Driving thru Italy...

[Theousaf]

My wife and I are planning a trip to Italy next fall. I am considering renting a car and driving from city to city. If you have done this, would you do it again, if so, or not, why. TIA Ted

 

[PigsDad]

We took an Italy trip a few years ago, and we did some driving there. We flew into Rome and spent a few days there. We did not have a car there -- not needed and it would have been crazy to drive in that city! Then we took the train to Florence and rented a car there. We drove around Tuscany, visiting some hill top towns, vineyards, drove to Pisa one day, and to Cinque Terre another. We drove from Florence to Bologna to spend another couple of days. We returned the car there and took the train to Venice and eventually flew home from there.

If you are comfortable driving in foreign countries, I think you will be fine, as I found Italy one of the easier places to drive. Most rental cars are manual transmissions -- if you can't drive one then make sure you reserve an automatic. There was a screw up w/ our reservation and only had manual cars left, but it wasn't a problem for me (I actually preferred it). A GPS is a MUST, however. They have some crazy street / road names, and having the visual of the GPS for turns, etc. was essential. I tell my wife that the GPS probably saved our marriage! (and she agreed!)

Kurt

 

[Talent312]

It's possible to drive in Rome. We did it in a rental (w/o GPS). But it was insane.
Only a few traffic lights, street names difficult to find and & no rules of the road.

OTOH, driving in Tuscany was a breeze by comparison. Took a train to Florence.
Rented a car there and drove to San Gimignano. Then drove to Siena + back.
When we returned to Florence, surrendered the car + stayed a few more nights.


.

 

[Eric B]

I was stationed in Italy for four years and drove everywhere. As noted by Kurt, it’s pretty simple. It’s also the best way to get to some out of the way places you don’t see on many tours like the hilltop towns, etc.

There are some things to keep in mind, though. There are areas in some of the bigger cities in the south (e.g., Naples Spanish Quarter) where you want to stay away; probably not much different than some major cities in the US. Also, the Italians typically had a different opinion on whether or not stopping for red lights is mandatory; locals all knew which ones they had to stop at and which ones they could ignore.

If you’re just doing the major cities and tourist areas it might not be worth it. If you want to see the places less traveled, I would do it.

 

[WinniWoman]

Most car insurance companies and credit card rental insurances will not insure rental cars in Italy, so make sure you take out the rental insurance.

 

[sunpraiser09]

I wonder how much rental cars cost in Italy.

 

[pedro47]

Suggestions only you will need a International driving permit to drive in Italy, most autos are standard shift and the speed limit on their express highways are must higher than ours.
KM on the dash not mph.
May sure you order an automatic from the rental company. There are very few automatic on their lots. Auto rental cars are smaller; but get much kilo miles to the liter.
You will purchasing liters and not gallons. Gasoline prices are higher in Europe than in the USA.

 

[Theousaf]

We took an Italy trip a few years ago, and we did some driving there. We flew into Rome and spent a few days there. We did not have a car there -- not needed and it would have been crazy to drive in that city! Then we took the train to Florence and rented a car there. We drove around Tuscany, visiting some hill top towns, vineyards, drove to Pisa one day, and to Cinque Terre another. We drove from Florence to Bologna to spend another couple of days. We returned the car there and took the train to Venice and eventually flew home from there.

If you are comfortable driving in foreign countries, I think you will be fine, as I found Italy one of the easier places to drive. Most rental cars are manual transmissions -- if you can't drive one then make sure you reserve an automatic. There was a screw up w/ our reservation and only had manual cars left, but it wasn't a problem for me (I actually preferred it). A GPS is a MUST, however. They have some crazy street / road names, and having the visual of the GPS for turns, etc. was essential. I tell my wife that the GPS probably saved our marriage! (and she agreed!)

Kurt

Thx...this is very helpful.

 

[elaine]

Other side--Dh had a client who had a bad accident in Italy so said he never wanted to rent a car there. He said paying attn and worrying about driving was not a vacation. We have been 3x with no car and did not miss it at all. (We have rented a car in France And would do that again).
The one thing that we did bc we did not have a car was take an excellent all day Tuscany tour to Siena and hill towns that included lunch at a farm-winery. Those towns are difficult to reach via public transit. It was the highlight of everyone's trip. From my 9 yr old to my 65 yr old mom. Much better than if we had just driven ourselves.
So if you decide against a car, you can still see lots of great places via public transit. For ex, Cinque terre and Lucca are 2 places easily done via train.

