Is Italy driveable outside Rome?

[Jacques Vert]

The other tip on hire cars in Italy, is that you do NOT want an upgrade!! Get as small a car as you can possibly live with...

I agree with this. We had a Fiat Panda (about the same size as a Hyundai Getz) on the road from Como to Bellagio and I had to pull the side mirrors in to avoid side-swiping them on either the passing traffic or roadside buildings.

Next trip, I went for the Fiat 500. And easier to park!

 

[MooTime]

The ZTL parking fines killed us. We had no idea at the time, but the fines came thick n fast well after we got home. Some we're sure we're dodgy, we can't prove they were, but never paid any & won't be hiring a car in Italy under my name ever again.

So fun to drive outside the tourist cities.
Buses n trains your stuck with other tourists, only know a country when you visit the country regional areas imo.

 

[RB]

The ZTL parking fines killed us. We had no idea at the time, but the fines came thick n fast well after we got home. Some we're sure we're dodgy, we can't prove they were, but never paid any & won't be hiring a car in Italy under my name ever again.

So fun to drive outside the tourist cities.
Buses n trains your stuck with other tourists, only know a country when you visit the country regional areas imo.

I must have been visiting a different Italy or the last sentence doesn't read as intended. Have found the train & bus coverage to be excellent.

 

[jrfsp]

This thread has been great! Planning on car hire in Tuscany in June so very insightful, thanks all!

 

[kelvedon]

This thread has been great! Planning on car hire in Tuscany in June so very insightful, thanks all!

San Giminiano would be high on my list

 

[TheRealTMA]

San Giminiano would be high on my list

Excellent little town. Stay and eat in the town at least overnight if not for a few days. Can’t drive in, must use paid car park outside the walls. The norm for smaller Tuscan towns these days.

Btw: Audi A3 is my recommended size vehicle. Driving in Italy is very easy, some crazy drivers but they are far more alert than on , say, brisbane roads. Don’t drive in outside lanes and pull over if not passing and break the Australian habit and use the rear mirrors very often. They do tend to like the smell your exhaust but that’s normal. Care at intersections and don’t come to a complete stop if there’s nothing in front of you or you are likely to get a dinted boot. In the south, traffic lights and stop signs are just implied rules and most people ignore them, particularly young on vespas and motor bikes. Oh yes and Italians do not have the gene for recognition of white lines in the road. Don’t be concerned, just go with the flow. Driving in Rome is great fun!

Parking is a nightmare . If driving to a hotel in small town double check that the hotel has registered your car with the local Commune for ZTL exemption. Best way to find parking is to stay in town and use valet park.

 

[MooTime]

I must have been visiting a different Italy or the last sentence doesn't read as intended. Have found the train & bus coverage to be excellent.

I was only saying that you don't immerse yourself in the culture as much when your sitting on a bus for hours with other foreign tourists.
Driving & stopping in small towns & interacting with local folk not on the bus tourist routes is priceless & very cultural.

No way was I saying the train or bus coverage is anything but excellent.

Apologies for the mix up.

 

[jase05]

I was only saying that you don't immerse yourself in the culture as much when your sitting on a bus for hours with other foreign tourists.
Driving & stopping in small towns & interacting with local folk not on the bus tourist routes is priceless & very cultural.

No way was I saying the train or bus coverage is anything but excellent.

Apologies for the mix up.

Yep, as much as I love trains I do love driving everywhere if possible. Just so many small towns or pieces of scenery you don’t get to see as you zoom on by on a train or bus. I love turning off the major roads and going cross country along single lane roads and lanes and we often stop on the side of a road for a picnic or get out and go for a walk. And that’s before the added bonus of arriving at some little village not even on the map and seeing the locals almost die of fright at the sight of a tourist.

 

[clifford]

Yep, as much as I love trains I do love driving everywhere if possible. Just so many small towns or pieces of scenery you don’t get to see as you zoom on by on a train or bus. I love turning off the major roads and going cross country along single lane roads and lanes and we often stop on the side of a road for a picnic or get out and go for a walk. And that’s before the added bonus of arriving at some little village not even on the map and seeing the locals almost die of fright at the sight of a tourist.

It has to be realised that there may be the odd downside to driving in Italy.

For example, a few years ago I picked up a car at FCO and intended to drive down to Anzio (a nice little fishing and beach town - not to mention the Allied bullet holes in the walls), half way to Naples on the coast road. I know the area quite well and know the Mafia is basically in control here.

I was having a nice leisurely drive down the quiet coast road when a car came up behind me, flashing its lights and honking its horn aggressively.

I thought WTF and kept driving, looking for a Caribinieri post to stop at (can't find one when you need it). So I kept on driving until I found a fairly populated spot to stop at and waited to see what would happen next. The car following stopped on the other side of the road and a couple of young North African looking men got out. I loudly uttered some obscenities (in Italian) towards them and drove off. That was the last time I saw them, but, of course, it could have been a less happy ending.

So, if you're going to drive in Italy, just be aware it's not Australia...

 

[jase05]

It has to be realised that there may be the odd downside to driving in Italy.

For example, a few years ago I picked up a car at FCO and intended to drive down to Anzio (a nice little fishing and beach town - not to mention the Allied bullet holes in the walls), half way to Naples on the coast road. I know the area quite well and know the Mafia is basically in control here.

