Driving in Italy?

[cycosis]

Lived in europe several times, driven through France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria. So I have a good understanding of navigating non-english developed roads.

But! Never Italy.

I am thinking of doing Oktoberfest for a few days this September and then driving south from Munich to Florence, then do Tuscany wine country and end up in Rome.

I will NOT be driving in Rome as I plan on renting a Mercedes SLK and dont want it damaged.

Any have experience with the highways in Italy? Whats to look out for? What should not be missed during a wine tour of the country side via car?

[Feruk]

Just a warning on extra fees... I'm renting a car in Croatia this summer, and the fine print has $40 Euro charge for taking it to Montenegro. The charge to take a rental into Italy used to be huge (hundreds of dollars) because of the higher risk of theft. You need to confirm if there is an additional charge for taking the rental into Italy. Because you do not declare where you are taking the car when you book online, this charge is not factored into the pricing of the rental. However, it will be laid out in the "terms and conditions".

[Sorath]

i drove from rome to venice with stops in florence and pisa last year.

roads are extremely small.

[JPB]

I've been going to Italy for years, I drove the A14 from Milan to the Adriatic coast and the A1 down into Tuscany just last spring. A-series roads are the expressways, the Autostrada. These are toll roads, limited access and well maintained. Speed limit is 130 for most of them, and you can definitely make better time than that. There are speed cameras, but I never received any tickets for driving 140-150 for hours on end. Just go with the flow.

Like Germany, don't travel in the left lane and don't pass on the right.

Weird law - you need to have a reflective vest in the car if you are stopped by the Carbineri. Most rental car companies will throw it in.

There are SS (superstrada) roads which are lower speed than the Autostrada but still a good way to get around and no tolls. And then a true spaghetti of secondary roads, especially rolling around the hills of Tuscany. If you have a phone with data, I had good luck using Google maps with the voice prompts to navigate for me. If not, track down a trusty Michelin map book for Italy, they have a good level of detail. Lots of people get lost relying on Italian directional signage, it does take some getting used to.

Lots of traffic circles in the towns and built up areas. Be aggressive.

I rode my bike down from Munich a couple of years ago, the route down through Garmisch, through Austria, and over the pass from Nauders to Resia is scenic. Once in Italy you are in the area around Merano/Bolzano which are beautiful mountain towns.

Not to miss in Tusany - I like the areas around Radda in Chianti to track down some Vino Santo, down around Montalcino to grab some Brunello on the cheap, and around small towns around Siena for good food.

Buon viaggio

[YYC_A4]

JPB is spot on - though you need one reflective vest per passenger, plus the usual first-aid kit, warning triangle, etc. This will all be provided in the car.

Additionally, you will need a 10 Tages-Vignette for going through Austria (available at any gas station between Munich and Innsbruck, for EUR 8,70). The car should already have a vignette for Switzerland (if you decide to make a little tour there), and will most likely have winter tires (if rented in Germany).

Expect chaotic Italian driving, they will sit right on your ass, straddle two lanes, etc. - however, there is a method to the madness and somehow accidents are relatively rare. Just drive defensively.

Exercise caution in the big cities; it's easy to end up in the restricted traffic zones (Zona a Traffico Limitato). There are cameras that issue tickets automatically in these zones (at least in Florence).

There are Auto Grill rest stops everywhere, so you are never more than 20 minutes away from an espresso (which is helpful when pulling an all-nighter).

The toll roads (Autostrade) are kept in immaculate shape. A machine gives you a ticket before the on-ramp, and much like a parking lot, you insert the ticket in another machine after exiting. The toll is calculated accordingly, and you pay there. What else...road signs are green (like here in Canada), as opposed to the blue/orange/white ones found in DE, AT, and CH.

[Mibz]

Everybody else has been accurate.

The most important thing to know about driving in Italy is to stay the fuck out of Naples if you want to enjoy your trip.

Aside from that, try and plan your routes within cities ahead of time and watch out for ZTOs, there's a high chance you'll get busted. Make sure you have something, whether it's GPS or phone, with a map on it just in case. Google Maps is great, but not flawless. We got screwed just outside Rome due to construction. Google Maps hadn't updated yet and we weren't prepared for that, so we missed the signs and ended up having to take a 20 minute detour.

- If there's room for a car, somebody will put a car there.
- If there's room for a scooter, somebody will put a scooter there.
- Per the above, if you want to go somewhere, point your car there.
- Tailgating and high-beaming are standard practice and expected. Don't be scared to ride 6 inches from the bumper of somebody in the left lane on highways, and don't be intimidated when somebody does it to you.
- The only two instances of road rage I saw in a month of driving in Italy were some foreign woman in a Polo hogging the left lane for a long time, and when I got into a Seinfeld argument with some guy over a parking spot. I went to back in and he tried to go forwards. After a bunch of hand waving I gave up and moved on :P
- Learn how to say "Fill it up with premium". I don't think I was allowed to pump my own gas once while I was there. A few places in cities didn't take CC either. If you're on the highway you'll be fine though.
- Always have your CC handy for toll roads, especially if you're going to be Eurotrash and wear tight pants.

