Off Season Sorrento and environs
Mar 14, 23, 8:09 am
#1
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Join Date: Jul 2009
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Off Season Sorrento and environs
Off season travel is our choice and with it comes the need to roll with the unexpected...
We booked a one week stay near Sorrento (arriving Naples, renting a car, departing Rome) at the end of January.
The Good:
The bad:
The Ugly:
All in all, an enjoyable trip filled with good memories and colourful anecdotes.
We booked a one week stay near Sorrento (arriving Naples, renting a car, departing Rome) at the end of January.
The Good:
- Scenery is the same regardless of time of year- wonderful views, museums, outdoor sites (Ercolano, Ostia Antica), ferry to/from Naples and to/from Capri all available to us with manageable crowds.
- First time booking a condo via Marriott Homes and Villas was a solid experience- responsive local managers when there were issues (ant infestation when the heat came on (!); power failure)
The bad:
- Social media is generally a reliable way to keep track of what is open and closed... except in south/central Italy apparently. This was especially true for restaurants. Note- we expected seasonal shut downs and did our research. But still came up against closed without notice in numerous places. While inconvenient, this also led us to use the 'Where Google says people are congregating' to find some local gems. We did not starve and probably lost a few pounds from the extra walking!
- Acknowledging NA bias regarding housing standards, we were unpleasantly surprised by how long it took for our rental to warm up. Note the day/night temps were single digit above 0C so not off the charts cold. This can be attributed to the use of the AC units as heaters apparently. Judicious use of fans to circulate the warming air and blankets were our solution. Side note- the indoor museums had not climate control so were freezing- like hat and mittens on freezing...
The Ugly:
- Renting a car in Italy remains the most frustrating experience. Based on our itinerary and where we stayed it was a necessary evil. Upcharge for 'theft coverage' after a complicated explanation of the 'zones of theft incidence'; gas station that ate our cash were the most trying. Not surprising given the season, parking was not a major issue. We tended to park in off street parkades vs on the street due to our unfamiliarity with the pay to park zones- a wise choice.
- Toll roads- perhaps we did not prepare well or research alternatives but the egregious toll (excess of EURO 80) on the A1 between Naples and Rome was a shock.
All in all, an enjoyable trip filled with good memories and colourful anecdotes.
Last edited by canolakid; Mar 15, 23 at 7:05 am
Mar 14, 23, 8:31 pm
#3
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: YWG
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It was a shock to us- with the remote gate agent hollering for us to move along through as we tried to ask the reason for the price that came up and cars piled up behind us in the gate area...
Not sure we selected correctly or got gamed. An expensive lesson to be sure.
Not sure we selected correctly or got gamed. An expensive lesson to be sure.
Mar 15, 23, 1:15 am
#4
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 6,649
There's a bit to unpack in here, to be honest.
I'd honestly challenge the "renting a car in Italy is the most frustrating experience" bit. I've rented vehicles for 15 years in most corners of the country and never had a frustrating experience, except during Covid when the faster pick up service was closed and the desks were clogged up with clueless people asking questions such as "will there be hold-ups on the speedway" (heard at MXP, I kid you not). If you book from dodgy outfits you WILL get scammed and, yes, unfortunately the NAP/Southern Italy area is a hotspot of insurance fraud. Just go with the full coverage and Bob's your uncle.
I'm also not sure why so many people struggle with the automatic petrol stations. Select a card payment option - and most even offer contactless these days, it's amazing the leap that Covid caused! - select the pump you want to refill from, and off ya go.
The 80€ is just bonkers. The fare Napoli Nord-Roma Nord is 18.80€ for a car, and 45€ for a semi-articulated lorry. Dumb question... did you put the ticket in? Because if you don't it the system defaults to the top price for the entire length of that stretch of motorway. Still, in 20 years of using Autostrade I've never, ever, seen anything like it. I'd have stopped at the parking spot behind the toll booth and went back to enquire, stopping the lane is actually dangerous especially if it's a Telepass one.
I'd honestly challenge the "renting a car in Italy is the most frustrating experience" bit. I've rented vehicles for 15 years in most corners of the country and never had a frustrating experience, except during Covid when the faster pick up service was closed and the desks were clogged up with clueless people asking questions such as "will there be hold-ups on the speedway" (heard at MXP, I kid you not). If you book from dodgy outfits you WILL get scammed and, yes, unfortunately the NAP/Southern Italy area is a hotspot of insurance fraud. Just go with the full coverage and Bob's your uncle.
