Why hire a car in Rome
Rome is one of the rare cities where a car is not just unnecessary but actively unhelpful — the historic centre is full of ZTL restricted zones, cameras that will send a fine to your home address weeks later, and cobblestone streets where a wing mirror disappears in a gap you thought was fine. The Colosseum, the Forum, Vatican City, Trastevere and the Borghese Gallery are all connected by metro, bus and the city's surprisingly good tram network. Collect your hire car only when you're leaving.
But as a base for central Italy, Rome is superb. Tuscany is 2.5 hours north via the A1 Autostrada — the Chianti wine road between Florence and Siena is one of Europe's great drives, and hill towns like Montalcino, Pienza and Montepulciano are all within a day's circuit of Rome. The Amalfi Coast is 3 hours south via the A1 and A3 motorways, with Pompeii a natural stop en route to Naples. The Umbrian hill towns of Assisi, Perugia and Orvieto sit between Rome and Florence and are ideal for a night or two off the motorway. Fiumicino Airport is 32 km west of the city and the natural collection point for any Italian road trip starting in Rome.
