We've driven in both countries (my husband does the driving). It can be frustrating at times because of trying to read unfamiliar road signs. But if you are heading for rurual or smaller town areas, it's the easiest way to go. We've done it by train, which is fun, but there is also a lot of down time and sticking to precise schedules. We just returned from a two-week driving trip in Italy. We rented our car outside of ROme an hour away by train. You don't want to drive in Rome! We were able to rent in one place and drop off in another through autoeurope. It worked great. We kept a printout of autostrada driving info in the car and had no problems. Get a small car....we ended up on many SMALL streets throughout our trip. Have fun!~