Driving in Italy- by Bill Bray, husband of Laura, photos by Antonio Smolizza. (Disclaimer - Strictly my point of view, not necessarily the opinion or experience of my wife.)
This is written for people who grew up in the US and are thinking of driving (via car rental or other) in Italy for the first time – or maybe it’s been a while.
So you know, I’ve been driving in Italy and other parts of Europe every other year for over 20 years. Even so, I am still sometimes surprised by what I see. But that is probably true in the US as well.
International Driver's Permit - First, I always get an international driver’s permit (IDP) from AAA. You don’t have to be a member of AAA, just show up at one of their offices in the US before you go. Bring your state driver’s license and for about $30 you will walk out with a little
booklet with photos of you inside (they will take your photo) that looks official. Each page is dedicated to a specific country, including Italy - with a lot of Italian words translating your license and explaining what you can drive. It lasts a year, or until your US license expires, whichever comes first. Call ahead to be sure your AAA does what mine does on the spot.
I have been stopped multiple times in Italy for no reason, at impromptu road checkpoints. The Carabinieri do not need a reason to stop a car. They ask me for my documents. I hand them my valid US driver’s license and my official looking AAA permit booklet (you need to present both), as well as the documents for the car (called a Libretto) to prove it isn’t stolen and insurance is up to date, and they seem satisfied. For $30 (3-4 good pizzas in Italia), it gives me some assurance. I suspect the Carabinieri don’t see many US drivers – most of the drivers they stop are of course Italians, but if they stop tourists from outside the country, they are usually from Germany, UK, France, some other Europeans who may have a document more easily recognizable. They may ask you some questions, and if your Italian is very bad, and you make some silly sounding guttural sounds, they will likely just return your documents and wave you on. They aren’t looking for you. I suspect that even without my silly, somewhat bulky AAA booklet, I might be fine. But for $30 or so, why risk not having it. Apparently some have received hefty fines for not having an IDP.
Manual Transmissions - Ninety-five percent of cars in Italy are manual. I am quite comfortable driving a manual (stick shift), so driving a car in Italy is no problem for me. When we are in Italy, I drive my wife’s family’s cars, (Ford Focus wagon or Toyota Yaris), not a rental. I don’t know if you can get an automatic at the rental places. Maybe, but perhaps at a higher price I hear. Otherwise, you may want to practice on a manual transmission before you go. One less thing to concern yourself while driving in Italy, because driving in Italy is not exactly like driving in the US.
So, driving in Italy. Where to start...
First, before I scare you to death, I want you to know, you can do it. It will be okay. I will provide some tips and suggestions so you are better prepared. You’ll be fine, really. That is unless you really don't like to drive in the first place, and are perhaps overly cautious or easily rattled. Then you might consider just taking public transport, which is quite good. Italian drivers in general are normally quite alert and are generally good drivers, but think race-track good, no dilly-dallying in the car in Italy. You'll want to be alert and decisive while driving in Italy.
One thing that is certainly different – you won’t see people in Italy drinking or eating while they are driving. That is an “American” thing. We even have cup holders for that. For one thing, a caffè or even cappucino in Italia is small, not 20 oz, not meant to take an hour to drink, and not too hot that you can’t drink it right away. You drink it properly, while sitting at a table,
with a croissant or cornetto, or standing at a bar, a few sips and it’s gone, and never in a paper cup. And it’s usually a proper caffè, prepared properly, for 1 euro, or a nice cappuccino, but I digress. Secondly, you really can’t drive a manual transmission and drink at the same time. And third, when you are driving in Italy, you really need to be DRIVING, not anything else. Driving in Italy takes much more concentration than driving in the US.
In Italy, roads are narrower. Usually no shoulders. The lanes not as wide. This alone puts you into an entirely different situation. You may feel like you are in a game of bumper cars. Even if the driving speeds were the same as they are in the US, everything is compressed spatially, so the perceived speeds are higher. You need to be able to react quickly. Cars are smaller, too, everything in miniature and at higher speeds. Even time itself passes differently as you drive from point A to point B. For this reason alone, you can’t be sipping on a giant 20 oz. drink or chomping on a Big Mac while driving.
