Information Age restrictions for IDP in Italy?

[Roz]

Our experience is that you can request a certain car, but that is no guarantee that you will get it. We really liked the Giuletta we got in Florence a couple of years ago, but that was lucky. When you get to the rental office, you are more or less stuck with whatever they have on hand in the class you've booked.

On our most recent trip to France we had booked Hertz through Auto Europe. We didn't necessarily want Hertz, but I think it offered the best choice of cars at the time we signed up. When we got there (Marseille airport), they told us the only car available in our price range was a Jeep, which we absolutely did not want. We had gotten stuck with a Jeep in the US recently and hated it.

Hertz offered us another car in a higher class -- I forget the make, but it was a station wagon and much bigger than we wanted or needed for driving in villages with narrow roads. So we ended up with a car in a lower class, but Hertz wouldn't give us any rebate for what should have been a cheaper car. Also the car we got (a Renault Captur) was in pretty bad shape -- lots of dents and scratches. Mike, who does most of the driving, hated it, and said it did not handle well. Basically, I think our experience this last time with Hertz was the worst we've had in 20 years of renting cars in Europe. Maybe it was just the office in Marseille, but I would not go with Hertz again if I had a choice.

We did have to pay a road tax, by the way, although I can't remember if it was on the bill at the beginning, or was part of the added charges we had to pay at the end.

Gina Marie, be aware that if you should get stuck with a deductible charge and it's not part of your initial insurance, you will almost certainly have to pay it up front and then get reimbursed later by your credit card company, which could be a hassle. You did confirm, didn't you, that Italy is covered by your credit card? Some companies exclude Italy from auto insurance coverage.

 

[Alpinista]

Gina Marie, sounds great! I apologize for not remembering your past experience with Italy??? If you have not driven there, maps aren't much of a help ;-) Your phone should do fine in getting you through any confusing areas -- know you will love the trip.

Street signs are pretty much invisible, as are route numbers. Highway sign posts take you from town to town, with the top sign on the pole being the next nearest town on your route. My wife loves the part where two lane roads are really three lanes, with an invisible passing lane up the middle -- miraculously, cars part like the Red Sea to give way to the guy in the middle.

My biggest problem when I did drive was always the cars coming onto the main roads from an intersecting road. They look like they're not going to stop and put then nose of the car far beyond where you think they should. It's kind of like a game of chicken -- if you slow up, they don't stop. My solution was to never make eye contact and to look like a semi-crazed tourist as I plowed on (then again, that really wasn't much of an act).

 

[Gina Marie]

My solution was to never make eye contact and to look like a semi-crazed tourist as I plowed on (then again, that really wasn't much of an act).

Ha! I know this move! I'm absolutely tuned in to what you're saying, Alpinista.

One of the things I tell the most about driving in Italy, in particular, the autostrada - is the strict observance of the passing lane and getting out of the way. The actual point I always make is that I do not recall seeing road rage, because no one hogs the left lane while keeping steady pace with the car to the right of it in a game of king of the road.
If I recall correctly, it's lights on while in the passing lane, pass and get over once you have passed the vehicles, and if someone comes racing up behind you - get out of the way! Thanks for the reminder of street signs and the stacking order.

I have driven all over Italy, from Rome to all points north, east, west, and south as far as Reggio Calabria and on to Sicily. I have driven through the magnificent tunnel systems of the Apennine Mts. twice, (saw the Gran Sasso) once over to Chieti, and once through Calabria as we made our way back across from Catanzaro Lido to Cosenza.

I have driven the wrong way down a one way street in Toramina. It came to me suddenly enough as people on the street had that telltale look on their faces as if to say "straniero!" I opened my window and called "senso unico?" All heads were bobbing up and down. My mother was loudly sucking in air between her teeth.

Oh, I have stories about driving in Italy! Florence was an absolute nightmare to drive into, and I recommend it to no one.
I once drove to Perugia, where we were staying at Hotel Fortuna in the city center. Of course we were told it was possible to drive straight up to the hotel to unload our luggage and the hotel valet would take the car to a parking area for us. They just never thought to mention one very major detail.