 

[isisdave]

My random observations:
* they drive like crazy people in Italy, including the notion that most traffic laws are suggestions
* the driver will not see anything of what he's driving by
* transition from highway to city is pretty much instantaneous, so you're going from fairly easy driving to terror and no place to park
* cities all have no-entry zones (ZTL) where you can't go during (mostly) daytime hours. There is no advance warning to these: a sign (and not a big one) and you're there. Camera enforced and big fines
* parking is not generally available or is very expensive
* Italian trains are fine; buses are pretty good
* buy a Europe map for your own GPS and bring it, but don't leave it in the car unattended. Find one on Craigslist or eBay.
* you don't need an international license
* your chip-and-signature card probably won't work in automated gas pumps, but there aren't many places this will be a problem except at night
* Chase Sapphire (Preferred and Reserve) recently added coverage for Ireland, and I think for Italy too.

But I agree that for taking several people to hill towns like San Gimignano a car would be convenient. There are buses, but they go hourly and stop in the evening.

 

[WinniWoman]

Not Italy, but when we were in Scotland- supposedly an "easy" place to drive- my husband- the driver- did not enjoy it. Getting used to being on the opposite side in the car and driving on the opposite side of the road (think all those roundabouts)- plus the narrow- one way type roads that are actually two way-as a car approaches you head on and you have to hope there is a spot for you to pull over to let it pass- and lined with hedgehogs- he (and neither could we-my son and I- the backseat drivers) really enjoy the scenery and so forth. Not to mention we did not understand a lot of the signs. We worried about all the cameras on the highway- that he would do something wrong and get a fine.

When it came time to go into Edinburgh, we hired a driver to take us in. Good thing 'cause the subway system was down and the traffic was a nightmare.

If we ever get to Italy (or any European country) it will be a tour for us.

 

[PigsDad]

Not Italy, but when we were in Scotland- supposedly an "easy" place to drive- my husband- the driver- did not enjoy it. Getting used to being on the opposite side in the car and driving on the opposite side of the road (think all those roundabouts)- plus the narrow- one way type roads that are actually two way-as a car approaches you head on and you have to hope there is a spot for you to pull over to let it pass- and lined with hedgehogs- he (and neither could we-my son and I- the backseat drivers) really enjoy the scenery and so forth. Not to mention we did not understand a lot of the signs. We worried about all the cameras on the highway- that he would do something wrong and get a fine.

When it came time to go into Edinburgh, we hired a driver to take us in. Good thing 'cause the subway system was down and the traffic was a nightmare.

If we ever get to Italy (or any European country) it will be a tour for us.

Driving in Italy is nothing like driving in Scotland (I've driven in both). Italy is BY FAR easier and, in my case, I really enjoyed it. Not so much w/ Scotland.

With any country, there are some driving quirks, and you shouldn't get upset or angry if they don't drive like you are used to driving in the states. Instead, if you adjust your driving to match the style of the country, you will have a much better experience. Since we are talking Italy, a strange quirk I noticed is that when driving on their "interstate" highways, when people pass you, they often don't move their car all the way into the left lane -- they expect you to nudge over to the right a bit, and they will straddle the lane divider line somewhat. I thought it was quite strange, but once I saw it, I just went with the flow.

Kurt

 

[Talent312]

I got used to driving on the left pretty quick, but there was one hitch in Edinburgh.
When the GPS lady told me to make a U-Turn, by habit, I turned left, not right.
Consequently, I ended up at a loading dock behind a warehouse instead of my hotel.

Tuscany was my idea of heaven... It's where I want to go when I die.
.

 

[Theousaf]

Driving in Italy is nothing like driving in Scotland (I've driven in both). Italy is BY FAR easier and, in my case, I really enjoyed it. Not so much w/ Scotland.

With any country, there are some driving quirks, and you shouldn't get upset or angry if they don't drive like you are used to driving in the states. Instead, if you adjust your driving to match the style of the country, you will have a much better experience. Since we are talking Italy, a strange quirk I noticed is that when driving on their "interstate" highways, when people pass you, they often don't move their car all the way into the left lane -- they expect you to nudge over to the right a bit, and they will straddle the lane divider line somewhat. I thought it was quite strange, but once I saw it, I just went with the flow.

Kurt

Thank you for this valuable info. I'm from NY and now live in Boston where crazy drivers are ubiquitous.

