome, Naples and Amalfi Coast. I was aware of the international license but not about the tolls. Around how much is each stop?
Also, is there a restaurant that you highly recommend in the city?
Grazie mille
First off thank you for watching! If you spent time in the big cities you would understand my choice of not driving in any of them. Parking is at a premium and IF you intend to visit the tourist spots it's near impossible to find a spot. Cabs will drop you off blocks away as that is as close as they can get. I really wouldn't recommend it especially Rome, Florence, Naples and Venice. You would be fine finding a location just outside any of these cities and taking public transport in during the day and returning at night. One it will save you a lot of money on Hotels. For example we stayed in a Castle in Tivoli right outside Hadrian's Villa which is about 30 Kilometers out side of Roma (30 minute train ride) at 90 Euros a night. Our hotel in Rome was 225 a night. The traffic in the cities versus the country side is also night and day different. Try to visit the country side during the weekends and the major cites during the week if you can. We stayed in Venice (you can't drive there at all as there are no roads) on a Monday and Tuesday at the end of September and it really wasn't that busy which made it perfect. My daughters went there on separate weekends and it was packed. I had made the same mistake in Florence and hit that on a weekend and it was very, very crowded. That lead to wasted time waiting to see anything. I would tell you to rethink your trip just a bit and hit the big cities by rail and DO explore the country side by car. As to restaurants we found that IF you avoid the places near the attractions that have menus in English and hit the places with high google ratings just few blocks away you make out much better. Our best meals were also had outside the big cities. That said the bad places in Italy are by far better than most places you find in the states. Also IF I had to do it again I would skip the Amalfi Coast altogether. If feels like one big tourist trap, the streets are narrow, with very steep inclines, crowded, and filled with small shops selling the exact same tourist items. It is much better to see it by boat and appreciate the landscape then it is actually be in the cities. By contrast we loved the time we spent on the coast of the Adriatic. Vieste and that entire peninsula offer a lot of scenic beauty, great food (we got our favorite pizza in Vieste) with out all the touristy stuff. I imagine it is what Amalfi was in the 70's. The tolls are really nothing to worry about I don't think we paid more then a few euros on any of the roadways. You do pay a lot of tolls but none are that expensive. Learning about the English button made life much easier with tolls and gas stops. Best of luck and learn to use the translator on your phone. That is very useful in the country side. You won't need it in the cities.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs awesome, thank you for your time. Useful information.
hi . 1st of all great video , very helpful! Planning my trip there with my wife, considering of renting a car to make a circle from Venice down to San Marino, after Florence, Pisa, Genoa, Milan, Verona and back to Venice.
Have some questions for you. How much is the tollroad fee? How much is the parking fee? And why the rent was so expensive, you didn't book online, as with skyscanner I see 140euro for WV polo? Thanks and keep posting
Thank you for watching! The toll roads were never that much however there are a lot of them. $8 euros was the most we paid on any given day and we paid by credit card at all the tollbooths. I only paid to park once and the was in Matera at a public garage and it was 8 euros a day. We didn't drive much in the Northern part of the country. We do plan to do that when we go back to Italy later this year. We rented through Europcar directly online and skipped the additional insurances. I think a lot of it depends on the time of year and where you pick the car up. We did not pick up the rental at the airport. IF you travel by cab to an in town location your fees drop by a significate amount $20 a day less or more depending on the type of car you rent. I would suggest you look at a location near the airport and take a cab. The hours at those location vary so be mindful of that. We paid $447 for 11 days in a Fiat 500 which I thought was more than reasonable. Are you looking at $140 for your entire trip or for the day?
@@TonysFordsandMustangs I see now, for 11 days it's reasonable. The price I found was for 4 days . So the same price. And without extra insurance, which I don't know worth to pay or not. Still thinking
Hi Tony, great video, very helpful! where did you rent your Fiat500? we're being quoted 150euro for a day. Thanks!
Thanks for watching. Highly recommend Europcar. Also we picked the car up in one city and dropped it in another with no extra charge. You do not need additional insurance as insurance is included in the cost of your rental. www.europcar.com
Also prices will vary depending on when you plan to go. Off season is HIGHLY recommended if possible.
Very helpful, thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Hi Tony, your video is very informative and helpful, really enjoyed it. We are planning to rent a car for our trip in Sardinia and we really want a Fiat 500 but concerned about its trunk size. What are your experiences about the 500's luggage capacity? We would bring a medium size (27 inch) luggage plus a cabin sized one. What do you think, can they fit in the car trunk, below the parcel shelf without folding down the rear seats?
Thank you,
Adam
Glad it was helpful! You will need to fold the seats down to fit anything of size in the back of a Fiat 500. The area below the parcel shelf is very small. If you have more than two of you in the car and luggage it's not the best choice. Best of luck and enjoy your trip.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs thank you Tony, you are really kind!
Very helpful thanks.
I made a second video during another drive around central Italy. I would urge you to watch it as well. It covers parking, limited traffic zones and speed cameras. th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
US roads are boring in the sense that there is a constant speed that essentially needs no skills but see the Italian roads especially rural like Amalfi where u need out of the ordinary steering skills of course no speed but isn’t that enjoying life.