We spent hours (no joke) making the same pass up the tight, narrow alley to a point where we could actually see the hotel sign, but could go no further because there were these 3 concrete pillars about 2.5 ft. tall blocking the way. We would take the only available route to the left and end up back down at the bottom of the town once again, and start all over. We eventually stopped and got out to have lunch (another wonderful story to tell at another time of the graciousness Italians can show to travelers).

After a beautiful lunch, we stopped there at the blockade once again and cursed and swore in abject frustration until a man pressed tight up against the side of the wall said "you have to get out and press the button". He pointed to the elusive, magic button on the side of the building, and as my daughter got out and pressed it, the concrete pillars magically disappeared into the pavement and we were able to pass! Imagine our mixture of delight and disbelief as our frustration melted into enormous relief.
I have another story of parking nightmare in Reggio Calabria that I will save to share in another thread. Perhaps there is a thread of funny stories about driving, parking, and getting to your final destinations in Italy?
Ciao, e grazie,
Gina Marie

 

[Alpinista]

Aha, I'm talking to a veteran!! My wife once went to the family home with her youngest sister and brother (family of 8). The brother announced that he would do the driving on days they were out together and proceeded into the ZTL zones of Florence. My wife kept saying, "Get out of here". He kept ignoring her for an entire morning. Then the $850 fine showed up and he asked her to chip in to help pay. My wife is a middle child and she used language I had never heard her utter in her response.

Our favorite story is from a day we drove into a little hilltop town where the streets got more and more narrow. As we turned in the square in front of the church (where the streets actually ended), we somehow got the opposite bumpers of the car wedged between two of the corner buildings. It turned into a community effort to get unstuck while our kids (who were about 8 and 5 at the time) pretended they weren't with us.

You are correct about the autostrada -- I have seen some very large German cars driving inches off the rear bumper of people who did not follow the rules. Will note that there has been a big uptick in electronic surveillance and it is not unusual for speeding tickets to show up 6 months after the fact, according to posts I've seen.

 

[Gina Marie]

Roz, thank you for this post. It is pertinent to some information I acquired yesterday and was pondering. I spoke to my AAA agent to inquire about car rental insurance coverage and discounts. I was told that Hertz was their car rental agency that they were affiliated with and discounts would apply "UP TO" 20%, depending on length of rental, type of car, etc. BTW, no insurance coverage was provide, which I thought odd for AAA. Anyway, if I got the full 20% that could amount to a potential $60 or more discount.
I was already to book through Auto Europe, which arranged the rental through Budget (Fiat 500x), or Europcar (Alfa Romeo). I despise Budget because of their false advertising practices of hidden fees that triple the original price. I typically have very good luck with Enterprise domestically. But I felt that going through Auto Europe was a good negotiating advantage. After talking with AAA I was going to check in with Hertz first before booking.
I am aware that vehicles are classified as "equivalent to" and does not guarantee you the specific model you prefer.

I did go into my bank yesterday to speak with an credit manager about the very specific terms of coverage for car rentals, as I wanted to be sure I interpreted the fine print correctly. She did ask me specifically which country I would be going to and did verify that they would pay the $3000 deductible in the case of theft or damage, or whatever deductible the rental agency specified.

I am now going to jot down the question you make about having to pay upfront and get reimbursed later, although, I am fine with that as I stated, it is really not that monumental of a savings as I had intially hoped in the rental fee.

Thank you for your input. I appreciate the insight.

GM

 

[Sharon J]

We have rented a car for our upcoming trip to Italy this June. My husband will be 72, and there were no additional charges. We always rent through Auto Europe, although the car is actually with Hertz. My husband is a Gold Card member, however, I don't think it mattered as far as age.