I'm also not sure why so many people struggle with the automatic petrol stations. Select a card payment option - and most even offer contactless these days, it's amazing the leap that Covid caused! - select the pump you want to refill from, and off ya go.
The 80€ is just bonkers. The fare Napoli Nord-Roma Nord is 18.80€ for a car, and 45€ for a semi-articulated lorry. Dumb question... did you put the ticket in? Because if you don't it the system defaults to the top price for the entire length of that stretch of motorway. Still, in 20 years of using Autostrade I've never, ever, seen anything like it. I'd have stopped at the parking spot behind the toll booth and went back to enquire, stopping the lane is actually dangerous especially if it's a Telepass one.
Mar 15, 23, 3:16 am
#5
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: London
Programs: BAEC, QRPC, Amex MR, World of Hyatt, IHG one rewards, Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, etc…
Posts: 453
Regarding the €80 tool road I am pretty sure you either did not enter the ticket in the machine or the ticket was misread. When using the tool roads directed north from Naples (southbound you pay a fix entry fee), you get a ticket on entering the tool road and when exiting, you need to enter that ticket in the machine, which will then calculate point to point fee, which as said above is much much less for Naples to Rome route.
with regards to insurance, if you have an Amex Platinum Card that comes with full car rental insurance that would have covered the excess for theft in certain area of Italy (basically everywhere south of Rome). Alternatively, you can purchase in advance such an insurance from third parties (I have done so many times before getting my Amex Platinum). Only issue is that as it is Third party, you will be first charged the large excess, and will then need to claim it back on the third party insurance. Nevertheless this was always much cheaper than what was offered by the car rental company.
with regards to insurance, if you have an Amex Platinum Card that comes with full car rental insurance that would have covered the excess for theft in certain area of Italy (basically everywhere south of Rome). Alternatively, you can purchase in advance such an insurance from third parties (I have done so many times before getting my Amex Platinum). Only issue is that as it is Third party, you will be first charged the large excess, and will then need to claim it back on the third party insurance. Nevertheless this was always much cheaper than what was offered by the car rental company.
Mar 15, 23, 6:55 am
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: YWG
Programs: Free Agent
Posts: 1,398
Originally Posted by marcopizzaiuolo
Regarding the €80 tool road I am pretty sure you either did not enter the ticket in the machine or the ticket was misread. When using the tool roads directed north from Naples (southbound you pay a fix entry fee), you get a ticket on entering the tool road and when exiting, you need to enter that ticket in the machine, which will then calculate point to point fee, which as said above is much much less for Naples to Rome route.
with regards to insurance, if you have an Amex Platinum Card that comes with full car rental insurance that would have covered the excess for theft in certain area of Italy (basically everywhere south of Rome). Alternatively, you can purchase in advance such an insurance from third parties (I have done so many times before getting my Amex Platinum). Only issue is that as it is Third party, you will be first charged the large excess, and will then need to claim it back on the third party insurance. Nevertheless this was always much cheaper than what was offered by the car rental company.
with regards to insurance, if you have an Amex Platinum Card that comes with full car rental insurance that would have covered the excess for theft in certain area of Italy (basically everywhere south of Rome). Alternatively, you can purchase in advance such an insurance from third parties (I have done so many times before getting my Amex Platinum). Only issue is that as it is Third party, you will be first charged the large excess, and will then need to claim it back on the third party insurance. Nevertheless this was always much cheaper than what was offered by the car rental company.
We did not pull off to the side and inquire. Good suggestion in retrospect.
Re AMEX- car rental in Italy is not covered with my country's AMEX Platinum card so we budgeted to pay for full coverage. What was not expected was the complicated explanation of 'zones of theft' liability upcharge depending on where we were driving. Never a great conversation at the kiosk after I had done all the work to prearrange the booking. I mention this so that other 'first time' renters can be informed and prepared.
Mar 15, 23, 7:03 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: YWG
Programs: Free Agent
Posts: 1,398
Originally Posted by 13901
There's a bit to unpack in here, to be honest.
I'd honestly challenge the "renting a car in Italy is the most frustrating experience" bit. I've rented vehicles for 15 years in most corners of the country and never had a frustrating experience, except during Covid when the faster pick up service was closed and the desks were clogged up with clueless people asking questions such as "will there be hold-ups on the speedway" (heard at MXP, I kid you not). If you book from dodgy outfits you WILL get scammed and, yes, unfortunately the NAP/Southern Italy area is a hotspot of insurance fraud. Just go with the full coverage and Bob's your uncle.
I'm also not sure why so many people struggle with the automatic petrol stations. Select a card payment option - and most even offer contactless these days, it's amazing the leap that Covid caused! - select the pump you want to refill from, and off ya go.
