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car rental italy
Easyterra is an independent comparison website for car rental in italy. Our system compares prices from reputable car rental companies so that you, the customer, can always book your car rental through us at a competitive rate.
Car hire in italy
Whether you are looking for a small rental car or a station wagon for the whole family. We always have a suitable car at the lowest price. Below are some examples from our offer in italy.
Popular cities in italy
Popular rental locations in italy
when to book a car rental in italy?
average daily price per month
car hire locations in italy
Easyterra car rental compares car rental rates in Palermo for the following destinations
location information for italy
the best way to discover italy is with a rental car. Easyterra car hire has over 241 pick up locations in italy. There is always a pick up location in your region too.
Most popular car rental locations in italy
- Palermo
- Milan
- Catania
- Bergamo
- Rome
- naples
- Olbia
- Bologna
- Brindisi
- Lamezia terme
Introduction
Italy, located in the south of europe, is known for its rich culture, wonderful climate and beautiful nature. In italy there are several large lakes where in summer many tourists stay. Also you can still find many romantic towns where the traces of the ancient cultures are still visible. Here you can enjoy the italian cuisine and the people will welcome you with kindness and hospitality.
History
Today’s italy was once inhabited by different peoples. In the south of the country the greeks built their cities and in the north the etruscans ruled. In the center was the province of latium with rome as the most important place. Here lived the romans. Rome became more and more powerful and was able to defeat the greeks and the etruscans in the third and fourth centuries b.c.
The Romans continued to expand their territory. The famous roman dictator julius caesar conquered in the years sixty and fifty b.c. all of gallia (today france) and other territories that are now part of italy. Two hundred years later, europe was almost completely in the hands of the romans and their culture became decisive in many countries. The romans did not succeed in defeating the germanic tribes.
After the death of the last ‘great emperor’, marcus aurelius, the vast empire went downhill. At the end of the fourth century the empire broke apart. the roman empire was too big to be managed centrally and also the defense left a lot to be desired in this huge country. The empire was divided into a western part, with rome as the capital, and an eastern part, with constantinople as the capital. The western empire was conquered by the germanic tribes. The empire fell apart and henceforth consisted only of individual cities.
The fourteenth century brought the turning point.Florence, milan, pisa, genoa and venice blossomed into rich trading cities in the middle ages. Italy became a European cultural center. The country flourished in art, literature, politics and research. names such as leonardo da vinci, michelangelo, dante machiavelli and galileo date back to this era. Also the italian explorers, like marco polo and christopher columbus, are still famous names today.
Under the rule of napoleon bonaparte, france was able to conquer italy at the end of the eighteenth century. Napoleon lost his power when the english and the russians defeated the french. In 1870 the unification of Italy was proclaimed. During the first world war, the country was neutral in the first instance but later fought on the side of the allies. After the war, Italy fell into a social, political and economic crisis. Fascist benito mussolini seized power in 1922 and appointed himself ruler of italy. His goal was to create a new roman empire.
During the second world war, mussolini was an ally of hitler and fought against great britain and france. Germany and Italy lost the war and Mussolini was executed. The monarchy was abolished and italy became a republic. Thanks to the financial aid of the United States, Italy was able to recover. Italy became a member of NATO (north atlantic treaty organization) and of the european union. Italy’s governments are unfortunately often unstable.
Society and culture
Italy is a very densely populated country. A total of 58 million people live there. Rome has a population of 2.7 million people and Milan has more than one million inhabitants. More than two million italians are of foreign origin, mainly albanians, and immigrants from morocco, romania, china and ukraine.
Most Italians (87%) are Roman Catholic. Until 1984, the roman catholic church was also the state church. There are also about. 500.000 believers belonging to the protestant or orthodox church, as well as ca. 35.000 Jews. The islamic community has increased due to the immigration from north africa.
Italian is the official language. Ca. 75% of italian words derive from the latin language. During the unification of italy (end of the nineteenth century) the italian language was spoken by only three percent of the population. It was the written language. Italy consisted of different linguistic zones. In order to form a single country, there had to be an italian national language:
Italian as a national language. When television arrived, the italian language really became the national language. But today there are still many populations that speak their own native language. Examples are: German, French, Slovenian, Greek, Catalan, Albanian and Sardinian.
Everywhere in Europe you can still find remains of the old roman times. The italian culture has contributed to the european civilization. Italian art, literature, architecture, film and music became famous all over the world. The Italian population usually felt more connected to their hometown or region than to the country as a whole. Italians are friendly and hospitable. The own family and the friends have a high value. Italians love good food and they are sports fans. In the south of the country you will get to know the real italian temperament:
Expansive gestures, a different volume of language, and a fanatical and passionate attitude to life.
Political situation
The italian constitution dates back to 1948. The Italian Parliament is composed of a Chamber of Deputies (with 630 deputies) and a Senate (with 315 members). The president is elected by the united chambers of the parliament and representatives of the 20 regions: 3 per region, with the exception of the aosta Valley, which may only send one representative. The regions have their own administration. The president appoints the prime minister, who in turn appoints ministers to office.
Italian politics is not very stable. Italy has seen sixty different cabinet governments since the Second World War, with both left-wing and right-wing leanings. Every five years elections are held among the population for the parliamentary representatives and the regional councils. Often this happens earlier in connection with early elections. Politics often has to deal with corruption.
Silvio berlusconi, the center-right media magnate, was prime minister of italy in 1994. In the same year he was forced to resign and was succeeded by several leftist cabinet governments. in may 1999 the current president, carlo azeglio ciampi, was elected. A new (left-wing) government has been formed, this time led by a former communist. This government lasted until 2000, when it was succeeded for a short time by the center-left Giuliano Amato. On the 13. May 2001 berlusconi became prime minister of italy again.