 

[Gina Marie]

"Our favorite story is from a day we drove into a little hilltop town where the streets got more and more narrow. As we turned in the square in front of the church (where the streets actually ended), we somehow got the opposite bumpers of the car wedged between two of the corner buildings. It turned into a community effort to get unstuck while our kids (who were about 8 and 5 at the time) pretended they weren't with us.

You are correct about the autostrada -- I have seen some very large German cars driving inches off the rear bumper of people who did not follow the rules. Will note that there has been a big uptick in electronic surveillance and it is not unusual for speeding tickets to show up 6 months after the fact, according to posts I've seen.[/QUOTE]

I myself have received a posthumous traffic violation months after returning home. And right now I am breaking out in a sweat, trying to remember if the car rental was in my name on that trip, my sister's name, or if it was ever taken care of!

Your story and the visual of the car being wedged between two buildings is delightful now in it's retelling! I can just visualize your mortified children.
Is there a way for me to move another person's post (yours above) to begin a new thread with? I would love to tell a couple more stories about parking and destination mishaps but they promise to be long winded. I would love to hear other stories of these types. They highlight a distinct aspect of the Italian tourist experience and are fun to reminisce.

Gina Marie

 

[Andrew]

About the new thread, I think it would be o.k. to click +Quote at the bottom of the post you want to quote, start a new thread, and click Insert Quotes.

About using your credit card for collision coverage, I'd just as soon take an Auto Europe quote with zero deductible, thinking of the hassle of working across the ocean to document a claim and, although it's been a while since I've heard of anyone's experience of it, I understand that offices in Italy may say it's not possible to decline their coverage. On the old SlowTrav board, the question came up whether anyone could report on their experience with a claim after declining coverage, and I don't think there were any reports.

Headlights are to be on on the autostrada (and maybe the superstrada). I think on cars in Italy you can keep the lights on at all times, and they'll turn off automatically with the car.

 

[Gina Marie]

Thank you, Andrew. You may have convinced me to go for the extended coverage option with zero deductible and just enjoy the ride.
And Roz, I think I misunderstood the point you were making earlier about having to pay the deductible up front and get reimbursed later - it hit me later as I was out and about today and thinking over these thoughts what you were telling me, and that is that in the instance of any damage to the auto I would have to pay the deductible upfront and wait for reimbursement. I misunderstood and thought you were saying I would have to pay for the extended coverage charges up front and get reimbursed for that. That is why I said something about it not really being all that monumental of a charge. $3000 is definitely a chunk of change I wouldn't likely shrug off. So, thank you for your advice.

 

[jan]

I talked to someone at Auto Europe who told me that the credit card insurance can be voided because, in Italy, you MUST have some collision insurance and the CC insurance only works if you have none. Or something like that??? Anyway, I took the zero deductable too.

 

[Gina Marie]

Yes, it seems a minimal price to pay for peace of mind and full coverage. I will take the zero deductible as well. I am going to bring this to the attention of my bank also. A benefit that is inept is not a benefit. I'm not pointing fingers at anyone, or out to complain. I'm quite happy with my bank and credit card company. I expect it is just a matter of two separate entities that don't speak the same legalese.

 

[Andrew]

Another aspect of the insurance matter, although I'm not an expert on it, is that only a few U.S.-issued cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve, offer primary rental coverage. What most cards offer is secondary to the insurance you have for for your own car. I'm not sure of how it all works for rentals in Europe.

 

[Marlene]

"I did find out that my credit card will pay the deductible for the extended coverage rate". Make sure specifically that it covers you in Italy. In the past, insurance companies would cover in other European countries but exclude Italy.

 

[Gina Marie]

"I did find out that my credit card will pay the deductible for the extended coverage rate". Make sure specifically that it covers you in Italy. In the past, insurance companies would cover in other European countries but exclude Italy.

yes, my bank representative asked me specifically which country I was going to visit before she answered my question about the coverage and I told her Italy.
Still, there appears to be much confusion surrounding the agreement between Italy car rental companies and American banks with regard to damage claims, deductibles and terms of conditions about who pays what when.
It's clear as mud.