There are plenty of roads in the U.S. that are challenging to drive and offer great scenery however you need to seek them out. These roads are not common place as they are in Italy. That has a lot to with the terrain. Thank for watching.
Did you do all the driving? You emphasized how alert the driver needs to be, and I imagine that detracts from your ability to enjoy the scenery. Also, how challenging is it not being a fluent speaker of Italian when trying to understand road signs and such?
Yes I did all the driving. Yes you need to alert however the level depends on where you are driving. In the cities its more so however down south the roads are not congested at all and you can really take in the country side quite a bit. Way more than you can on the trains. The trains go through countless tunnels and ditches so your line of sight on one is very limited. As to the signs I can read Italian at all however there are plenty of graphics on the signs and most are self explanatory. I made a follow up video if you are considering making the trip (I highly recommend you do) you can see that here: th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
Hi Tony! Quick question, do they have automatic vehicles? Or just Manual. Thanks!
You can get an auto however you have to request one when your book on the website prior to the time of rental.
U r the best!
@@jpo566 Thank you very much! Make sure to watch the other videos in the series. Each one gives different information all of which be helpful should you decide to drive through Italy 🇮🇹.
I rented a car in Italy and the gas station had a guy that puts the gas for me. I read gasolio and asumed that was gazoline. I was wrong. I filled the fiat tank full with diesel
That's awful! It helps to know the color of the pump handles. That's why I put it in the video. I hope the rest of the trip was ok.
Dope
400 euros for 12 days would be such a good price but sadly I have searched recently for the same fiat 500 hybrid for only six days from the same company and the quote was 900 euros!! The whole car new is maximum 15.000 euros, I am very dissapointed..
Peak season will effect pricing. Try looking at location not at the airport. You pay a premium for picking up a car there. Best of luck!
Thanks!
Thank you! I hope everything goes great with your trip!
My wife and I would like to move to Italy or Spain after she retires from her US fed Govt job in a few years (I'm already retired--US military, 2014). I'd like to take my 2021 Ram 1500 Laramie Crew cab 4x4, 6.4' box...
Thank you for service. I'm ex-Air Force. There are not many big trucks running around in Italy. Many of the streets in the older cities are very narrow as they were not built for automotive traffic. Gas is expensive in comparison to the states as well and it maybe difficult to find parts and when you plan to sell it on you may find the market limited. I think the old adage when in Rome would apply here. That said you could do it but it would require some route planning before you go places and perhaps a second car for the into the city trips? It is beautiful there as the overall cost of living is less than what you find in the states so it certainly retiring there could work for you. Best of luck.
hey I'm going to Milan Italy, did the rental car company actually ask you for the International Driver's permit? Thanks for the video!
They did not ask for it however I gave it to them when I walked in the door. Have great trip.
So why not drop out your car in Pisa . They also have a EuroCar agency location.
I could have done that however our drop off time was early AM as we had picked up the car early in the AM and I would either have to wake very early in AM to make the drive from Civita di Bagnoregio or pay for an extra day. Plus it was short cab ride to the station from the rental car office in Siena so that made more sense to me.
@@TonysFordsandMustangsso buying two trains tickets dragging suitcases and taking a cab in Pisa made more sense? Not to me. Penny wise dollars foolish.
9:10 OMG, I am going to love driving in Italy
It will be the best time you spend in the country! Make sure to stop often and see the countryside.
I'm looking at renting a car in Italy in October.
The rental company websites don't give good info on legroom in the back seat but, more importantly, "room for 4 carryons" in the trunk.
From the reviews, I'd guess that your 500 had ok leg room but can you confirm that it DOESN'T have room for 4 carryons?
Thanks
Thanks for watching and the 500 is just big enough for two people and luggage. We had two rather large suitcases a backpack and a laptop bag in the 500. We did fold the rear seats down.
Just curious how much you ended up spending on fuel.
It wasn't much. I filled the car 3 times. Twice because the fuel was low and once before we turned it in. It was around 120 Euros for the entire trip.
❤thks! Great 👍
Thank you for watching! Check out part two which describes ZTL Zones, traffic cameras, and Parking. th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
Are you sure you witnessed a car rally?
Looks like ordinary Italians commuting to the office.
Hi: what can you say about renting in one country and dropping it off in another country? Italy - France.
