Driving in Italy

In my years of helping Americans find a suitable villa for their Italian vacation, one the questions that I heard more frequently is : "What about driving in Italy?", or "is it true all I hear about driving in Italy?"      When I answer these questions my main concern of course is to reassure the person who is asking. Quite frankly, driving styles in different countries, are often as different as the countries themselves, and the reason for this is simply that the layouts of the road system are different, the habits drivers have developed as a consequence of that, are also different; but, most of all, people are different. That does not mean however that driving in Italy or in Germany or in England (well that's another story), should scare anyone. Going back to Italy, let me outline a few major differences   the roads are narrower than in the US   the freeways have less lanes   some road signs are different   people drive more aggressively, rather than defensively   speed limits are higher on the freeways   it seems that most people pay little attention to speed limits   drivers honk more often      Let us now take a closer look at these issues: The fact that the roads are narrower should not be a major concern, as the majority of cars circulating are also smaller than the average american car. This also takes care of the second item in the list above.      A few road signs are different, but they are all quite intuitive, and recently all European countries have adopted a uniform set of road signs, however here a few examples:

This is a classic: it means that when you are on a narrow mountain road (only place where you will find this sign), you should pay attention to the horn sound of busses and coaches approaching.

This one may look similar to the above, but it means: DO NOT sound your horn!

This one is only found in Italy; it's obviously a no parking sign, but with a twist: it means that parking is allowed on the right hand side on odd days and on the left side on even days of the month. Tricky one, uh? I will never forget, when I was taking my oral exam for the driver's license, alas many moons ago, and the young lady who was being questioned about what to do in the presence of this specific sign, and she answered, after a long pause:"When I see this sign and it's the second day of December...er....I come back to park my car the next day....."

Again, this is mainly found only in Italy. The first sign means you are driving on a road with the right of priority, the second one says that the right of priority is over...finito.      It is very true that Italian drivers adopt a more aggressive attitude than US drivers. Thank God we don't have four way stops in Italy! That would only benefit the Italian auto industry! The best advice I can give is : pay good attention to what goes on with the traffic, and you will adjust to the going trend.      Speed limits. The official speed limit on Italian freeways is 130Km/h, or approximately 90 m/h, but you will soon realize that most people ignore this limit and drive as fast as the engine will let them. Police patrol on the freeways is frankly too scarce, and this encourages people to step on it. If you prefer to drive slower, simply stay on the right hand lane (not the emergency lane), and remember that often that are minimum speed limits too. Typically 60 or 90 Km/h. As a matter of fact, driving on the right lane is the rule, as the left one (when only two lanes are present) should be strictly used for passing. Another thing to remember is that in Italy you can NOT pass on the right; this one could potentially cause serious problems.      Italian definition of a split second : "the time frame between when the lights turn green and the driver behind you honks his horn at you." To contact us: Phone: (425) 369-2124 Fax: (425) 369-2125 Email:info@italian-villas.com Italian Villas, Inc. 700 Front Street South # D 205 Issaquah, Washington 98027 USA   Home Page | Main Properties Index | Exclusive Properties Index Who We Are | Frequently Asked Questions | Tuscany Map Italy Map | Booking Conditions | Our Brochures | Our Services What They Say About Us | A Word of Advice