The current president of italy is the leftist politician giorgio napolitano. He was elected president in may 2006.
Economy
Until the second world war italy was an agrarian country. People lived from agriculture. Later, industry really took off and the economy flourished. There is still a difference between the north and the south of italy. The industry is more advanced in northern Italy than in southern Italy. The south is still largely agrarian and industrial plants can only be maintained with government subsidies.
In the eighties, the national debt increased and unemployment grew more and more. At that time there was talk of a recession, from which Italy was able to recover over time. Many people found work in the service sector and in the industry, which was renewed. Instead of food and textiles, the main products were now technology, steel and chemical products.
In Italy, there are mainly medium-sized and small family-owned companies that specialize in certain markets and niches. These companies are mainly found in the north of italy. Large industries are seen as manufacturers of machinery, vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, electrical equipment, fashion and clothing. Many of these products are exported to foreign countries. Italy also exports wine and food products.
Italy has few natural resources and many raw materials have to be imported. Italy has been struggling with a trade deficit for years. Italy imports more than it can export. Also, inflation and unemployment are still major economic problems. Many companies and industries are owned by the state. Privatisations are intended to make the business sector more energetic and to reduce budget deficits.
Geography and climate
The total area of italy is 301.323 km2. Italy is for the most part a peninsula. It owes its name "the boot of italy" to its shape. The largest islands are Sicily and Sardinia. Italy is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea, the Adriatic Sea, the Ionian Sea, the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Ligurian Sea. The Apennines form the backbone of Italy. This mountain range merges with the Alps in the north. The mountains form a natural border with Austria and Switzerland. France and slovenia are two other neighboring countries of italy.
In the north of the country there are several large lakes, such as Lake Maggiore, Lake Como, Lake Iseo and Lake Garda. Famous volcanoes are found in the south of italy. Vesuvius is near Naples, Etna is active in Sicily and Stromboli is on the same island. Italy’s longest river is the po. This river rises in the Alps on the border with France and flows into the Adriatic Sea near Venice. The river Po has many branches that reach the sea through the Alps, the Apennines and the Dolomites. Other important rivers are: the Tiber, the Adige and the Arno.
In italy there are two independent states. These are the states of Vatican City and San Marino. The administration of the catholic church is located in vatican city. The pope is the head of state here.
Climatically, italy consists of three areas. the mountainous north has an alpine climate with cold winters and warm summers. The south of italy is dry and hot. The rest of the country has a Mediterranean climate: pleasant summers and fairly mild winters. Most of the precipitation falls in autumn and spring.
Traffic and infrastructure
Italy has an extensive and well maintained road network. You must pay tolls on the expressways. The most important highway runs through the west of the country: the ‘autostrada del sole’. Just like everywhere else on the european continent, the italians drive on the right side of the road. Wearing a seat belt, both in the front seat and in the back of the car, is mandatory. Mobile phone calls are prohibited when you’re behind the wheel. The speeds are indicated in km.
A good bus network connects the cities of italy with each other. There are also many local bus companies operating in the cities. If you travel by intercity bus, you can buy the ticket on the bus. tickets for the city bus lines must be purchased in advance. You can get the tickets in the tobacconist. The SITA S.P.A is a large bus company that operates many bus connections both nationally and internationally.
italy also has a pretty good railroad network. The network of connections is not perfect, but train travel within italy is still recommended. In addition, train travel is quite inexpensive. The railroad network is mostly operated by trenitalia S.P.A. Served and is 16.000 kilometers long. In the cities you can continue your journey by streetcar or metro.
Italy has national and international shipping connections. International connections are for example with croatia and greece. Within Italy you can travel by ship to Sicily for example. The most important port within italy is genoa.
The long distances within Italy can also be covered by plane. Many foreign guests travel to Italy by plane. the most important (international) airports are located near rome and milan: rome fiumicino international airport, milan malpensa international airport and milan linate international airport. Other airports are for example: trieste international airport and palermo international airport. The national airline is the alitalia.
Time zones
Italy has a time zone of GMT +1. at the beginning of summer time, the clock is set forward by one hour, as it is in our country.
Eat& drink
Italian dishes are often not complicated but because of the many tasty combinations and the freshness of the products, Italian cuisine has become world famous. Everyone then also knows pasta and pizza. The italians take a lot of time for lunch and dinner. They usually start the meal with an ‘antipasto’, an appetizer. with pasta or risotto, a salad is often eaten as well. Further, a lot of cheese is used in the dishes: mozzarella, ricotta and gorgonzola. The dishes are prepared with onions, garlic and tomatoes. For dessert, of course, the excellent italian ice cream is highly recommended. Also, a cappuccino (in the morning before 11:00) or espresso is often drunk. The most famous drink in italy is chianti wine.
The italians eat late and the restaurants are therefore often open from 20:00 hours. The restaurants are of quite good quality and often the prices of the dishes are affordable. If you have a drink at the bar, it is usually cheaper than if you have it served at the table or on the terrace.
Accommodation
almost everywhere in italy vacation homes are rented out. In the resorts you can also book an apartment. There is also a wide range of campsites available. You will find the most campings near the big lakes. The parking spaces vary in price depending on quality. most campgrounds are large and offer many amenities. You can bring your own tent or caravan, but you can also rent a caravan. Finally, you can choose to stay in a hotel. Especially the larger cities, or famous places, offer a wide choice of hotels. But also in the smaller towns and regions you will surely find the hotel of your choice.