Thanks, Andy
Andy, I can't say as with complete accuracy as I have yet to make a cross border trip. I always feel like other parts of Europe are not as enjoyable as Italy so once I driving there I'm see as much as I can and stay in the country. I will be making a trip like this soon and from what I have researched, As long as the rental agency is aware of it and there maybe a fee involved, it shouldn't be an issue as Italy and France have open borders. Best of luck on your trip and make sure to watch my other two video regarding your in Italy and there is others items you should be aware of prior to driving there. th-cam.com/play/PLz2M3b_orpr2q4z8YyX2d3mn6-Hi7FT5f.html
I did visit Italy in October 2018. With me, my now ex-girlfriend and her friend. 2 women who just decided that I rent a car to see more from Italy. I’m used to driving. But after 13 years of living in Canada / USA, I didn’t realize that my foot got kinda “frozen”. Driving in Canada & USA with maximum speed of 100kph / 65mph, I just thought that Italians are just crazy - until a Italian friend we picked up on a trip, tapped my shoulder from behind as I was driving. “Hey. We are in Italy. Are you not German? You should know how to drive fast.” I listened and my eyes looked at the speedometer. 100kph! Now I understood why everyone did pass me angry, waving their fists and flipping me the finger. “Ohhh. I completely forgot…” From that moment on it was again pedal to the metal. 165kph on Italian highways. I totally forgot how fun driving was. 😂 Small Fiat and 5,865km in 4 weeks! After the Italy vacation, I really needed a vacation. 😅
Thanks for sharing your experience! My Hybrid rental topped out at 130kph so I spent a lot of time in the right lane. It was perfect for the cities and the countryside and spent most of our time there.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs I think I got a FIAT Panda? 4 doors but not a lot bigger than the FIAT 500. The car I had drove like a wild rabbit! 🐰
@@holgermessner851 All the rental are now hybrids. If the battery is charge they have pick up once it's flat it's 70 HP and that's it.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs I don’t know. It was 2018 and ours was just gasoline.
Tony is there any way I can hire a driver to get to the Tuscany countryside?
If you are talking about a 1 day driving tour. Sure you can arrange that through multiple companies. We arranged some walking tours through Air BnB. They were very good tours that were relativity inexpensive. That said, the last place I would worry about driving would be the Tuscany Countryside. Few of the country roads are busy and it's easy to navigate.
I plan flying to Milano. I do speak Italian but I haven't been in Italy since 1989. I plan on going directly to Vicenza first. My question is do you think it's best to rent from airport or simply just rent at my first destination by way of train. I'm concerned about the transition from disembarking plane, getting luggage and then finding car rental area. Also,Did you pay your car rental with your airline ticket or just simply pay at counter with no reservations? Thanks
I got my rental reservations well in advance and I would suggest you do so as well as cars can be in demand depending on when you are traveling. IF you are flying into Aeroporto di Milano-Malpensa you are a few miles outside of the city and need not travel through it to get to Vicenza. There are several rental car agencies directly across the street from the terminal. I typically do not rent at an airport because many times there are additional fees but in your case I would. It's really no easier to make it to the train, find your platform, hope the train is on time, etc. plus you would have the hassle of dealing with your luggage the entire time. It seems that it would be easier to cross the street to rental counter and pick up your car and stow your luggage once.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs thank you. !!!
rental companies in Italy seem to have basic insurance but customers would be responsible for excess amount if damage. Is this something that a credit card benefit would cover just like in states? Or you recommend purchasing rental company additional coverage to reduce or get rid of excess?
I guess it depends on your finances and your willingness to roll the dice. I have never taken the additional insurance. Over hundreds of rentals and have only had to buy a windshield once in Canada that cost me $400. Over hundreds of rentals I saved enough to buy a couple of cars. The insurance that came with my rental in Italy covered all but a few items that I wasn't worried about so I waived it. Really it depends on how risk averse you are personally. www.europcar.com/protection-package-details/portugal-italy-belgium
Is it accurate that you're not allowed to drive your car inside something referred to as ZTL (Zona a Traffico Limitato), which is like the center of Rome and Milan?
Yes it is very accurate and i covered this and few other items in my second video that you should know prior to driving in the central and northern parts of Italy. th-cam.com/video/VhHrFHKYyZA/w-d-xo.html
Can’t you also get your U.S. drivers license officially translated into Italian instead of using an international drivers license?
I guess you could but it would be easier and cheaper to stop at the AAA office. You don’t need it at the rental office however if you are stopped for any reason it would be nice to have.
Thanks for the quick response! I don’t live in the U.S. right now so I have no idea where a AAA office would be. lol. I’m a good U.S. driver and if I can drive where I live right now (Philippines), I feel I can drive most places. Thanks for the confidence boost!
@@corinnebippert9475 I’m sure you will be fine. I still would stay out of the big cities.
I’m considering renting fiat 500c but concerned that two pieces of luggage won’t fit in there. Did you experience the same or you didn’t pack heavy?
We packed for 27 days and a wedding so we were far from light. Our bags each weighed just under 50 pounds, the wife had a back pack and I carried a laptop bag. There were two of us. We folded the rear seats down and had no issues. Thanks for watching.
Are you worried about your luggages left in the car while you visit places of attractions?
Thank you for watching the video and not at all. We really don't pack anything valuable and we pack light so normally it can be covered and out of sight. The Fiat 500 doesn't stand out as a rental car and I am not in the big cities with the car. There are times when we stop by the hotel and drop off our luggage prior to venturing out but when we stop while on the road the luggage is in the back of the car. After spending the better part of 3 months there in the last year and a half I can say without question that I feel much safer in Italy than I do in America.
@@TonysFordsandMustangs many thanks