Call it a scam, or call it a legitimate effort to protect center-city zones from auto intruders.
Our flight to Italy landed in Pisa Galileo Airport where we rented a car. Our destination was Assisi but we figured we'd detour past the Leaning Tower. We weren't going to park the car (with all our luggage) so we only wanted to drive by.
Thinking the Tower must be in the City Center, we started by heading there and soon learned it's actually a few km out of town. Found it, stopped briefly, and continued on to Assisi.
Six months later an unexplained $50 or so charge from the rental car company showed up on our credit card. I figured it was a fuel charge or some hours of late return, so I paid.
Three months after that, I today get an Italian-certified letter assessing a 121 euro fine (described as a "special reduced payment" if I pay within 60 days). Not a speeding ticket. Not a parking ticket. It's because I drove the car through the restricted Pisa city center on my misguided way from the airport to the Tower. (So far I haven't received any ticket for stopping next to the Tower.) I've since found websites that tell of tourists, lost and driving in circles, getting multiple tickets one for each time they drove past the camera.
And it turns out the rental car company charge was their administrative fee for providing my home address to the Municipality of Pisa. The fine remains unpaid (well, I have 59 more days to decide if I want to pay it; after 60 days I think it will double). There's my conscience to deal with, and also my fear of consequences.
I live in the U.S. and I won't soon be renting or driving another car in Italy. I will however be renting a car in another EU country next year. Any idea, if I don't pay this fine, whether my 'record' will cause problems?
Our flight to Italy landed in Pisa Galileo Airport where we rented a car. Our destination was Assisi but we figured we'd detour past the Leaning Tower. We weren't going to park the car (with all our luggage) so we only wanted to drive by.
Thinking the Tower must be in the City Center, we started by heading there and soon learned it's actually a few km out of town. Found it, stopped briefly, and continued on to Assisi.
Six months later an unexplained $50 or so charge from the rental car company showed up on our credit card. I figured it was a fuel charge or some hours of late return, so I paid.
Three months after that, I today get an Italian-certified letter assessing a 121 euro fine (described as a "special reduced payment" if I pay within 60 days). Not a speeding ticket. Not a parking ticket. It's because I drove the car through the restricted Pisa city center on my misguided way from the airport to the Tower. (So far I haven't received any ticket for stopping next to the Tower.) I've since found websites that tell of tourists, lost and driving in circles, getting multiple tickets one for each time they drove past the camera.
And it turns out the rental car company charge was their administrative fee for providing my home address to the Municipality of Pisa. The fine remains unpaid (well, I have 59 more days to decide if I want to pay it; after 60 days I think it will double). There's my conscience to deal with, and also my fear of consequences.
I live in the U.S. and I won't soon be renting or driving another car in Italy. I will however be renting a car in another EU country next year. Any idea, if I don't pay this fine, whether my 'record' will cause problems?
Florence: Of the 859,959 traffic violations that issued by traffic police in 2008, 457,613 were issued to motorists who entered the limited traffic zones without the required permit; 250,415 were given to drivers who parked in no-parking zones; 22,904 were issued for speeding; and 7,700 were given for having run a red light. http://www.bella-toscana.com/traffic_violations_italy.htm
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