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Car Travel

Italy has an extensive network of autostrade (toll highways), complemented by equally well-maintained but free superstrade (expressways). All are clearly signposted and numbered. The ticket you are issued upon entering an autostrada must be returned when you exit and pay the toll; on some shorter autostrade, mainly connecting highways, the toll is paid upon entering. Viacards, on sale at many autostrada locations, make paying tolls easier and faster. You pass through the Viacard lane at toll booths, slipping the card into the designated slot.

Uscita means "exit." A raccordo is a connecting expressway. Strade statali (state highways, denoted by S or SS numbers) may be single-lane roads, as are all secondary roads; directions and turnoffs are not always clearly marked. Venice is on the east-west A4 autostrada, which connects with Padua, Verona, Brescia, Milan, and Turin.

Roads just outside of Venice are notoriously crowded and lines of 30-50 km are not uncommon during holiday weekends. Count on parking your car and leaving it during your stay in the city.

Automobil Club Italiano (ACI) gives travel tips and information in English about rules of the road, road conditions, and car insurance.

Contact

ACI (06/49982389. 8 AM-8 PM).

Emergency Services

It's advisable to call your rental company first -- look for a free "numero verde" green number in the paperwork. If that fails, Automobil Club Italiano (ACI) has 24-hour emergency service.

Contact

ACI emergency service (803116).

Gasoline

Gas stations are located at frequent intervals along the main highways and autostrade. Usually on the periphery of towns and cities, they're rarely found in the center of municipalities. Gas stations on autostrade are open 24 hours. Otherwise, gas stations generally are open Monday through Saturday 7-7 with a break at lunchtime. Gas stations with an attendant take cash and credit cards. It's not customary to tip the attendant when full service is provided.

Many stations have automatic self-service pumps that accept only bills of 5, 10, 20, and 50 euros and don't give change or a receipt (ricevuta). The self-service pumps do not take credit cards.

In case you run out of gas along the toll roads and the main free superstrade, emergency telephones are provided. To find the phone, look on the pavement at the shoulder of the highway where painted arrows and the term "SOS" point in the direction of the nearest phone.

Gas (benzina) costs about EUR 1.40 a liter. It's available in unleaded (verde) and super unleaded (super). Many rental cars in Italy take only diesel (gasolio) which costs about EUR 1.10 a liter; ask about the fuel type when picking up your rental car.

Parking

If you bring a car to Venice, you will have to pay for a garage or parking space. Warning: do not be waylaid by illegal touts, often wearing fake uniforms, who may try to flag you down as you approach Venice and offer to arrange parking and hotels; their activities have become a scandal in a city generally free of con men and criminals. Ignore them and continue on to one of the parking garages.

Parking at Autorimessa Comunale costs EUR 19 for 24 hours. The private Garage San Marco costs EUR 20 for up to 12 hours and EUR 26 for 12-24 hours. You can reserve a space in advance at either of these garages; you'll come upon both immediately after crossing the bridge from the mainland. Another alternative is Tronchetto parking (EUR 18 for 1-24 hours); watch for signs for it coming over the bridge -- you'll have to turn right before you get to Piazzale Roma.

Many hotels have negotiated guest discounts with San Marco or Tronchetto garages; get a voucher when you check in at your hotel and present it when you pay the garage. Line 82 connects Tronchetto with Piazzale Roma and Piazza San Marco and also goes to the Lido in summer. When there's thick fog or extreme tides, a bus runs to Piazzale Roma instead. Avoid private boats -- they're a rip-off.

Do not leave valuables in the car. There is a luggage storage office, open 6 AM-9 PM, next to the Pullman Bar on the ground floor of the municipal garage at Piazzale Roma.

Parking space in most other cities of the Venetian Arc is at a premium, but in historic town centers where streets are closed to most traffic, peripheral parking areas are usually near capacity. Parking in an area signposted zona disco is allowed for limited periods (from 30 minutes to two hours or more -- the limit is posted); if you don't have the cardboard disk, you can use a piece of paper to indicate what time you parked. The parcometro, the Italian version of metered parking, has been introduced in some major cities (not in Venice).

Garages

Autorimessa Comunale (Piazzale Roma, Santa Croce. end of S11 road. 041/2727211. www.asmvenezia.it). Garage San Marco (Piazzale Roma 467/f, Santa Croce. turn right into bus park. 041/5232213. www.garagesanmarco.it). Tronchetto (041/5207555).

Road Conditions

Autostrade are well maintained, as are most interregional highways. The condition of provincial (county) roads varies, but road maintenance at this level is generally good in Italy.

Road Maps

Street and road signs are often challenging -- a good map and patience are essential. Local road maps can be obtained at the point of rental pickup. Alternatively, most bookstores such as Feltrinelli sell them as do most highway gas stations. In major cities, look for the Touring Club Italiano's shop. They sell maps (road, bicycle, hiking, among others). Probably the best road maps are those produced by Michelin. The Michelin Web site is also good for driving instructions and maps (www.viamichelin.com).

Rules of the Road

Driving is on the right, as in the United States. Regulations are largely as in Britain and the United States, except that the police have the power to levy on-the-spot fines. In most Italian towns the use of the horn is forbidden in certain, if not all, areas; a large sign, zona di silenzio, indicates where. Speed limits are 130 kph (80 mph) on autostrade and 110 kph (70 mph) on state and provincial roads, unless otherwise marked.

Handheld mobile phones are illegal while driving; fines can exceed EUR 100. The blood-alcohol content limit for driving is 0.5 gr (lower than in the United States) with fines up to EUR 5,000 for surpassing the limit and the possibility of six months' imprisonment. Though enforcement of laws varies depending on region, fines for speeding are uniformly stiff: 10 kph over the speed limit can warrant a fine of up to EUR 500; over 10 kph, and your license could be taken away from you.

Nonetheless, Italians drive fast and are impatient with those who don't. Tailgating is the norm here -- the only way to avoid it is to get out of the way. Drivers also honk a lot, often to alert other drivers of their moves. Right turns on red lights are forbidden. Headlights are not compulsory in cities when it rains or snows, but it's a good idea to turn them on. However, headlights are mandatory when driving on all roads outside city limits at all hours. Seat belts (front and back) and children's car seats are compulsory.