5 Tips for Driving in Italy

Driving in Italy is not like driving in America.  There are some similarities, like driving on the right side, but it can be a little bit intimidating driving in a foreign country.  Don’t let that stop you from renting a car on your next Italian vacation.  If you have a large family like us, renting a vehicle can be your cheapest option.  We rented a car during our visit and saved a lot of money by not having to buy train or bus tickets. Renting a car allowed us to visit multiple cities during our week long vacation.  Below is a crash course on what to look forward to and tips on how to make your driving a fun and safe trip.

TIP #1- Make an appointment at your closest AAA office to get an international license.  An International Driver's Permit (IDP) allows you to drive a vehicle in another country, as long as you also have a valid drivers license issued by your state. My husband walked in with $35 and 2 passport size photos, and 20 minutes later he had his international license.

Tip #2- Learn to drive standard and practice if possible. This will save you a lot of time finding reverse in a foreign car. (Save you some embarrassment, too).   I booked our vehicle through Expedia and we were able to see what type of car the rental company will give us when we arrive in Italy.  Different countries can have car brands that you are unfamiliar with. Look up the car type and model to familiarize yourself with basic vehicle knowledge.  My husband couldn’t get us out of the parking spot At the airport.  We sat there for 20 minutes trying to figure out how to reverse. It was hilarious and frustrating at the same time.

Tip #3- Watch videos on Italian driving on YouTube or study traffic signs. It will save you money....and pain & suffering.  Italy is famous for ZTL zones.  I made sure to email our hosts of the apartment that we rented to see if it was located in a ZTL.  We got lucky because we were right next to the city center in Rome, but outside of the ZTL zone.   Zona a traffico limitato is a restricted traffic area in Italy.  There are around 200 schemes that are enforced with cameras, plus 100 low emission zones. They help protect historic city centres from excessive traffic.  We left our car parked at the apartment and walked around when we were in Rome to avoid ZTL tickets.

Tip #4- Google Maps is your BFF on your Italian vacation.  Our car came equipped with a GPS, but we found google maps to be the best.  With Google Maps you can avoid ZTL zones and toll areas....and Tickets!

Tip #5- Prepare yourself mentally for the cost of Fuel/Gasoline.  Most gas stations are full service and the attendant pumps the gas for you.  Make sure to let them know to put regular gas, if not they’ll use premium without letting you know.  After an attendant was done pumping our gas, we had an €80 bill.  That was a hard lesson to learn, but now we know.

In my husbands’ experience, he didn’t do the things I’ve listed,  which created a great learning environment. The lack of planning can lead to several scenarios and situations. We wrecked the car in Rome, took a right turn too sharp because three men eating gelatos refused to move out of the way.  Thank goodness for insurance!  In Frascati we were seconds from being towed, literally, the car was being put on the tow truck as we were walking to it.  We didn’t notice the sign in Italian that the parking area turns into an outdoor seating area for a restaurant after 7! My husband had to pay the cops off so they wouldn’t tow it and give him a ticket.

I know by now you’ve LOL’d so many times reading about our driving experience in Italy, but learn from our mistakes.  Overall, driving was not a bad experience, and we would definitely do it all over again.   We saved so much money on transportation costs and I like that we had the freedom to leave at whatever time we felt like leaving.  Have you driven in Italy or another foreign country? What was your experience like? Leave a comment below.