 

[Theousaf]

My random observations:
* they drive like crazy people in Italy, including the notion that most traffic laws are suggestions
* the driver will not see anything of what he's driving by
* transition from highway to city is pretty much instantaneous, so you're going from fairly easy driving to terror and no place to park
* cities all have no-entry zones (ZTL) where you can't go during (mostly) daytime hours. There is no advance warning to these: a sign (and not a big one) and you're there. Camera enforced and big fines
* parking is not generally available or is very expensive
* Italian trains are fine; buses are pretty good
* buy a Europe map for your own GPS and bring it, but don't leave it in the car unattended. Find one on Craigslist or eBay.
* you don't need an international license
* your chip-and-signature card probably won't work in automated gas pumps, but there aren't many places this will be a problem except at night
* Chase Sapphire (Preferred and Reserve) recently added coverage for Ireland, and I think for Italy too.

But I agree that for taking several people to hill towns like San Gimignano a car would be convenient. There are buses, but they go hourly and stop in the evening.

Thank you for this valuable info. I'm from NY and now live in Boston where crazy drivers are ubiquitous. I didn't realize parking was such a problem. I trust some cities are easier to drive in than others. I'll have to figure that out. Thx again!

 

[WinniWoman]

Driving in Italy is nothing like driving in Scotland (I've driven in both). Italy is BY FAR easier and, in my case, I really enjoyed it. Not so much w/ Scotland.

With any country, there are some driving quirks, and you shouldn't get upset or angry if they don't drive like you are used to driving in the states. Instead, if you adjust your driving to match the style of the country, you will have a much better experience. Since we are talking Italy, a strange quirk I noticed is that when driving on their "interstate" highways, when people pass you, they often don't move their car all the way into the left lane -- they expect you to nudge over to the right a bit, and they will straddle the lane divider line somewhat. I thought it was quite strange, but once I saw it, I just went with the flow.

Kurt

Oh we didn't get upset or angry. We absolutely knew driving would be different there. It was an experience for sure. Just that we couldn't relax. I always thought Italy was worse. My dad drove there and said it was a nightmare and I also figured since many insurances exclude Italy (and Ireland) for rental cars that it must be bad driving there.

 

[Poobah]

We were in Italy a couple years ago. Spent a little time in Rome and then back to the airport to pick up our car. I had my Garmin GPS with the maps of Italy and it worked without a hitch. Got us from Rome to Tuscany to the Hill Towns and then to Cinque Terra (Vernazza). Final leg was back to the airport in Rome. Never missed a turn. Parking as has been posted can be a real hassle,

 

[pedro47]

Remember in Italy you will need euros or a major credit card. Italy does except the American dollar.

 

[jehb2]

I had a blast driving around Tuscany. Drivers were very polite in Tuscany and when I drove from Venice to Tuscany. Drivers near Florence were crazy.

You can not drive to most city centers, including the centers of a lot of smaller towns. Learn to recognize and look for the ZTL signs.

Officially you are required to have an International Drivers Permit and your regular drivers license. You may never have to show it, but if you do...

 

[GetawaysRus]

We drove in Italy a few years ago and did fine. Yes, you'll want a GPS once you get off the main highways. Whether or not you wish to rent a car will depend on your itinerary. I wouldn't want to drive in Rome. Venice doesn't require a car.

When we travel internationally, my wife always like to stay at least 3 weeks. Her feeling is that if we are flying that far, she doesn't want to turn around and fly home too quickly. We wanted to visit Amsterdam and then take a "tulip time" riverboat cruise. So we needed something to tack on after the river cruise to lengthen the trip. We decided to visit areas of Italy we had not previously been to. From Amsterdam, we flew to Milan (Linate) and first spent several days in Milan. We then took a taxi back to the Linate airport and picked up our rental car there. My wife is usually the driver and I navigate. She knows how to drive a stick, but very much prefers not to, so we did rent an automatic (from Hertz). My old notes show that it was a C-class Mercedes for 410 Euros for 9 days (in 2013). That rate included CDW and theft protection. As mentioned above, most rentals in Europe are manual, so I did quite a bit of searching on the Internet to find an automatic at a rate that wasn't outrageous. Even so, 410 Euros for 9 days wasn't exactly a bargain.

We drove to the Cinque Terre for several nights, then Pisa (one night), then on to Siena. Using Siena as a base (5 night stay), we also drove to Montepulciano, Volterra, and San Gimignano on separate days. Finally we drove back to Milan to return the car (at Malpensa airport). After an overnight stay at an airport hotel, we flew home the following morning.

If you do have a rental car, be aware that some cities in Italy only allow residents to drive in the city center. In those cities, we were careful about where we drove and parked.

The post above mentions an international drivers license. We got ours from AAA (we're AAA members).