Italian intersections - In Italy, you might drive 10-15km (6-9 miles), through a town even, and never stop at a light or stop sign. For this I love Italy. The rotonde (roundabouts) are everywhere. In the US, I know some people hate them. I suspect that is because they didn’t grow up with them. They shorten the driving time immensely (think about how much wasted time is spent sitting at a light), and they reduce fuel consumption and wear and tear on the car. What is there not to like? My Italian friend, when we go for a drive in the US, is flabbergasted at the amount of stopping we do. Stop signs and stop lights everywhere. He asks “why is there a stop right here?” I usually don’t have a good reason. I think because someone has a business making stop signs or lights – a glut of stop signs, and you must put them somewhere. After returning from Italy, I go a bit nuts sitting at lights and stopping at signs here in the US. I'm always thinking as I sit idling, "this would be a good place for a roundabout".
In Italy, I've seen up to 6 different road exits on a single rotonda, so watch carefully for the road you are looking to exit on. Each exit is marked, but if you miss it, don't worry, just keep driving around the rotonda until you are sure where to get off. Think Mr. Bean.
Italy does have stop lights. Not many, but some. One thing you will notice is that often the traffic light is situated about where you will be stopping. It is often not out across the intersection like it is in the US. So be careful. You don’t want to stop where you would normally stop, because you will have passed the light (to the right or above you), and you will not be able to see when it turns green. This is BAD, because the cars behind you will be waiting for you to go, and you will be sitting there like a fool with no viewable indication, and unable to back up to see it. I know from experience. And Italians use their horns freely – I definitely felt like a “not-from-around-here” bozo. So be careful when approaching a light. There is sometimes a line across the road to indicate where to stop. Line or not, just be sure you stop ahead of the light so you can see it change. Also, no right turns on a red light in Italy, anywhere, at anytime.
Speed - When you are driving, you will encounter many driving styles. A few people will drive about like you do, like tourists from the UK say, (who are still getting used to driving on the right (wrong for them) side of the road). Speed somewhat average, using turn signals, etc. But that's rare. Most will drive faster. And when I say faster, it could be MUCH faster. There will be some slower drivers - they are usually older and driving old Fiat four-wheel-drive Pandas (like you see above, green boxy one in traffic) or maybe vintage Fiat 500s they bought new in their youth, or maybe a little 3-wheel Ape car. Give them space and respect. The faster drivers, well, they can be locals or tourists, men or women, young or old, but not normally very old. They will be driving newer model Fiats, BMWs, Audis, whatever. Let’s say the posted speed is 50km/hour. If you are going 50km/hr, you will be passed by pretty much everyone. Some will see you as a driving hazard for driving so slow, and will pass you at 80-100km/hr, even in busy areas. I have, however, seen over the years a growing number of more safety conscious drivers in Italy, those that will drive closer to the speed limit. In the area near my family’s home, this is because of multiple accidents on one stretch of road. They have put flashing lights and a brightly painted crosswalk in one place to slow drivers down, and I notice some will actually go at most 60km/hr, but many still run through at 70-90 km/hr or even faster.
Can you be stopped for speeding? No, I’ve never seen polizia or carabinieri stopping people for speeding. Instead you will find cameras that clock your speed, take a photo, and send you the ticket in the mail (even if you are renting). These are called autovelox. The autovelox will have signage in advance to let you know you are approaching the camera. So if you are watching the road for signs, or know where the autovelox is, you can slow down ahead of the camera. As soon as you pass the camera, you can speed up again, like everyone else. Or you can always obey the speed limits (if you don’t mind being constantly passed, or being the front of a long line of cars). You will find autovelux on Strade Statale (abbreviated SS - state highways) or any small roads, especially near small towns. They can also be on the Autostrada (described later).
