How to not get scammed renting a Car in Italy?

Flying into Lamezia Terme in June, heading to the Tropea/Calabria area for a week. Planning to rent a car at the airport.

I've been reading reviews and honestly terrified now people getting forced to buy insurance twice, getting charged for fake damage after dropping keys in a box, bookings cancelled because of flight delays…

Has anyone rented a car in southern Italy recently? What actually worked for you? Specifically:

• Which company/platform did you use and would you recommend it?
• Is it safer to book directly vs aggregators like Discovercars or Rentalcars?
• Any tips for the handover what to document, what to watch out for?
• Credit card insurance does it actually work in Italy or do rental companies make it difficult?

Any advice appreciated, first time renting in Italy.