The 80€ is just bonkers. The fare Napoli Nord-Roma Nord is 18.80€ for a car, and 45€ for a semi-articulated lorry. Dumb question... did you put the ticket in? Because if you don't it the system defaults to the top price for the entire length of that stretch of motorway. Still, in 20 years of using Autostrade I've never, ever, seen anything like it. I'd have stopped at the parking spot behind the toll booth and went back to enquire, stopping the lane is actually dangerous especially if it's a Telepass one.
I'd honestly challenge the "renting a car in Italy is the most frustrating experience" bit. I've rented vehicles for 15 years in most corners of the country and never had a frustrating experience, except during Covid when the faster pick up service was closed and the desks were clogged up with clueless people asking questions such as "will there be hold-ups on the speedway" (heard at MXP, I kid you not). If you book from dodgy outfits you WILL get scammed and, yes, unfortunately the NAP/Southern Italy area is a hotspot of insurance fraud. Just go with the full coverage and Bob's your uncle.
I'm also not sure why so many people struggle with the automatic petrol stations. Select a card payment option - and most even offer contactless these days, it's amazing the leap that Covid caused! - select the pump you want to refill from, and off ya go.
The 80€ is just bonkers. The fare Napoli Nord-Roma Nord is 18.80€ for a car, and 45€ for a semi-articulated lorry. Dumb question... did you put the ticket in? Because if you don't it the system defaults to the top price for the entire length of that stretch of motorway. Still, in 20 years of using Autostrade I've never, ever, seen anything like it. I'd have stopped at the parking spot behind the toll booth and went back to enquire, stopping the lane is actually dangerous especially if it's a Telepass one.
Was our experience unique? Not sure but it was our experience.
Regarding your feedback:
- Booking was with Enterprise rent a car.
- We were well aware of the issues with NA issued payment cards which is why we had cash as a back up. Cards rejected, cash was consumed by the machine and no pump turned on. This only happened once.
- Yes- we put the ticket in as that is the only way the tariff displays. We went to the cash lane not the auto pass lane. We did not pull off to the side and inquire after exiting the payment bay. In hindsight, we should have. Again, I share the experience looking for feedback not so much for us but for others.
Mar 15, 23, 10:57 am
#8
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: PHL / NYC / PSA-BLQ
Programs: AA PPRO, Marriott/Hilton Gold, AMX-Plat, Global Entry
Posts: 2,962
One problem with the unattended gas stations/payment machines is that when you use a card they expect a chip & PIN card and most North American cards are not. Personally, when going on trips, I'll gas up at the autostrada as they are always attended. Around our town, there are a couple of attended gas stations and I make sure to go when it is attended (they even take my Amex). If I have to gas up on hours that are unattended, I'll use my bancomat card (we have an Italian bank account) or cash. An option for tourists is to get a pre-paid Visa card (something like this https://www.nexi.it/en/clients/offer...i-prepaid.html).
The toll booths in Italy are a pain (often they will fail on accepting cards, etc). As we have a home there, I got a Telepass account/transponder and that makes it much easier and quicker through tolls.
Relative to car insurance, Amex doesn't add coverage in Italy but some Visa (Chase Sapphire Preferred for me) do provide primary insurance for up to 30 days and Italy is included.
The toll booths in Italy are a pain (often they will fail on accepting cards, etc). As we have a home there, I got a Telepass account/transponder and that makes it much easier and quicker through tolls.
Relative to car insurance, Amex doesn't add coverage in Italy but some Visa (Chase Sapphire Preferred for me) do provide primary insurance for up to 30 days and Italy is included.
Last edited by JMN57; Mar 15, 23 at 1:01 pm
Mar 16, 23, 6:15 am
#9
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 6,649
Originally Posted by JMN57
One problem with the unattended gas stations/payment machines is that when you use a card they expect a chip & PIN card and most North American cards are not. Personally, when going on trips, I'll gas up at the autostrada as they are always attended. Around our town, there are a couple of attended gas stations and I make sure to go when it is attended (they even take my Amex). If I have to gas up on hours that are unattended, I'll use my bancomat card (we have an Italian bank account) or cash. An option for tourists is to get a pre-paid Visa card (something like this https://www.nexi.it/en/clients/offer...i-prepaid.html).
The toll booths in Italy are a pain (often they will fail on accepting cards, etc). As we have a home there, I got a Telepass account/transponder and that makes it much easier and quicker through tolls.
