private driver

[watertraveler]

We will be in Italy at the beginning of October and I'm interested in trying to find a private driver to take us to several different locations.  We will be arriving in Rome and want to travel to Popoli in Abruzzo.  We will also need transportation back to Rome and to Anzio.  Does anyone know of a company that would be able to assist us? We're not interested in tours, mainly just transportation from one area to another.

Thank you.

[CruiserBruce]

Just down the board is a huge thread on the wonderful Rome in Limo. Contact them and ask.

[watertraveler]

Thank you.  I looked briefly at their website and it looked like their focus was on Rome.  I will have to contact them though.  I probably missed something😊

[CruiserBruce]

9 minutes ago, watertraveler said:

Thank you.  I looked briefly at their website and it looked like their focus was on Rome.  I will have to contact them though.  I probably missed something😊

Yep...they have operations in about 6 different ports. And will transport you about anywhere.

[Hlitner]

RomeCabs (RomeCabs.com) is another decent company that would certainly provide you with a car/driver.  Just be cognizant that hiring a car/driver for the day will cost you hundreds of Euros.  Personally, we just rent a car and drive although I would be the first to admit that we try to avoid driving in Rome (and dealing with its ZTL).  If you do ultimately hire a car/driver you might want to take advantage of the route and expand your day to include some time in Tivoli (i.e. Villa d'Este and Hadrian's Villa).

 

Hank

[watertraveler]

Thank you all for your replies.  I have driven, in the past, and it might be an option for our next trip but I wanted to investigate some additional options.  

[Hlitner]

On 11/24/2019 at 7:36 PM, watertraveler said:

Thank you all for your replies.  I have driven, in the past, and it might be an option for our next trip but I wanted to investigate some additional options.  

We sure hear you :).  DW and I are faced with a similar situation with an upcoming trip (next year) that will find us in Italy for a few days.  In the past we would simply rent a car and roll the dice on what smaller town(s) we prefer for the trip.  But, on the next trip I have decided to avoid driving (in the interests of sampling more Italian wine) and we are also looking at various options.  If we do not soon come up with something interesting we will likely follow Cruisemom's habit and spend some time in Rome (not our favorite place in Italy).

 

Hank

[slidergirl]

18 hours ago, Hlitner said:

We sure hear you :).  DW and I are faced with a similar situation with an upcoming trip (next year) that will find us in Italy for a few days.  In the past we would simply rent a car and roll the dice on what smaller town(s) we prefer for the trip.  But, on the next trip I have decided to avoid driving (in the interests of sampling more Italian wine) and we are also looking at various options.  If we do not soon come up with something interesting we will likely follow Cruisemom's habit and spend some time in Rome (not our favorite place in Italy).

 

Hank

Hank - take a look at seeing if you can get somewhere "interesting" via train where you can sample those wonderful wines!  It would at least get you out of Rome (sorry Cruisemom).  

[Hlitner]

48 minutes ago, slidergirl said:

Hank - take a look at seeing if you can get somewhere "interesting" via train where you can sample those wonderful wines!  It would at least get you out of Rome (sorry Cruisemom).  

My goodness, I do agree with your sentiment and perhaps my post was a bit misleading.  We have driven over 10,000 miles within Italy and normally avoid Rome.  But when in Rome we certainly do not want to have a car :).  As to trains in Italy, they are also very limiting which is why I prefer a car.  Consider that even popular towns like San Gimignano cannot be directly accessed by a train (unless you take a bus from the nearest train station).  And the S222 (wine route) that snakes it's way through the best of the Chianti wine region only works if you are in a vehicle  

 

All that being said, we have decided to spend a few days in Rome (it has been years since we stayed in this city) partially because CruiseMom's posts got us thinking we need to return to the Eternal City.  DW and I have actually spent many delightful hours just sitting at a café in the Piazza Navona having fun People Watching.  It is fascinating how you can often figure out where folks are from by the way they dress and walk.  And we have also discovered (by living in a cruise port city for part of the year) that we can normally pick out cruise ship passengers by the way they dress and a few other habits such as having a fanny pack or always carrying a bottle of water.  And then there are those that happily wear their cruise cards (or Medallions) around their neck when off the ship....almost guaranteeing they will be charged higher prices by many merchants and taxi drivers :).  My simple recommendation to fellow cruisers is try not to be real obvious about being from a cruise ship because you are often viewed as "easy marks."   Where we live in the winter there are too many times when I have to mention to taxi drivers and some merchants that "we are not on a cruise ship" to get decent prices.  This is even true in some jewelry stores that are very popular with some cruisers.  

 

Hank

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

My simple recommendation to fellow cruisers is try not to be real obvious about being from a cruise ship because you are often viewed as "easy marks."   Where we live in the winter there are too many times when I have to mention to taxi drivers and some merchants that "we are not on a cruise ship" to get decent prices.  This is even true in some jewelry stores that are very popular with some cruisers.  

 

Hank

 

I was just in Rome for 10 days (low season before Christmas) and it surprised me a bit that even in Rome the Italian custom of preferential treatment for return or frequent customers is alive and well. At my favorite salumeria I was treated cordially but fairly on my first visit; second visit I got more substantially more porchetta in my sandwich, and third visit I got a "special" discount plus a free pastry with my sandwich. Same with another bar and a restaurant I have frequented over the years (they always recognize me; it's a small place).

 

[Hlitner]

1 minute ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I was just in Rome for 10 days (low season before Christmas) and it surprised me a bit that even in Rome the Italian custom of preferential treatment for return or frequent customers is alive and well. At my favorite salumeria I was treated cordially but fairly on my first visit; second visit I got more substantially more porchetta in my sandwich, and third visit I got a "special" discount plus a free pastry with my sandwich. Same with another bar and a restaurant I have frequented over the years (they always recognize me; it's a small place).

 

We have seen the same phenom in France.  On one occasion we rented an apartment in St Remy de Provence for two weeks.  Every morning I would walk a few blocks into town and buy fresh bread and croissants from a terrific boulangerie that was run by an tiny elderly lady.  The first few days I entered her store I would say the usual "bonjour Madame" with a big smile and get a scowl in return.  After a few days the scowl was gone.  Early in the 2nd week I started getting a return "bonjour monsieur"  with a smile.  The last couple of days the lady started putting some extra items in my bag.  On my last morning I told her in my awful French that we were leaving St Remy and she came around the counter to give me a big hug!  As I left her store I told this story to an expat (who has lived in St Remy for years) and she laughed and said it was normal.  You needed at least 1 week before you were acknowledged.   

 

There is much to love about Europe :).

 

Hank

[slidergirl]

Hank,

 

I didn't misunderstand.  I know you are one of the big drivers around CC.   I was just seeing if we all could figure out a cool place for you to go via train instead of driving or staying in Rome.   The only one that popped into my mind was Orvieto.  Or, me being a lover of some food, I would have gone up to Bologna or Parma (both still on my list).

 

No biggie.

 

 

[Ski Mom 2]

Hank

 

Many years ago, we did a 17 day land tour of Italy including 5 days in Rome. I wanted my family to experience Pompeii but also wanted lunch in Amalfi and a stop in Sorrento. The lady who's apartment we rented recommended  https://www.benvenutolimos.com/

 

I was able to negotiate our own tour that included a driver for the day. We got picked up at 7 a.m. to begin our long day but we didn't have to drive and got to see all the sights we wanted to see. It wasn't cheap but when you divided it up by the 4 of us, it worked out. Perhaps they may be an option for you...