CARS&DRIVING

RENTAL CARS & DRIVING

The reason you drive is not to get from point A to B, but to experience everything in between. You must leave yourself enough time to get lost in a small village and see a driveway leading to a castle with no signs, no hours for tourists, just the romantic notion that someone actually lives behind that gate, beyond those walls.

Just as New York, San Francisco, and Yosemite aren't the whole of America, Venice, Positano and Rome aren't the whole of Italy. Imagine missing the Grand Canyon, the Mississippi, the desert, the Rockies, and points in between in a tour of the United States. To see the most beautiful parts of Italy, you have to drive.

RENTAL CARS

In 2000, we landed at Malpensa, the international terminal for Milano, about 40 miles northwest of the city and took the autostradas to Firenze. In 2002, and 2004, we landed at Fiumicino (Rome) Airport, stayed locally, then drove to Positano and back. In 2005 we had to travel entirely by air and chauffeured cars. Our next trip, in 2008, will once again be along the highways and byways, exploring the smaller cities and villages, stumbling over our Italian phrasebook, and savoring the local produce, game, and wines.

RENT THE LARGEST CAR YOU CAN AFFORD.

REASONS: The high speeds of the autostrada put too much strain on ultra small European compacts. (We blew a clutch in Florence after just one day's drive, and Russ babied the transmission as it was).

REASONS: The so-called trunk is not enclosed; it's exposed to view through the windows, inviting theft. It's also too small for two large suitcases, meaning you'll need to use the back seat as well, meaning also that you can take only two or three people.

ADVICE: IF AT LEAST TWO ADULT DRIVERS CAN'T DRIVE A STICK SHIFT, SPEND THE EXTRA FOR AN AUTOMATIC [IF YOU CAN FIND ONE - IT'S HARD].

REASONS: No matter how macho he (or she) is, or how experienced, driving on narrow Italian roads (and we mean tiny), is not only tiring, it scares the hell out of the front seat passenger. It's important that all license-holding drivers take turns driving.

This sounded good when we first wrote it, but in practice it may not work. Because we limit ourselves to a modest number of miles per day, it's not a strain for one driver to handle it all, and it may be worthwhile for one driver to become experienced and used to Italian driving than for a different adult each day to get his or her learner's permit. By agreement since our first trip, Russ does all the driving while Kaye and guests talk nervously or, on one occasion, find they cannot speak.

ADVICE: IF YOU'RE THERE IN THE SUMMER, SPRING FOR AIR-CONDITIONING. (BETWEEN MAY 1 AND OCTOBER 1)

REASONS: It's humid in Italy; you will sweat; you will stink. See PACKING for deodorant requirement.)

GET AN INTERNATIONAL DRIVER'S LICENSE BEFORE YOU GO.

REASONS: There is no agreement on whether you need one (the Italian Embassy site says you don't have to), but it will only take a few bucks and a few minutes at your local AAA or Auto Club. With your luck you'll encounter a rental agent or officer (as we did) who believes you should have one.

DON'T WORRY ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT YOUR OWN INSURANCE WILL COVER YOU.

REASONS: You won't have the option. The rental agency will require you to have major, comprehensive coverage as an addition to your rental agreement.

MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS ON THE INTERNET.

REASONS: If you get a car as part of some package deal, okay, but the Internet is fine for comparing prices and getting a written confirmation of your reservation.

WHEN YOU KNOW THE BASIC COST OF YOUR RENTAL, ADD 80% AT LEAST IN YOUR BUDGETING.

REASONS: The insurance mentioned above and two whopping tax percentages almost double the stated rental cost. In 2002, our initial, stated rental of $395 for the week ended up over $900 with higher taxes and insurance than in 2000. In 2004 our $800 Mercedes station wagon ended up at $1300 for four days. !!!!! Small wonder we switched to cars and drivers the next trip.

In 2008 we will rent a mid-size car with an enclosed trunk because, if you want to see the countryside and the small towns, there are no options. Bus travel is okay from a train station to one town or hotel, and rail is fine - between major cities - a disaster otherwise.

