Exploring Italy by Renting a Car: A Beginner's Guide

Italy is a large country and IF you are only traveling by train to all the major cities you are missing out on a lot this country has to offer. I get it. The thought of driving in another country is intimidating but this is country that needs, no demands that you drive at least part of it IF you truly want to experience all it has to offer. They drive on the right side of the road so that’s nothing new to Americans anyway.

Thanks for watching and a HUGE thank you to my subscribers. It's nice when someone appreciates your work!

[TonysFordsandMustangs]

ATTENTION if you are renting a car in Italy. This is ONLY the 1st of three videos I made on the topic of driving in Italy. These were filmed during three different trips and each video will cover different topics that you should know before getting behind the wheel. Watch all three. Once completed you should be Ready to go and be more than informed on the topic. Here is link to the

[joshmartin]

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.

[potofblack]

my wife was having some anxiety about us driving in italy (our first time out of the US together), pulled up this video and she feels way better now. thanks tony!

[MidnightM]

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.

[wastedrubber]

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!

[michaeljosephschmitz]

Grazie! Great video and you have alleviated my potential concerns about getting a rental when I visit in April!

[shull]

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.

[animator]

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 😎

[mariposa]

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!

[irod]

I understand Tony, I’ll keep an eye out for your videos.

[LRTOTAL]

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.

[AhmadShumaila]

Tony, thank you very much for the very helpful video.

You should travel more and create more of those clips… I’ll definitely follow.

[Aggiedave]

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.

[siriboonkotchaseth]

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.

[okbutyumadtho]

My kind of guy, my kind of travel, super helpful video. Looking forward to our own Italy trip in March. Thanks for the tips!

[edmarth]

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.

[happymedium.]

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.

[Silo]

Excellent advice about traveling by car

[Solo-us]

What a wonderful video! I look forward to watching the rest.

[mikeg]

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.