If you move over a lane to pass, put your left turn signal on during the entire pass, then put your

Should we rent a car in Rome and drive to Chianti, cheap car rental rates returning the car in Florence (if possible)? -- OR -- take a train from Rome city center to Florence and rent a car there, then drive south to our destination?
A. It is best to rent your car before you leave for Europe. The best source we have found is www.autoeurope.com [800-223-5555] who is a broker for several car vendors. They will quote you prices to include the variables that are often omitted by others, such as unlimited mileage, mandatory insurance coverage with some deductibles, and VAT taxes. It is wise to compare prices cheap car rental rates and coverage with their sister company at www.kemwel.com . Autoeurope will match any comparable quote, and are famous for their customer satisfaction if problems do arise with the vendor. The best model will depend on your needs, but for best value we suggest cheap car rental rates you select a compact car with manual transmission. Automatics are available but will cost you about 30% more and may limit your model options pick up locations.
A. Yes no! They are certainly aggressive, but they are also more skilled than many USA drivers both are a function of necessity. Italy is one of the most crowded countries in the world and the drivers have evolved these characteristics
2. Be sure to get your ticket when you enter the AUTOSTADA system be prepared to pay the toll when you exit it [ rule of thumb 300 km=15 Euro]. You can use your credit card in the VIA lane at the toll both, or buy a debit VIACARD in advance.
3. Do NOT attempt to follow road numbers that will frustrate you. But, do pay attention to the directional signs that point to your destination [ TO MONTALCINO]. And, be aware if that road leads eventually to a larger city [ ROMA SIENA ETC.]
We were in the same situation several years ago Honeybee2 and what we did was this: took the train from Rome to Arezzo and picked up the rental car there and then drove to our hotel in Greve in Chianti. From there we were going to Venice so we returned the car there.
If you move over a lane to pass, put your left turn signal on during the entire pass, then put your right turn signal on until you return to your origina. lane. This helps other drivers know when your pass is complete.
I would recommend cheap car rental rates taking the train into florence then renting from there. No need for a car in rome, everything is accessible via underground and cab. We always use hertz. Can do everything on-line back home and have the car waiting when you arrive. ViaMichlin is good but I would highly recommend a Garmin to make life much earier.
I'm surprised people are recommending you pick up your rental car in Florence. Central Florence is difficult to drive in; many areas (ZTLs) are restricted to local drivers only. It's easy to stumble into one of these and get a ticket in the mail months later. (Search this forum for ZTL for hapless tourists caught this way.)
Alternatively, if you don't want to pay twice for transportation that day, you could rent at the Rome airport. It's not too hard to drive from there. And airport offices are open continuously all day.
AutoEurope, cheap car rental rates a favorite of many Fodorites, is a broker, dealing with many car rental companies. You reserve on the Internet, get a voucher, and present it at regular car renting company office. That's all just like renting individually as Lisa490 does. Except you have behind you the clout of a large broker cheap car rental rates that does lots of business with the rental company.
We've done a pick-up in Florence with AutoEurope at one of the outlying offices on via Gelsomino, rather than the city center, which was less stressful, and dropped off in Rome near the Villa Borghese (which was a lane-switching nightmare!) We've used AutoEurope at least 10 times in several countries and have been very satisfied.
It sounds like the easiest thing to do is take a train from Rome city center (where we are staying) to Arezzo and pick up the car there, then head to our agriturismo near by. Autoeurope sounds like the easiest and may allow for a drop off in a different location (Florence, Pisa, elsewhere).
Where were you planning cheap car rental rates to explore from your Chianti base? If you weren't planning to see much of southern Tuscany (Montepulciano, cheap car rental rates San Quirico, Pienza, Montalcino, etc.) you could pick up your car in either cheap car rental rates Orvieto or Chiusi. The drive from Orvieto to, say, Castellina cheap car rental rates in Chanti (using secondary roads like SP34/SS2) would take about 2.5-3 hours, take you through different scenery than you'll see in Chianti and give you a chance to see one of the towns. The same train that goes to Arezzo will stop in both Orvieto and Chiusi.