WHEN YOU ARRIVE IN ITALY, UNLESS YOU'RE ONE OF THE FIRST TO GET YOUR BAGS, LET ONE WAIT FOR THE BAGS AND THE OTHER GO TO THE RENTAL CAR COUNTER.

REASONS: We love Italy, but it is Italy, and systems have been known to fail. Sometimes there aren't enough cars. (Not unlike the US) You'll have to clear customs separately to do this, but if you explain to the customs agents, they'll generally nod appreciatively and wave you through.

DISCLAIMER: That's true primarily at airports other than Fiumicino - because of the heavy volume at Rome's airport and the distance from terminal to the rental agencies in the parking garage, it's better to stick together.

DRIVING

ITALY HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST ACCIDENT RATES IN EUROPE. BUT IT ALSO HAS A TRADITION OF COURTESY.

Contradiction? No. Paradox. People drive too fast on overcrowded roads built for Roman carts, but in a rush hour, people will let you into line. When you're at a stop sign on a secondary road, people on the main road will generally let you in. If you're from Los Angeles, Boston, Washington, or New York, you will be overcome by this kindness.

One reason: the basic liability law in Italy.

If you have a dent from the middle of your car to the rear, it's the other guy's fault. From the middle forward, it's yours.

Another reason: they aren't from L.A., Boston, Washington, or New York.

THE LANE STRIPES ARE ONLY SUGGESTIONS.

They suggest where you ought to be driving. In case of an accident only the rule above will apply, not straddling lanes. This is the thing you need to prepare yourself for the most. In America if someone is straddling YOUR lane, you are furious. In Italy, the guy is just ahead of you. Blink your lights and he'll pull over.

WHEN SOMEONE IN YOUR LANE BEHIND YOU BLINKS HIS LIGHTS, MOVE OVER.

THIS IS MAJOR. You do it, and everyone else will, too. (Except the citizens of one middle European country we won't name but which started two world wars.) (By the way, that's now the law in California, too, but you won't find fifty people in the state who realize that, and fewer who will move over if "flashed.")

YOUR FOUR CYLINDER RENTAL WILL DO 160 KPH (96 MPH).

But it won't stop until the following Tuesday. Use discretion.

YOU CAN GET ARRESTED FOR SPEEDING IN ITALY.

There are new, complicated laws about speed limits. Use discretion. (It is entirely possible, however, to be doing 180 kph [108 mph] and be forced to the second or third lane by overtaking traffic, especially entering or leaving Rome or Naples.)

(It is also possible to go 200 kph on the Rome/Naples autostrada and to assume that the passengers are quietly basking in the beauty of the surrounding countryside when they're actually trying to remember if their sisters know where their wills are.)

AS YOU APPROACH A TOLL BOOTH (Pedaggio), YOU MAY SIMPLY PAY A CLEARLY MARKED AMOUNT, BUT YOU MAY SEE NO ATTENDANT. BEWARE. LANE MARKERS WILL SAY (Biglietti), AND YOU WILL HAVE TO PUSH A BUTTON TO GET A TICKET (Biglietti). OTHERWISE, YOU WILL ARRIVE AT ANOTHER TOLL GATE. A MAN WILL SAY "Biglietti", AND YOU WILL LOOK DUMB.

If this happens, you will be waved over to a parking area in front of a small office building. You will take the piece of paper the toll taker gave you (after much sighing and muttering) and get in line behind a trucker who is sure that his pass is still good for the tolls and an attractive Italian woman who apparently has no money and who is screaming at someone on a cell phone. You will present your piece of paper. You will smile and say "American. Stupido." Sooner or later, and after filling out a form, you will be told how much you owe. You will look uncertain, since you didn't learn your numbers very well. A paper will be thrust in front of you. On it will be a number. It will be the lira (oops, Euros) you owe.

E-mail us coop@coopmead.com if you disagree or have some other truisms that should be listed here.

For good analyses (despite a couple of disagreements), try
www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/3837/drvitaly.html

For distances - www.initaly.com/ddistkm.htm
For weather conditions, http://weather.noaa.gov/weather/IT_cc.html

Back to Top