Driving in Italy

Muahahaha

Gonna be driving in Italy next week so looking for any tips people have. Im going to be using the motorways a bit and I believe they're tolled, is it better to pay cash at each one or is there some sort of prepaid tag that will save us money?

Also I don't have a GPS and won't be hiring one. Anyone got a good recommendation for an iPhone app I can download that works well. Also how are they used to ensure you aren't downloading maps at expensive roaming costs, like if I have data roaming switched off will it still work?

goz83

Having your own gps is well worth it. I use Garmin, but I believe they also have an app for iPhone. I don't know about saving maps and destinations. My phone sat nav (cheap one) doesn't work abroad, but i don't have data switched on. I use the garmin europe and it has always been super for me.

Anjobe

Navfree - https://itunes.apple.com/ie/app/navfree-gps-italy-+-street/id455913380?mt=8.

I use the UK/IE version and have used the France and Spain versions on holidays. The mapping data is from Open Street Maps, so is pretty good, and the maps are stored on the phone so the app does not require cellular data.

h3000

I haven't driven in Italy but I have in Sicily. As far as i remember for the toll roads you get a ticket as you enter the autostrade which you present at the toll booth as you leave it. It was not very expensive at all, I can't remember if you could purchase toll tags or not.

As for the driving itself it's not too bad. Some towns are very narrow and people will come at you from all directions so just make sure you pay full attention. Watch out for the MoPeds, they're nutters. On the autostrade (motorway) be very careful when entering the overtaking lane, you can often have cars traveling down it well over 100mph, don't hog the lane either it's really frowned upon.

I really do recommend picking up a dedicated SatNav they really are worth the money. Something like this is great http://www.amazon.co.uk/Garmin-Western-Europe-Lifetime-Updates/dp/B00BHT7CAE/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1411398626&sr=1-1&keywords=sat+nav+europe+ireland

MAJJ

Good advice here. I drove in Italy this year, motorways are excellent, you get a ticket as you enter and pay as you leave. They also use averages for speeding tickets which potentially could get you fines on a rental. Although not sure how much they are applied as H3000 says on the overtaking, no messing around there or they will be inches away from the back of you until you move. Saw it from the other lane and chose my overtaking times well
A lotof the signs are clear and they give North South directions which helps confirm your heading the right way.

h3000 wrote: »

I haven't driven in Italy but I have in Sicily. As far as i remember for the toll roads you get a ticket as you enter the autostrade which you present at the toll booth as you leave it. It was not very expensive at all, I can't remember if you could purchase toll tags or not.

As for the driving itself it's not too bad. Some towns are very narrow and people will come at you from all directions so just make sure you pay full attention. Watch out for the MoPeds, they're nutters. On the autostrade (motorway) be very careful when entering the overtaking lane, you can often have cars traveling down it well over 100mph, don't hog the lane either it's really frowned upon.

I really do recommend picking up a dedicated SatNav they really are worth the money. Something like this is great http://www.amazon.co.uk/Garmin-Western-Europe-Lifetime-Updates/dp/B00BHT7CAE/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1411398626&sr=1-1&keywords=sat+nav+europe+ireland

Fozzie Bear

Muahahaha wrote: »

Gonna be driving in Italy next week so looking for any tips people have. Im going to be using the motorways a bit and I believe they're tolled, is it better to pay cash at each one or is there some sort of prepaid tag that will save us money?

Also I don't have a GPS and won't be hiring one. Anyone got a good recommendation for an iPhone app I can download that works well. Also how are they used to ensure you aren't downloading maps at expensive roaming costs, like if I have data roaming switched off will it still work?

I've driven loads of times in Italy OP. Lake Garda region, Bergamo, Rome city and its surrounds, Naples, Sicily and the Amalfi coast. You get the good and the bad just like anywhere else and they can be fairly mental sometimes but the vast vast majority of drivers are "normal". You even get dodery ould ones chugging along at 40mph holding up half of Italy behind them. Not everyone is a Ferrari driving speed demon over there.

Once you have your head screwed on and keep your wits you will be grand. Don't let any horror stories put you off or make you nervous in any way. After a day or so driving you will be in the groove and even enjoy it! I loved driving over there once I got over my initial nerves. Had one or two close scrapes and been over taken on blind corners, hills and dips by the local lunatics but you get the same breeds of a$$hole here too.

You really should get a good satnav or Iphone app (whichever just make sure you have one). A good navigator in the passenger seat keeping on eye out for signs and turns helps too. I am focused on the road and other drivers so my missus helps out with directions and up coming turn offs.

You can get some tolls where you pay cash (like here) but most motorways have a ticket system. You take a ticket entering the motorway and then pay on exiting. The amount depends on how far you travelled. I don't think there is a prepaid tag you can get for tourists etc, but you don't really need one.

TwoShedsJackson

You'll have to use more aggression to get out of side roads and the like, the main thing I remember is that no-one lets you out, you just have to force your way out as soon as you get a couple of inches of space.

TrailerBob

I found a lot of the above to be correct, I did find that the surfaces on some of the Autostrada were not up to other European standards, ie; a bit bumpy and undulating as well as coarse finish. Tolls are simple, most are take a ticket and pay on exit.