I normally drive fairly fast, so I don’t mind driving in Italy. But I will tell you that I also drive at what I think is a safe speed, even if it exceeds the speed limit a bit. Maybe it’s all relative - what I think is careful may not be considered careful to someone else. But even as I drive fast (i.e., the same speed as the majority of other drivers), there are many many more drivers in Italy who will drive much faster than me. Maybe they all think they are driving at a safe speed. But in my mind, many of these drivers are beyond my comprehension . For example, I recall last year driving in the Garfagnana valley in northern Toscana. Like most roads in Italy, it’s a very windy road for many miles. But as fast as I was driving, which I thought was quite fast enough, I constantly had people on my tail. For Italians, it is like a race I think, but not at the conscious level. They just can’t help it, and really aren’t even aware of it. Yes, they were all probably locals and familiar with every curve. But even after driving the valley 3-4 times, and driving almost until my wheels screeched, I still had cars on my tail, calm-faced drivers behind the wheel, passsing me when they had the opportunity (or even if I thought they didn't). Many driver’s in Italy drive as fast as they want to. And they will. They will pass people in a long line one car at a time to get to the front. And they may have a car that accelerates quite well, so they can manage this. If you like this type of entertainment, you will not be bored.
Lanes - Something else you'll notice is that people don't feel a need to stay in their lane like they do in the US. If no one is coming the other way, or coming from behind, they'll just drive on or across the painted lane lines. Windy roads especially. The lane lines are only suggestions. It's annoying to me to have to swerve to get out of the way of an oncoming car because they are partially in my lane. I think they are thinking there is plenty of space on the road, even if they take some of my lane, so chill out. And I'm thinking stay in your lane, I stay in mine. What if we both decided to get into the other's lanes, what then? But then I think relax, whatever, it's just a different way of driving. Stay alert.
Motorcycles don’t have lanes, just so you know. Perhaps legally they are supposed to stay in lanes - I’m not sure. In practice, motorcycles will weave between cars in lanes (whether the cars are moving or not) and expect you to give them room. They will find a way to weave through the tightest spaces. It’s their right. Don’t mess with them.
Filling up with gas - If you find you are running low on fuel, you should stop at a gas station. Some stations have attendants that will pump the gas for you. Most are self-serve, “fai da te”. If you find one with an attendant, and you’ve never pumped gas before in Italy, go with that option. It’s easier. Just role down the window, say “50 euros per favore”, and they will do it for you – better to have cash for this and just hand them the cash, as you might have to step inside if you plan to use a card. It’s easier to give them a euro amount than to say “fill it up”. No change involved.
At the pump, your dollar (Euro) doesn’t go as far in Italy as it does in the US. Prepare to fork over some serious money to get your tank close to full. About 5,50€/gal or $6.50/gal as I write this. If your gas tank holds 14 gallons (53 liters), and gas is 1,40 €/liter, then it will cost you 74€ to fill up your tank ($84! as I write this). At least cars in Europe are generally more economical, so you can go a little farther on a tank. Which reminds me, in Europe, 1,000 is written 1.000, not 1,000. And it’s 5,50€/gal, not 5.50€/gal. Decimals and commas used in the opposite way for numbers.
If you go to a self-serve "fai da te" gas station, usually there is one box that electronically handles all the pumps (exception is an Autostrada gas station, normally easier to figure out). I find them all to be a little different. Essentially you go to the box before you pump, enter the pump number and amount, and put the money in, before you go back to your car to pump the gas. You can use cash or credit. These are usually open 24 hours. The pump shuts off when it reaches the amount. But not all machines are the same, and the instructions are not always in English and/or they aren’t that clear. It might also ask you for a PIN if you are using a credit card, so know it, or use a debit card with a PIN you know. I’ve found this to be not so straight forward sometimes, for me, but also for others, especially other tourists from different parts of Europe. You may find yourself being asked in German or German-accented English how to operate the machine. Maybe by then you have mastered the machine and can help them.
Autostradas - Autostradas (A1, A4, etc) are the freeway arteries that connect Italy, and are normally quite straight and pleasant to drive on in my experience. Autostrada signs are marked in green. If you plan on using autostradas a lot, you might consider a TelePass. These let you go through the checkpoints along the autostrada without stopping to grab a ticket (on entry) or pay (on exit) – just slow down as you go through the TelePass lane. And it works in multiple countries. If you don't have a TelePass, don't go through the Telepass lane! You'll get stuck and then you'll get a bill in the mail later for more than it should have been (even if you are renting).