Relative to car insurance, Amex doesn't add coverage in Italy but some Visa (Chase Sapphire Preferred for me) do provide primary insurance for up to 30 days and Italy is included.
The toll booths in Italy are a pain (often they will fail on accepting cards, etc). As we have a home there, I got a Telepass account/transponder and that makes it much easier and quicker through tolls.
Relative to car insurance, Amex doesn't add coverage in Italy but some Visa (Chase Sapphire Preferred for me) do provide primary insurance for up to 30 days and Italy is included.
I used different EU- (and now that the UK has seceded, non-EU) cards at tool booths without ever encountering an issue. I'm really amazed American cards don't work.
Mar 16, 23, 5:16 pm
#10
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: PHL / NYC / PSA-BLQ
Programs: AA PPRO, Marriott/Hilton Gold, AMX-Plat, Global Entry
Posts: 2,962
Originally Posted by 13901
American cards don't have chip & pin? How about contactless?
I used different EU- (and now that the UK has seceded, non-EU) cards at tool booths without ever encountering an issue. I'm really amazed American cards don't work.
I used different EU- (and now that the UK has seceded, non-EU) cards at tool booths without ever encountering an issue. I'm really amazed American cards don't work.
Mar 17, 23, 10:08 am
#11
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: BOS
Programs: DL, B6
Posts: 168
Campania travels
Somewhat related to the original topic in this thread - getting around Campania. Can anyone recommend a route from Ariano Irpino, in the triangle near Avellino, Benevento and Foggia, to Sorrento? Planning for summer and the train schedules aren't yet set and the bus schedule is indecipherable. The drive doesn't is look terrible but rental cars are difficult to find in a small town - train or bus combos that I can see through sites like Rome2Rio double or triple the drive time. We'd consider a car service (party if 5) if there were a reasonable option. Thank you.
Mar 19, 23, 8:28 pm
#12
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: London
Programs: BAEC, QRPC, Amex MR, World of Hyatt, IHG one rewards, Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, etc…
Posts: 453
Originally Posted by canolakid
We did put the ticket in the machine- that is how the tariff displayed.
We did not pull off to the side and inquire. Good suggestion in retrospect.
Re AMEX- car rental in Italy is not covered with my country's AMEX Platinum card so we budgeted to pay for full coverage. What was not expected was the complicated explanation of 'zones of theft' liability upcharge depending on where we were driving. Never a great conversation at the kiosk after I had done all the work to prearrange the booking. I mention this so that other 'first time' renters can be informed and prepared.
We did not pull off to the side and inquire. Good suggestion in retrospect.
Re AMEX- car rental in Italy is not covered with my country's AMEX Platinum card so we budgeted to pay for full coverage. What was not expected was the complicated explanation of 'zones of theft' liability upcharge depending on where we were driving. Never a great conversation at the kiosk after I had done all the work to prearrange the booking. I mention this so that other 'first time' renters can be informed and prepared.
€84 is the basic penalty for not paying at all, but I think something else was at play there.
Last edited by marcopizzaiuolo; Mar 22, 23 at 5:56 am
Mar 22, 23, 5:59 am
#14
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: London
Programs: BAEC, QRPC, Amex MR, World of Hyatt, IHG one rewards, Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, etc…
Posts: 453
Originally Posted by GoBob
Somewhat related to the original topic in this thread - getting around Campania. Can anyone recommend a route from Ariano Irpino, in the triangle near Avellino, Benevento and Foggia, to Sorrento? Planning for summer and the train schedules aren't yet set and the bus schedule is indecipherable. The drive doesn't is look terrible but rental cars are difficult to find in a small town - train or bus combos that I can see through sites like Rome2Rio double or triple the drive time. We'd consider a car service (party if 5) if there were a reasonable option. Thank you.
Ariano Irpino is not greatly connected (are you visiting a vineyard/wine producer?) but if you are driving you would want to take the Avellino-Salerno Motorway and exit for Sorrento. You could also go down to Salerno and come back up the Amalfi Coast but it is a longer drive, albeit quite beautiful and enjoyable if you have a nice car like an Alfa Romeo Giulia 😎.
Mar 23, 23, 6:31 pm
#15
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: BOS
Programs: DL, B6
Posts: 168
Originally Posted by marcopizzaiuolo
Ariano Irpino is not greatly connected (are you visiting a vineyard/wine producer?) but if you are driving you would want to take the Avellino-Salerno Motorway and exit for Sorrento. You could also go down to Salerno and come back up the Amalfi Coast but it is a longer drive, albeit quite beautiful and enjoyable if you have a nice car like an Alfa Romeo Giulia 😎.