I was having a nice leisurely drive down the quiet coast road when a car came up behind me, flashing its lights and honking its horn aggressively.

I thought WTF and kept driving, looking for a Caribinieri post to stop at (can't find one when you need it). So I kept on driving until I found a fairly populated spot to stop at and waited to see what would happen next. The car following stopped on the other side of the road and a couple of young North African looking men got out. I loudly uttered some obscenities (in Italian) towards them and drove off. That was the last time I saw them, but, of course, it could have been a less happy ending.

So, if you're going to drive in Italy, just be aware it's not Australia...

Obviously it’s not Australia but that sort of thing never really bothers me. We have friends that won’t drive in Italy but will happily drive around in LA or NY with all their crime. Everyone is different and that’s what makes it great

 

[clifford]

Obviously it’s not Australia but that sort of thing never really bothers me. We have friends that won’t drive in Italy but will happily drive around in LA or NY with all their crime. Everyone is different and that’s what makes it great

Of course, and I've also happily driven around LA and NY. (and many other places in the US).

Had my closest shave when driving in Staten Island, when my car (white) and another (black) briefly touched at an intersection.

I ended up with a little black paint on my front bumper bar and I guess the other car had a little white mark on it.

The other driver didn't bother to stop, so I'll never know...

(I did manage to get rid of the black paint before returning the car to Hertz).

 

[DaleS]

Driving in Italy is THE best way to see the countryside. You'll see beautiful little towns that you would never possibly stumble upon if you only caught the train everywhere; especially in Cinque Terre and Tuscany. Too many times we've accidentally stumbled into a little town, with no foreign tourists and wished we could stay there for days, it's literally god's country.

Rome... Can you drive in Sydney ok? If so, you can drive in Rome; it's really no worse.
Download offline maps in Google Maps app on your phone, or if you're not worried about data use (if you haven't bought heaps of roaming data, or a local SIM), use Waze. Those apps are both constantly updated with current roads, will tell you which lane to be in, fastest route etc. Much better than factory-GPS systems in cars. Our latest trip to Italy (Oct 2019) we had a Fiat 500X which had Android Auto, worked a treat.

Highways are outstanding; ignore the speed limit signs because they're meaningless - you'll be on a 3-lane each way highway, sign will say it's a 60 zone or something stupid like that, while everyone is doing 120+, including the Carabinieri (police)! Good luck guessing what the "appropriate" speed to drive is though - best tip for that is just to stick to around the same speed as most other drivers. If a few cars overtake the Carabinieri, it's ok for you to do so too!

Country roads are easy. Except in some places, like Amalfi, they can get VERY skinny. So skinny that I've seen buses [driven by local bus drivers] get each other stuck, squeezed between two cliffs or buildings. My partner completely side-swiped our Fiat against a cliff wall, misjudging how much space she had. On that note [and I almost can't believe nobody in AFF forum picked up on this!] - check out whether your credit card(s) insurance policies will cover hire car excess. I have an Amex Qantas Ultimate, which includes (well, did back then anyway, haven't checked since Fortress Australia's walls went up) hire car excess cover - so I didn't pay the [ludicrously excessive!] "zero excess" fees from the hire company (either Avis or Europcar, can't recall which I used)... I just paid their large excess on my Amex (maybe 1500 euro or something like that?), which was pretty quickly refunded by Amex.
The other tip on hire cars in Italy, is that you do NOT want an upgrade!! Get as small a car as you can possibly live with... When we went to Amalfi we ordered a normal Fiat 500 (as in the baby 2 door) and I was so annoyed that we got upgraded to a 500X - which of course ended up in damage because it was too big for the roads (for my partner's driving skills anyway!). But Cinque Terre and Tuscany are better, we've driven a VW Golf around there without any problems at all. Tip for parking is just to stay away from major tourist areas and the middle of cities... I guess the caveat to that is if you can walk (when going to the bigger cities). Having said that, we managed to score a parking spot in a paid parking station in the middle of Florence (not cheap, but it was only for a few hours).

Happy travels and good luck!

Read the whole thread and finally a post that actually describes driving in Italy (or anywhere in western Europe) as it is. With a couple of Italian suppliers I have driven all over the country and even in Sicily. If you can drive in Australia with peeps who don't know how to use a roundabout or merge you'll be fine in Italy - Rome was fun! Driving in the country side allows you to see the real Italy that you can't see from a bus or train. Plus nobody has mentioned that when you stop for fuel at a large servo you enter a delicatessen better than anything you will find in Carlton or Leichhardt with an almost endless choice of delicious options. Do it and enjoy!

 

[TheRealTMA]

Read the whole thread and finally a post that actually describes driving in Italy (or anywhere in western Europe) as it is. With a couple of Italian suppliers I have driven all over the country and even in Sicily. If you can drive in Australia with peeps who don't know how to use a roundabout or merge you'll be fine in Italy - Rome was fun! Driving in the country side allows you to see the real Italy that you can't see from a bus or train. Plus nobody has mentioned that when you stop for fuel at a large servo you enter a delicatessen better than anything you will find in Carlton or Leichhardt with an almost endless choice of delicious options. Do it and enjoy!

Ah, gotta love Italian AutoGrills! Great food. (Mi piacevano moltissimo.)