I suspect the rentals offer these Telepass gagdets, or they are available elsewhere, but not sure. If you don’t have a Telepass, bring cash since not all autostradas may accept credit cards at every exit. Because autostradas are not free, locals normally avoid these and take the SS (strada statale) marked in blue instead, so autostradas are often quite uncrowded. Much less crowded than your typical freeway in the US I find. You will find driving on autostradas in general quite pleasant, and the road very well maintained.
The speed limit on the Autostrada is usually 130 km/hr (80 mph), but often slows to 110 km/hr (68mph) in certain areas, and sometimes slower in curvy areas or construction areas. Most people stick close to the 130km/hr speed limit (though not all of course). You have to pass through the Telepass or checkpoints on the autostrada, and they can take a photo of your plate as you enter and exit, and because they know when you entered and exited over many kilometers, they can calculate your speed and send you a ticket in the mail if you speeded. They may also have an autovelux. So I stick to the speed limit on the autostradas.
While on the Autostrada, like on some turnpikes or toll roads in the US, there are filling stations/stores/rest stops. These are usually the Autogrills. Autogrills are worth the stop. They usually have fantastic food and nice clean bathrooms (a nice bathroom in Italy, wahoo!, although in general Italy has more nice bathrooms now than 30 years ago for sure). The food, unlike in a US convenience store, is very good stuff. No 10 year old hot dogs rolling around on metal rollers, no giant soft drink dispensers. Here you can get a nice panino with prosciutto e formaggio and a caffè, or a nice insalata (with super fresh produce) with vino, and the price is the same or better than a McDonalds lunch. They may also sell the local fair (cheeses, salamis, pastas, vino, olio) in whatever region you are in. Do stop. It’s also a good place for people watching – people from all over Europe.
More on Speed and Passing - I didn’t mention this before, but if you’ve never driven in Europe, the left lane is for passing, period. Unlike in the US, you'll never see traffic all going the same speed, or even close to it, in multiple lanes (unless it's a traffic jam). Everywhere there are two lanes, stay in your right lane unless you are passing. Whether on the Autostrada or a Strada Statale, stay in your right lane unless passing. And once you pass, move immediately back to the right lane. People will use a left turn signal to pass, mostly to warn faster traffic bearing down on them, and may leave it blinking until they move right, but no one uses a turn signal to move back into right lane, just an observation. You will find people going 185-200 km/hr (115 to 124 mph) in the left lane. They can’t stop fast. You will look behind, see no one, pull out to pass someone, and suddenly from out of nowhere a Mercedes is on your tail flashing its lights. They have somewhere to go fast (the beach, the bathroom) and you are in the way. Often there is a car or two keeping up just behind them also needing the beach or the bathroom. Usually Italians, but not always. Plenty of Germans, Austrians, Dutch, and French doing the same speed. When I’ve been in Europe for business, I’ve found myself as a passenger with a business associate from Germany or Czech Republic, going this fast. And oddly we weren’t going to the beach or the bathroom. Scary fast to me, but they don’t think twice about it.
Also, never pass someone in the right lane. Only pass on the left. If you are moving right to take an exit, watch out that you don't speed up faster than traffic to your left. They may move to the right without looking.
Merging into traffic - When merging onto a highway, there is a short lane for this, as there is in the US. But you do not have the right of way. It's a little different than in the US. In the US, the assumption is you put on a blinker and accelerate or slow down to match the speed and merge into a space in the existing flow of traffic. Traffic is kind of expected to give you space if needed. In Italy, not so much. You do not have the right-of-way when merging into traffic - your short entry lane is not necessarily an acceleration lane. The vehicles on the road have no responsibility to make space for you. If you would otherwise cause other vehicles to change their speed if you merged, you will need to slow or even stop in this short lane until there is a clear and open space for you to get on. You'll see Italian drivers stopped in this merge lane often. I'm not a fan of this approach (really hard sometimes to get into flow from a dead stop, seems more dangerous to me), but it's how it works in Italy. Maybe this originated because these "on ramps" are not always very long, and you might not be able to match speed unless you were driving a Ferrari, not sure.