Honestly, it was way less stressful driving on tiny Italian streets than tiny English streets. The entire country seemed far more laid back than anywhere else I'd driven.

EDIT:

There are speed cameras, but I never received any tickets for driving 140-150 for hours on end. Just go with the flow.

Yeah, we would do 130-150 just about everywhere on highways and I was SURE I'd get a ticket after I passed a couple sneaky cameras but didn't. Most cameras on the A roads are overhead and have signs warning of them, can't miss 'em really. Just try and make sure you know the speed limit of the section of road you're on so you don't see a camera and panic brake.

Also pretty sure the only time I saw Cops on the highway, they were going like 110 and everybody was passing them. I think they care more about dangerous drivers than speeders.

[Rowdy]

I agree 100% with the other posts. Driving on a two lane country road it is very common to see cars moving well to the right so others can pass up the centre straddling the centre line. I always tell people that Italians expect you to be aggressive, and to make room so they can be aggressive. If you hesitate expect to hear a horn. As previously said, if there is room for a car, actually...if there is almost enough room for a car other drivers expect you to take that space. No road rage until you stop being aggressive. Then they just go Italian on you. I loved driving there.

[ragu]

Thread hijack - are trains in Italy (e.g. Trenitalia) punctual or they run late frequently?

[YYC_A4]

I've never had any major problems with the trains there; the system is pretty efficient and convenient. 5-10 minute delays aren't unusual, but if you ensure there is enough time between connections, this shouldn't make a difference.

The above applies to all trains in Europe really...I've had more trouble with Deutsche Bahn than Trenitalia, so the stereotypically punctual railways aren't always that punctual.

[Feruk]

I found trains in Germany and Switzerland were on time to the minute. Italian trains were up to 50 minutes late.

[ercchry]

Get full insurance... my dad travels a lot, has a very clean record... but in italy he managed to write off the car

As mentioned roads are tight... he was on the inside and a bus was coming the other way. His options were to stuff it into the rock wall or the bus... chose the wall

[YYC_A4]

Originally posted by Feruk
I found trains in Germany and Switzerland were on time to the minute. Italian trains were up to 50 minutes late.

The IC/ICE inter-city trains are usually on time, but the DB Regio service isn't perfect. The trains leave from the main stations on the dot, however, by the time you get to your destination, the conductor is apologizing on the PA for the Verspätung or delay.

I've experienced 45 minute delays on the DB Regio / Werdenfelsbahn between Munich and Garmisch.

But I digress...

[Mitsu3000gt]

I drove around Italy for several weeks twice now (Rome, island of Sardinia, Tuscany, Sienna, Pisa, etc.) and had no issues. The drivers are better than Calgary drivers, that's for sure.

Don't hesitate, or slow down to a crawl while you confirm directions, that will piss people off (no different than anywhere else).

They do park by feel though haha, which made me glad I was in a rental.

The Autostrade is pretty awesome, speed limit is 150 at times, minimum 130 conditions permitting. It's well maintained.

Generally the city roads are skinny, because lots of the cities/towns are old. Just pay attention and drive carefully, it's not a problem.

On skinny mountain roads you should honk before going around a blind corner.

German/Swiss trains (and busses) literally left almost to the second of their time, doesn't matter if someone was running to catch it, they drive away. It is awesome. Never had any issues with trains being late in Italy, but I was only on a couple.

I didn't have a single issue when I was there. Pretty much everyone drove better than the average North American, so if you're used to that, you'll be just fine.

[cycosis]

Wow super helpful. Thx for the insight everyone!

[YYC_A4]

Was digging through my pic archive and found some relevant ones:

The autostrada toll payment booths:


The A9/E35 between Milano and the Chiasso / Como:


Tuscan side-roads:


Sharing the road with an Ape 50, in Tuscany:


And for comparison's sake, a Landesstraße in the north of Bavaria, along the border with Thuringen / the former DDR:

[KO22]

Drove from Nice to Milan and back on the A7 + E62 and yeah... the speed was minimum 170 with the flow of traffic. I was going 210 for about an hour and had cars constantly fly past me going ~240. The way back was the scariest fucking drive of my life, curvy mountain roads trying to stay on the road with people drifting past me. Like the scene out of Tokyo drift but with a Peugot LOL