I found that men alone in Lancia hatchbacks seemed to have an irresistible attraction to my towbar, but other than that no problem!

Definitely get a Sat nav app, like Sygic (on android is what I have, but I think it's on iPhone too - highly recommend it) signposts are vey good, but not often for the place you are looking for. Eg driving from Milan to France, there's no signs for Nice or any major French town, only an insignificant Italian town right at the border.
Most of all, enjoy... And watch the scooters, they come from anywhere.

MuppetCheck

One thing with the Autostrada, the slip roads are incredibly short so you need to be picking up speed very quickly otherwise you will find yourself in a sticky situation.

Roanmore

TwoShedsJackson wrote: »

You'll have to use more aggression to get out of side roads and the like, the main thing I remember is that no-one lets you out, you just have to force your way out as soon as you get a couple of inches of space.

This was my experience as well.

Muahahaha

Thanks for the replies, will get downloading an iPhone gps app for Italy, I'll have two navigators in the car so I'll let them deal with it=) We're flying into Pisa and then heading to walk the Cinque Terre before basing ourselves in Tuscany for a few days to see Florance, Sienna, Chianti, etc so most of the driving should be pretty rural, apart from the coastal bit from Pisa. Looking forward to it now.

Nody

If you're coming up to a blind tight corner and hear honking stop as there's a car coming from the other direction and it's trying to warn you (lots of fun with that on small alp roads when I was in Italy the last time...).

imurdaddy

Muahahaha wrote: »

Thanks for the replies, will get downloading an iPhone gps app for Italy, I'll have two navigators in the car so I'll let them deal with it=) We're flying into Pisa and then heading to walk the Cinque Terre before basing ourselves in Tuscany for a few days to see Florance, Sienna, Chianti, etc so most of the driving should be pretty rural, apart from the coastal bit from Pisa. Looking forward to it now.

I have driven the area of tuscany your heading to and the roads are pretty good and other drivers like wise, great sceneries to take in been the biggest distraction, I also recommend a visit to san gimmiano(sp) a beautiful hilltop fortified town and well worth a visit. Id have no problems driving in italy again.

AlbionCat

You need eyes in the side of your head as well as the back if your head! Scooters, scooters everywhere with scant regard for anyone else. I spent 10 days up/down the coast between nice and genoa and seem to spend most of it squeaking and screaming like a girl (which I am). I said I would never go back to Italy but against my better judgement the beloved hss persuaded me that Lake Garda will not be too bad.

Look upon it as a good chance to hone your driving skills. I hesitste to say that driving in Ireland will go some way to prepare you for Italy....

Either way, enjoy yourself :-)

ironclaw

Anjobe wrote: »

Navfree - https://itunes.apple.com/ie/app/navfree-gps-italy-+-street/id455913380?mt=8.

+1 on Navfree but you can't use the Google search feature without data and the address look up built in is patchy at best in my experience. Don't count on it for getting you to an exact address without a data connection to do the search via Google.

ianobrien

imurdaddy wrote: »

I also recommend a visit to san gimmiano(sp) a beautiful hilltop fortified town and well worth a visit.

If you are going there don't do what I did and park in the car park under the 249 steps up to enter the town. Park by the main gate......

H3llR4iser

Most of the advice given is sound; I also second NavFree (even if you have to connect to search the address, you can disconnect as soon as you have set up the route).

As for driving around in Italy, I guess I could give you some pointers, as that's where I come from.

To begin with, the signing colours are reversed - blue for national roads, green for motorways. Why? I have no idea. It just is that way. Speed limit is 130 on the motorway, there are average speed monitoring systems - which means you can briefly break the speed limit but have to generally keep it under. In my experience, if you keep 120-125 for most of the time, you'll be fine even if you need to briefly speed up to 140/150 to complete an overtake or put some distance between you and a lorry/bus etc. The whole system was designed exactly with this in mind. Also, keep an eye for round blue signs with white numbers; They are minimum speed limits.

Do not hog the overtaking lane - the leftmost one; It is heavily frowned upon, will get other motorists furious and, on top of that, many of the average speed gates can also detect if you are of the overtaking lane needlessly; The fine can be up to 159 euro. Also, said overtaking lane normally has a minimum speed limit of 90 Km/h. Last but not least, keep in mind that it is ALLOWED to pass a slower vehicle on the right - so when moving back to the driving lane after an overtake, always double check if anybody came up your side.

For paying, as many explained the system gives you a ticket as you enter and you need it when you exit - it shows where you entered the motorway.