Trucks - One nice thing is that trucks (camion) are smaller than in the US, and they have slower speed limits, posted on their bumpers, and they stay in the right lane usually. Something else Italy got right.
City Driving - Here are a few hints when driving your own car. First, if you can, you might find it easier and less expensive to park outside of the Centro area where all the historic buildings are to be found.
– or if a very large city, even further out somewhere in the suburbs, along a train route, and hop the train into town. We do this often with my wife and extended family. The parking near certain train stations is spacious and usually free (check before you go), and the train cost minimal. And it eliminates the headache of finding a place to park in the city or getting ticketed for not knowing the city rules. We and many others do this for Venice for instance, since you can’t drive into Venice anyway, but it works for many other cities. You will find many Italians do the same thing. Just a warning – when you are at the train station, you can usually use either coins or credit card to purchase tickets via the machine.
If you use a credit card to buy a train ticket at the kiosk (photo on right below), you might need to know your PIN. Why I’m not sure. Some people say you can just press continue, or any four digit number. Not sure on that. I just know if you have a PIN, better to have it ready in these situations rather than have a lot of people behind you get anxious as the train approaches and you’ve been there for 10 minutes already. Even better, you can buy your tickets on-line ahead of time with your phone - and just show your phone to the train attendant once you are on. If it’s an open paper ticket you bought ahead of time (no date or seat assigned), be sure to validate it (time stamp, photo on left below) at the station before you board the train.
Second, in many cities there are zones called ZTL or Zona Traffico Limito that you cannot enter – depending on the day and time – unless you have special authorization (which you don't). You can find yourself driving into one of these zones without even noticing (I’ve done it, with my wife praying that we get out alive – well okay, maybe not life-threatening, but it felt like it at the time, especially because once you enter, it’s very hard to know how exactly to get out). These are zones that usually protect (from traffic congestion and pollution) the Centro or center part of a city (which is often the historical part you have come to see). Often they will take a photo of your license and send you a ticket immediately as you enter. You want to either check on-line before you enter a city so you know where these zones are, or look for the signs indicating these zones on the road, or as I suggested earlier, just park your car outside of the city and take a train or taxi into town. If you see a road that goes where you want to go but oddly not many other cars are going that way, it could be a sign - check for the ZTL signs. The sign may have which days of the week and times (using the 24 hour clock, so 08,00 to 18,00 is 8am to 8pm, etc) in which driving is restricted. Or they are 24/7 with no time range, like the one pictured below. You'll be driving in your car with other cars behind you, in a strange new place, frantically trying to make decisions, so if you see a Zona Traffico Limito sign, just assume it's off limits and don't go down that road if you can't read the fine print fast enough. As you see below, the signs don't all look the same.
I mentioned the TelePass. If you do venture into a city and have TelePass, it can also be used for parking in many larger cities. Look for the Telepass sign at some parking areas. You can pull into these parking areas and not bother with pulling out your wallet or purse. They will bill you the same way as for the Autostrada. That’s pretty convenient.
GPS - Mobile phone use is not permitted while driving in Italy. You may see that rule broken in Italy, but I agree it’s a good rule to follow. But do use your phone as a navigation device in Europe, very handy if a passenger can act as a navigator. Not fool proof, but often handy (though don't let it take you into a ZTL zone!) Also, learn a few road and parking signs before you drive in Italy. A stop sign looks like a stop sign, but other signs not so intuitive.
Finally, don’t drive in Italy with your windows open, especially with kids in the car. It’s well known in Italy (well at least the older generations) that these drafts are no good for your health, and kids will get a fever. But I think once you cross a border to France or Austria, you can open the windows and be just fine. (If you aren’t married to an Italian, find these and other peculiar Italian beliefs and wives tales in a Google search).
Happy Trails
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