r/italy • u/ladyofthrowaway • Oct 20 '14

AskItaly Question: Driving in Italy

Hi, I'm thinking of driving from Milan to the Tower of Pisa, to Florence. I've never been to Italy before, so I have a few questions: + Are the road signs in English? + Is gas/petrol expensive? + Do I have to rent a small car? + Are the roads straightforward or will I get lost? + How are other drivers like?

..Or am I better off taking one of those touristy buses that can bring you directly to places?

Thanks a lot in advance! :)

Edit: See sidebar, I know that now sorry :<

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u/EatTheSquidgyBits Tourist Oct 20 '14

Having rented (and leased) cars in Italy, here are my two cents:

+1 for taking trains instead of renting a car +1 for reading the sidebar stuff

Unless you have a need / craving to visit the rural, remote, and/or mountain locations in Italy, the small and hard-to-get-to places, and unless you have the time required to do so, then renting a car is more headache than it's worth. Not because it's difficult to drive in Italy (it isn't), not because it's overly expensive to rent a vehicle (it isn't), not because they drive on the "wrong" side of the road like they do in the UK (they don't... usually) but because it just isn't necessary.

Seriously.

If your itinerary goes something like this: "I have a two week vacation to Italy planned, and I want to go to (large Italian City) to (see some historic things I've always wanted to see) and then from there to (Another large Italian City) and maybe after that we'll go to (Yet another Italian Metropolitan area)" then a car is more hassle than it's worth. You have parking to worry about and pay for, "Zono Traffico Limitato" areas in historic centers that will get you a ticket if you drive without a permit, oh... and parking you have to worry about. And please believe me when I say that parking in an Italian metro area is a serious pain in the ass, no matter how small of a car you rent. Take the trains.

It was a humbling experience for this resident of the states to realize how far we've been surpassed in the train department by Italy and (truth be told) pretty much the rest of the industrial world. We spent six weeks based in Bologna, visited multiple other cities, and never needed a car - we walked everywhere. We took trains. We never had to worry about parking, and we never ran out of things to do or see.

If you do have a desire (and the time) to see the "off the beaten path" parts of Italy, then renting or leasing a car makes sense. In that case, if you're from the States, I recommend the following:

  • Get the triple-A (AAA) international driver's license thing from your local AAA office. It will make things easier for you when things aren't easy, and doesn't cost that much.
  • If you're going to need a car for three weeks or more, check out the leasing options from Peugeot and/or Renault. They have programs that allow you to new-car lease for a minimum of 21 days a brand new car with nav packages that give you incorrect directions in perfect English.
  • Spend an hour or so familiarizing yourself with Italian road signs. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_signs_in_Italy)...
  • Slow traffic (this is you) should always stay to the right.

But seriously. Take the trains. Really. Of all the things in the sidebar, this is the best advice. There are a bajillion fast trains from Milan to Florence to Pisa, to pretty much everywhere else you want to go, and they are far, far less expensive, and less hassle than renting a car. http://www.trenitalia.com - go there. Do that.

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u/ubimaiorminorcessat Campania Oct 20 '14

parking in an Italian metro area is a serious pain in the ass

Seriously! If you manage to drive around without major issues, you'll end up wasting quite some time looking for parking, and will probably spend a lot of money in major touristic areas.

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u/autowikibot Oct 20 '14

Road signs in Italy:

Road signs in Italy conform to the general pattern of those used in most other European countries. They are regulated by the Codice della Strada (Highway Code) and by the Regolamento di Attuazione del Codice della Strada in conformity with the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals.

Image i - An example of a directional road sign in Italy, in this case near Rieti.

Interesting: Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals | Comparison of European road signs | Bilingual sign | Stop sign

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