We have also driven in Spain, Portugal, and Israel. In general, we found it easy to drive once we were out of the city and on a main highway. But when you reach a city, especially an older city (Seville comes to mind, and also Jerusalem), watch out. I had a terrible time trying to navigate to our hotel in Seville because the streets in the city center were very narrow and the buildings tall enough that I kept losing the GPS signal. We went round and round in Seville (with my poor dear wife getting crankier and crankier) until I finally made a lucky guess and somehow chose the correct turn. We didn't plan to drive in Jerusalem - I just wanted to return our rental car and take a taxi to our hotel. But finding the rental agency wasn't so easy....

It's off topic, but this does remind me of one funny thing about driving in Israel. We drove from the Sea of Galilee down to the Dead Sea. This took us through the west bank. More than once, we were stopped by Israeli security. It's a good thing in Israel if an attractive blonde woman is driving. The security forces very quickly waved us through.

 

[pedro47]

Please do not be ticketed for a moving violation or a speeding ticket fines are very expensive in Italy.

 

[beejaybee]

Driving in Italy is fine- it's driving into the ZTLs and parking in the wrong places that'll get you big fines which are tracked thru your rental car agency and, if not paid, forwarded to US Collection Agencies. Speaking from first hand experiences BTW!
https://www.italybeyondtheobvious.com/dont-mess-with-ztl-zones

 

[Glynda]

Driving in Italy is fine- it's driving into the ZTLs and parking in the wrong places that'll get you big fines which are tracked thru your rental car agency and, if not paid, forwarded to US Collection Agencies. Speaking from first hand experiences BTW!
https://www.italybeyondtheobvious.com/dont-mess-with-ztl-zones

Thanks for that link!

 

[Quilter]

I've driven 3 times. Have always gotten my favorite car. Fiat 500L. First time they tried to upgrade me to a larger car. I didn't want a larger car with a terribly long front end I wasn't used to. Last time was in September when I had to wait another 1/2 hour for them to wash the only available 500L. It is a comfortable and not too little car. I've had to manipulate it through some tight spots. Great trunk storage.

I use AutoEurope for my rentals.

I've picked up the car twice in FLR and once in VCE. The most recent trip (September) I had a friend with me who hadn't been before. She was going to be my navigator. We had some good laughs. We also had to do some circling back because me missed a turn. I like being able to concentrate on the road and other cars while someone else is anticipating our next turn. We ended up using the GPS on my iPhone with the $10/day package I had worked out with AT&T before leaving home. My daughter lives in Italy and has convinced me to use Google maps.

Yes they drive crazy in Italy. But when I got home and did the conversion from KPH to MPH I realized it was perception of being in strange location and you're not looking at signs with a habitual familiarity that you are at home. Everything seems to be moving much faster than you're use to. Our highways have crazy drivers too and while 110 KPH seems ridiculously fast, it's 68 MPH. I find getting in the right lane works until it's absolutely necessary to pass and then I venture out with the others for the allotted time.

We drove up to the hill towns of Tuscany. Florence to Barga. It's the smaller roads I found I had to toughen up and not let the tailgating shake me. 70 KPH is posted on many and when you go through towns it drops, just like our city centers. The Italian's habit of tailgating is the worse. My daughter tells me just to ignore it because it's their way. We also drove from Barga to Vicenza but that doesn't count because my daughter was navigating. On our own again from Vicenza to Susegana (more hill country) to Venice airport.

I like getting a hotel for the night near the airport. That way I can leisurely fill the gas tank and turn in the car without the rush at stations before a flight. Gas stations don't always have an attendant and the ones near airports can be crazy busy with people trying to figure out what card will be accepted, is it cash only, will attendant be able to give change, and how many liters they need.

 

[CCR]

Driving in UK and Italy are both difficult. We did the Amalfi Coast and Naples and that is by far the hardest place we've ever had to drive. Especially because we knew we had no insurance and driving a stick (Fiat). No rules are followed anywhere. We took the train to Rome from Naples and the car was not needed there. I did like having a car despite the stress so we could get to all the tiny little towns, take our time in Pompeii, drive down the coast into the boot to see where my ancestors came from. The mountain passes and the coastal roads going extremely fast or making turns where you have to pull in your mirrors to squeak pass is crazy. Our friends did get a ticket for parking somewhere they shouldn't. It is so hard to tell where it is legal to park vs. not. In Naples we drove around forever trying to find somewhere to park and then my husband would try speaking with people to find out how to pay for parking. The only way we figured it out was that his Spanish was close enough to Italian to minimally understand each other.

The UK (Wales and England) are difficult due to driving on the opposite side of car and the road. Your depth perception is off. The Rotaries in heavy London traffic are hard to get used to and the narrow roads for parking/driving is also a challenge.