Italy, from the lakes to the coast.
Italy is the country where the last kilometre causes the most trouble: restricted historic centres, a city with no roads at all, and lake villages on roads built for carts. Knowing that in advance is most of the job.
Where we collect
In the north, Milan Malpensa is the workhorse, with Linate for short-haul and Bergamo for low-cost arrivals. Malpensa is also the quiet secret of the Engadin: Malpensa to St. Moritz is about three and a quarter hours over the Maloja and frequently has better long-haul connections than Zurich.
Further south we collect from Rome Fiumicino and Ciampino, Venice Marco Polo and Treviso, Naples, Florence, Pisa, Turin and Verona, along with the cruise terminals at Civitavecchia, Genoa and Savona.
The routes we run most
- Malpensa to Lake Como, Bellagio, Menaggio, Tremezzo and Varenna
- Malpensa to Lake Maggiore, Stresa and Lake Garda
- Malpensa to St. Moritz and the Engadin, over the Maloja Pass
- Zurich to Milan and back, through the Gotthard
- Rome to the Amalfi Coast, Positano, Ravello and Sorrento
- Venice to Cortina d'Ampezzo and the Dolomites
The ZTL, and the two places cars simply stop
Most Italian historic centres are ZTL, a zona a traffico limitata enforced by camera with no barrier and no warning. Florence, Rome, Milan, Bologna, Siena and dozens of smaller towns all run one, the hours differ by city, and a wrong turn is an automatic fine that reaches you months later through the rental or operator. Our drivers work to the current permitted access points and drop as close to your door as the rules genuinely allow, which is usually closer than visitors expect.
Venice has no roads. Every vehicle stops at Piazzale Roma or the Tronchetto car park, and you continue by water taxi, vaporetto or on foot with a porter. It works exactly like Zermatt, and it is the single thing most worth knowing before you book a Venice transfer.
Lake Como is narrower than it looks. The western shore road through Menaggio and Tremezzo is beautiful and often single-file in practice. A large coach cannot reach some of the lakeside hotels at all. Tell us the address when you book and we will send a vehicle that actually fits.
Questions
What people ask us.
Can you drive into the historic centre?
As far as the ZTL rules allow, which is usually closer than people expect. Italian historic centres are camera enforced with no barrier, so our drivers work to the current permitted access points rather than guessing and collecting a fine for you.
Can you drive into Venice?
No, and nor can anyone else. Every vehicle stops at Piazzale Roma or Tronchetto, and you continue by water taxi or vaporetto. We can arrange the water transfer at the same time if you tell us your hotel.
How long is Malpensa to Lake Como?
About an hour to the southern end of the lake and around an hour and a half to Bellagio or Menaggio, depending on which shore your hotel is on.
Do you cross between Italy and Switzerland?
Regularly. Zurich to Milan, Malpensa to St. Moritz and Milan to the Swiss resorts are all normal bookings, and our vehicles and drivers carry the documentation for commercial cross-border work.
Can you drop at Civitavecchia for a cruise?
Yes, and the Rome cruise run is a common booking. Give us the ship and the sailing time and we will work backwards from it rather than from a guess.
Do you serve southern Italy and the islands?
Our strength is the north and centre. For Sicily, Sardinia and the deep south, ask us and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right operator for that particular job.
Travelling in Italy?
Give us the address rather than just the town, and we will send a vehicle that can reach it.