 Gerardo and Gaetano were my heros. I was in Italy May 2023 and my rental car died. I don't mean broke down. I mean died!! I was driving downhill on a steep two lane curvy road between Treia and Tolentino when I lost power, brakes and steering. The thing about this road is you can only go so fast and I am slower than your average Italian. There was a line of cars behind me and I managed to wrench the steering wheel to the right and pull off the road without causing a pileup. I don't scare easily, but I was shaking when the car finally rolled into a curb and stopped. Following close behind is a sport in Italy and it's the only thing about driving there that I don't enjoy.
I called the Hertz number for English and still needed help from a native Italian speaker who happened to be in the area where I pulled off. The plan was that I wait for the tow truck and then go to the garage in Morrovalle. From there I take a taxi to the Ancona airport to pick up a new car. Two problems with that plan: 1) there are no taxis in Morrovalle or the surrounding area 2) the Ancona airport is an hour away. Gerardo and Gaetano are brothers who own the garage and towing business. Pretty sure it was Gaetano who drove the tow truck. I asked his name, but had a hard time understanding his thick dialect. We headed off to Morrovalle and with the help of our friend, the translate app, I sorted out that G&G would take care of procuring a ride to the airport for me. The garage and tow yard are exactly what you'd expect only cleaner and with better looking mechanics. One of the G's motions for me to come in the office and he presents me with a taxi bill for 180 euros. Hertz had told me to pay upfront and they will refund me when I returned the car to Rome. I pay, then me and the G's head out into the tow lot. Turns out we are going to Ancona in G&G's vintage Alpha Romeo!! We zoom north and arrive at the airport in record time. Turns out the Hertz office at the airport is chiuso aka closed!! We are not a happy bunch. One of the G's calls Hertz and gives them a thrashing Italian style. Plan B is to go to the Ancona shipping port to pick up a car. Problem is it's 6:50 and the port office closes at 7:00. It would typically take 20 minutes to get to the port from the airport, but thanks to G&G and the Alpha we made it in 10! At the Hertz office I am asked what the mileage was on the car when it died and if I filled it up with gas. I am hypoglycemic and hadn't eaten in over six hours, so my head almost exploded. Eventually, we sort the details and I am shown to my replacement vehicle. They have given me the total gansta car - a huge black SUV with dark tinted windows. Absolutely not your typical car in Treia. It is so big I can't drive it into the historical center and even if I could, I wouldn't want to. The last thing I want is my neighbors to see me driving this tank and wondering where the money came from to buy Catlantis di Treia.
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