@d_zialcita, stick to what you want and not what others will tell you (unless it's really that bad). If you want to go to Venice, then go! How would you know if it's worth to visit or not if you haven't been there yourself. Ikaw lang naman makaka-decide nyan, di ba?
You can make the trip inexpensive by staying in apartments or hotels away from tourist central and eating where locals eat. Those are the biggest expense naman there (aside from shopping!). I haven't been to Venice yet or Italy for that matter but it's definitely in my bucket list.
As to hiring a car, have you already checked with your aunt whether public transpo is readily available from their place? If public transpo is a bit difficult to come by then you really have to rent a car for flexibility. Some of the bigger car rental agencies in Italy are Avis, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt. There are smaller/local car rental agencies too but we prefer to rent from the established ones para no surprises in the fees. Everything is upfront. You can try to do mock bookings on their websites to compare prices.
TIPS in renting a car in Europe:
1.) Rent the smallest, cheapest car available (most of the time they will upgrade you on the next category). Plus the roads in the smaller towns are too small for an SUV or full size car. Hirap pa sa parking minsan.
2.) Better be ready with your manual driving. Automatic cars in Europe are more expensive and are sometimes hard to get by.
3.) You can get lower rental fees if you rent by the week as compared by the day. And make sure to get unlimited mileage.
4.) In Italy it's cheaper to rent round trip (same pick-up/drop off place) as compared to one way rentals (pick-up and drop off places are different). If you are planning to pick up your car from the Florence train station, return the car there too to save on the one way fee (drop off fee). The train to Pisa is just a 30 minute ride anyway.
5.) You can use your PH Driver's license to rent a car in Europe. No need to get an International Driver's License. I don't know how it is in Italy but in France the credit card to pay for the rental should be the designated driver's. We found this out on our recent trip, buti na lang dala ni hubby credit card nya minsan kasi iniiwan nya kung magkasama kami. Otherwise, I would have to be the one driving!
6.) Lastly, have a good GPS with updated maps. Since we always do road trips in the US and Europe, we invested in a good GPS and we keep the maps updated. Medyo mahal kasi if you rent from the agency. But if you don't do road trips often and you don't have a GPS, then rent one from them. Make sure you ask the agency to program it in English ha.
Enjoy your trip!
