We are renting a car in Rome in September and driving down south to Pioppi. Has anyone rented in The city? We would prefer not to go to the airport to get it.
Also any other car tips would be greatly appreciated as this is our first time

Unless you are incredibly brave ( or foolish) , I would avoid driving in Rome. Rent your car from somewhere on the outskirts.

I 2nd that!!!

I third that - avoid if you can!!

I fourth that

I agree with the above. We went on the train to Pompei (fast train to Naples and then regular train south). I would seriously consider getting out of Rome before hiring a car.

We chickened out last minute and kept taking the train everywhere as it appeared to be a nightmare driving. People just park wherever they want and it’s so fast. For 3 weeks, we trained everywhere and it was awesome.

We have rented cars in Italy a few times, but certainly not in the centre of Rome. The only word to describe the traffic in that city is chaotic. If you are going to a very small town where there is no train connection, rent a car near it. The train system is fantastic in Italy and many towns also connect with the bus system. Do a bit of homework and see what you can find.

We drove from Tuscany to a smaller city near Amalfi . Never again! The Super auto strada Hwy is a nightmare and the drivers are insane!!!!!! Take trains and buses and enjoy your trip.

We rented a car in Rome - right at the main train station. It was pretty easy to get out of the city from there - and we drove to Amalfi coast, pompei, Lecce.....it was great to have the freedom of the car! Roads in Amalfi are very narrow, but drive slow - it's fine!

Definitely agree with the others - take a train out of town and hire something at one of the stations. You don’t want to be anywhere near downtown Rome traffic

No experience in Rome, but I rented and drove out of (and back into) Paris last year. It. Was. Insane. Never again. Rent from a place on the outskirts. That's my plan for next time. The countryside was fine, as were the most other cities visited. Though many of the cities had the downtown/historic core blocked from traffic with bollards in the road. Some you could lower if you had the code if your hotel was in the cordend off area. That was a surprise.
Also look up any obscure traffic laws they have. In France for example, anyone on the right is meant to have priority. Even if you're going straight, and someone is on side road on your right, trying to turn across your lane, they have right of way. It goes against logic, but you are meant to stop. It's an old law going back to horse and cart days apparently. Fortunately there are signs almost everywhere indicating a particular (main) road has priority, so most of the time you can ignore it.

Rent at airport. Sav
Rent at airport!!