Toll boots usually have three types of lanes: cash ones, indicated by a white sign with no marking on the tarmac; Ones that are automated and only accept cards, marked by a blue lane on the tarmac and a blue sign on top, and special ones, marked in yellow, dedicated to cars and trucks equipped with a toll transponder. Because of the Italian people historic resistance towards paying with anything but cash, this kind of situation is not uncommon:



Huge queues in the cash lanes and feck all in the blue and yellow ones. You can use your credit card to pay; Alternatively, for peace of mind, you can get an Autostrade ViaCard prepaid card, they come in 25 and 50 euro formats and look more or less like this:



You can buy them in the service centres, called "Punto Blu", which you can find on the motorway, often near entrances and exits of main cities/areas. I recommend always keeping two with you, as it might happen that the toll is higher than what you have left on the card. To give you an indication, the last time I drove from Naples to Rome the toll was roughly 12 euro one way, for about 200 km. Here's an useful tool to calculate tolls:

http://www.autostrade.it/autostrade_en-gis/percorso.do

An important thing to know is that some gestures or signals from other motorists might be very different than here; One spectacular example is "flashing your headlights", which is normally "please, go on" in Ireland. In Italy, it pretty much means "get out of the f@ckin' way NOW!".

In the cities, pay attention to round signs with a red border and white field and "ZTL" written on them - they mark restricted traffic areas where only residents and public vehicles can enter. The fine can be in the region of 150 Euro for violating them, they are electronically enforced so there's no hope of escaping.

The vehicles you need to look out the most are mopeds, scooters and motorbikes; There are literally millions of them and, in the cities, easily outnumber the cars on the road. The small 50cc ones can be legally driven by 14 years olds, and they drive exactly like somebody that's 14; All the others will still be all over the place (pay special attention to your right mirror when turning right, they have the insane habit of coming up your inside - and if you hit them, they will claim you overtook and squeezed them).

Generally speaking, Italian car drivers are confident and aggressive, not faffing around as much as Irish motorists do. Leave a small gap, and they'll get in there. Look a bit undecisive at a junction and everybody will fly past you. Do not get worked up if everybody beeps at you or even yells; It is the norm, as much as you won't like it.

On the other hand, they also tend to quite skilled and aware; Contrary to popular belief, they DO stop at red lights (mostly because they all have unforgiving cameras on top) and will always be expecting more or less anything to happen. This american guy sums it up perfectly:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aKLwYgUj4A

This is Naples, but Rome or Milan ain't much different. A bit of common sense is what you need, really. Worse case scenario, at some point some good Samaritan will stop to let you go. Smaller towns and cities will be far less chaotic.

Can't really think about much more at the moment

boombang

If you're going to be in any historic towns watch out for the ZTL. This is the residents' only bit in the very middle of some city centres. It's often possible to drive in and incur a fine if your not careful. The system works on cameras with numberplate recognition. Fines can be considerable.

Muahahaha

Great post H3llr4iser, some fantastic tips there, especially about cars being allowed to undertake you even when you are in the overtaking lane. Also I would have just assumed blue signs meant motorways so thanks for that one too.

@boombang, we will indeed be in historic centres and I'm actually a bit worried about parking in places like Florance, Sienna as I know there can often be restrictions but its really difficult for a tourist to be certain if there is or isn't. These ZTL areas, are they signed only at the entrance to the zone or also on street where parking is?
What do people advise when visiting these towns, park a bit out and get a bus in? I don't mind and probably expect to have to pay €15 or over for 4-5 hours parking in these places but don't want to end up with some €150 euro fine either.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

H3llR4iser

Muahahaha wrote: »

Great post H3llr4iser, some fantastic tips there, especially about cars being allowed to undertake you even when you are in the overtaking lane. Also I would have just assumed blue signs meant motorways so thanks for that one too.

@boombang, we will indeed be in historic centres and I'm actually a bit worried about parking in places like Florance, Sienna as I know there can often be restrictions but its really difficult for a tourist to be certain if there is or isn't. These ZTL areas, are they signed only at the entrance to the zone or also on street where parking is?
What do people advise when visiting these towns, park a bit out and get a bus in? I don't mind and probably expect to have to pay €15 or over for 4-5 hours parking in these places but don't want to end up with some €150 euro fine either.

It's hard to miss the ZTL gates:



They will more or less look like this; Some might not have the display, but the signs totem will invariably be there - as will be the cameras. Signs are normally at any entry point of the ZTL (Zona Traffico Limitato). If you see them, just steer clear - better safe than sorry.

As for the "park & ride" thing, it depends - some places have atrocious public transport; In comparison, Cork buses are a luxurious experience. Siena is probably small enough to walk; Florence, if you get an hotel there your best bet is to leave the car in its parking area and seek a bus - they should be able to direct you at reception.

In any case, I would advise against driving right in the historic centre as, quite simple, there is often not enough space to park anywhere. Bigger and more business/industrial cities have (extremely expensive) multistory car parks.

whiskeyman

I drove around Tuscany earlier this year, but avoided Florence so can;t comment on that.
They do enjoy tailgating, but just be a confident driver and you'll be fine.
As others have mentioned, once you get a day under your belt, you'll really enjoy it.
We had our own GPS (with lane assist) and found it excellent.
When coming into places like Sienna, you'll see plenty of 'P' signs for parking before you go into the old town.
I also noticed there were speed traps all over the place.
You'll see a warning sign with a little policeman picture, then a little box trap 200m up the road. Drivers tend to slow down up to these points, then speed back up, so no wonder they have so many of them along some routes!
Also, I'd highly recommend you visit San Gimignano. It's probably around 30mins drive from Sienna.