Navigating Italy's roads as a tourist
Most of our houses require a car – generally, given that Italy still has plenty of gravel tracks, a hire car is best. Driving in Italy is fine, the idea of it is more daunting than the reality. Here are some useful tips and tricks to help you not fall foul of Italy’s rules and laws.
Main rules for Italian driving
- You must be 18 to drive in Italy, and normally be at least 25 to hire a car. If you're younger, you must have held a licence for a year, and expect to pay a surcharge.
- Drive on the right side of the road and give priority to those coming from the RIGHT.
- Overtake on the left only. If on a motorway or dual-carriageway, overtake and immediately return to lane one - Italian drivers do not take kindly to lane-hogging.
- Turning right on a red light is NOT allowed.
- Keep your headlights on even during daylight on extra-urban roads
- Carry your documents at all times (more below)
- Seatbelts are compulsory on front and back seats
- Car seats are mandatory for kids up to age 12 / 150cm height.
- Always have a warning triangle and a fluorescent jacket in the car (not in the boot but somewhere you can reach them if you have to stop).
- Hazard lights are a sign that something ahead is causing a slow down - if you see hazard lights in front start slowing down.
Useful words:
- “Gasolio” is Diesel
- “Benzina” is Petrol – or Gas
If you're driving an EV there is a growing network of chargers across the country. For more information see Charging Electric Cars in Italy
Documents & Kit on Italian Roads
Always carry your documents: driving license and the car's insurance. If you’re license isn’t issued by the EU or the UK then it’s worth carrying an International Driving Permit; you can find details of how to order one on our website: Ordering an IDP
Hire cars will generally have the documents in the glove box, then you will need the rental agreement (normally given to you when picking the car up) and your driving licence.
The Carabinieri and the Polizia may do spot checks of both vehicles and drivers and can stop you without a reason. If the police wave you down, don't panic, but please, do stop! They will want to see your license, log book and insurance. In Italy you also need to carry a warning triangle and a fluorescent jacket to be used in case of an emergency stop or accident – be sure your hire car has these aboard. If you have to stop at the side of the road for an emergency put the hi-viz jacket on before leaving the car, then put the warning triangle some distance behind your car to warn other drivers.
Speed limits in Italy
Back on tarmac, speed limits are in force, and Italy, like much of Europe, now has speed cameras hidden around the place. Even if you are driving a hired car such fines will eventually catch up with you – but the spots are normally clearly marked. Currently the speed limits are:
| Where | Speed in Km/h | Equivalent MPH |
|---|---|---|
| Blanket overall in villages, towns and cities | 50km/h | 30 mph |
| Limit near schools and in town centres | 30 km/h | 20 mph |
| Main local roads | 70 to 90 km/h | 45 to 55 mph |
| Motorways (Autostrade) | 130 km/h (110 km/h if raining) | 80 to 70 mph |
Any of these speeds may be reduced on the basis of holiday weekends or perceived dangerous stretches of road - always watch out for signs. I normally use the TOMTOM navigation app when in Italy as it shows the speed limit on the screen which can be helpful. Have a look at this article for more info on driving apps in Italy
Speed Cameras
There are plenty of speed cameras in Italy, including many in town centres where the speed can drop as low as 30km/h. It's worth paying close attention to speed limit signs. There are also average speed cameras on the faster roads, which will clock you entering the zone and clock you leaving and calculate your average speed over sometimes a quite long distance.
Beware the ZTL (Zona Traffico Limitato
In cities there are often no-go areas known as "Zona Traffico Limitato". These can be city centres that only allow access to local residents, or areas where traffic is blocked to create pedestrian zones, or city centres that block access to older, more polluting vehicles.
They will be signalled by at least a no-entry sign, but these can sometimes be placed slightly out of the way. The road sign is a simple white circle with a red border, sometimes with an explanatory note beneath it. They can also be more complicated arrangements, with times and cameras and green/red lights - these are often more confusing than the simple signs, and can catch unwary tourists out.
Some cities even seem to enjoy this, make the signs tricky to spot and then issue fines that you'll receive in the post later. Pisa is the worse culprit in this, and people do get caught out: if you stray beyond the signs a camera takes your picture and you get a fine. The easiest way to avoid the stress is to go into the large cities by public transport, or use Park and Ride.
Some ZTLs are timed, others are just blanket bans. It can be confusing trying to work out the difference when you're also driving a new car in a foreign country, but if the sign is round with a red border on a white background, that's a no-entry sign.
Italian Road Types
Italy has a network of paid Toll roads beyond the everyday roads. These are called "Autostrade" and you will have to take a ticket on entrance then feed the ticket into a toll booth and pay the amount due - this can normally done by credit card or even by touching your phone to the sensor.
Do not put your "Autostrade" ticket next to your mobile phone as it will demagnetize and lose its data. Should that happen to you, the person at the toll booth can usually find your entry point from your number plate but not always. The best place to keep your ticket is in the little pocket on the back of the sunshade.
Italian Road Signs
You will notice that roads signs are different coloured: green signs indicate major motorways Autostrada, which are toll roads, whereas extra-urban signs are blue, including those four-lane highways called superstrada. White signs are for local roads while brown signs are for scenic roads or places of historic interest.
Other signs are generally self-explanatory and follow the same rules as elsewhere:
Triangles are warnings
Triangular road signs are always used to warn you of something. In the case below, they're a warning that the road has a soft verge and that deer might cross the road.
Circular signs are instructions
Circular signs are used to tell you of things that you may or may not do. A Red Circle means that you must not do something, while a Blue circle means that you must. So a red-bordered empty circle means you cannot enter the area beyond, while a blue circle showing white pedestrians means that the area beyond is reserved for pedestrians.
Rectangular or arrowed signs are information
Fairly self-explanatory, these carry useful information, whether it's about the direction to follow, or whether a road is a cul-de-sac, etc.
Driving on gravel tracks
Many roads in Italy are still gravel tracks, and many of the houses we rent are reached by gravel tracks. Driving on gravel tracks requires a little art, but nothing too serious. The main rule to remember is that, no, you don’t need 4 wheel drive to get up a dirt track and secondly, drive gently and with one wheel on the high centre track – this will leave plenty of space under the car, where all the largest rocks or bumps might be.