Am I crazy for considering driving from CT to Venice?
Apr 12th, 2006, 03:53 PM
#21
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Louisa
If you are picking your car up at the underground shopping area near Villa Borghese, you need to be aware of the TRAFFIC LIMITED ZONE rules for central Rome. I have copied the rules from the website listed below.
http://www.romaturismo.com/v2/romati...rostorico.html
"Monday through Friday from 6.30 to 18.00 and Saturday from 14.00 to 18.00 you are not allowed to drive to downtown Rome, unless you are a resident or you are granted a special permission.
All 22 streets accessing the so-called "Limited Traffic Zone" have been equipped with electronic access detection devices, which are able to detect and record illegal access of vehicles. This electronic access detection system "reads" the plate numbers of vehicles illegally accessing the Zone and the vehicle owners will receive a fine at home.
All tourists wishing to drive to downtown hotels by their private car should first contact the hotel management. Upon arrival the hotel has to send a fax containing numberplate and days of stay to ATAC.
fax 0039 06 57 11 82 59 to avoid the fine.
For further information, please visit www.atac.roma.it or call the Information Center at the number 06 57 118 333 (Monday through Friday from 8.00 to 18.00, Saturday from 14.00 to 18.00)."
There is a map of the Zone on the ATAC website http://www.atac.roma.it/
Click on
"Permessi centro storico - ZTL"
and then on
"Mappa, varchi elettronici e settori della ZTL"
Also, Italian drivers are very assertive. Rome is not as hectic as Naples or Catania, (Boston, New York and DC are child's play compared to Catania) and the farther north you go, the easier it is to drive, in my experience. Freeways and rural roads are no different from driving in the US.
If you drive to Venice, you will experience the infamous Mestre toll plaza, the "mother of all traffic snarls" in the civilized world. Seriously, I've been through there when the toll booth back up was over an hour delay and I've been through there when the delay was only a 10-15 minutes or so. I had a business acquaintence that had a 3 hour delay there. Early in the morning,(6:30 AM) I've been though with no delay.
I guess it would depend on what the cost differences were as well as whether I would want to the EXTRA 3 hours for the train ride.
A car is a liability in Florence (Traffic Limited Zone there also) and no use IN the CT and (obviously) no use IN Venice... There are several 1-change trains listed on the Trenitalia site from Monterosso (either at Milano Centrale or Bologna) and the fare is about 45 euro (1st class) and 30 euros (2nd class).
If you are picking your car up at the underground shopping area near Villa Borghese, you need to be aware of the TRAFFIC LIMITED ZONE rules for central Rome. I have copied the rules from the website listed below.
http://www.romaturismo.com/v2/romati...rostorico.html
"Monday through Friday from 6.30 to 18.00 and Saturday from 14.00 to 18.00 you are not allowed to drive to downtown Rome, unless you are a resident or you are granted a special permission.
All 22 streets accessing the so-called "Limited Traffic Zone" have been equipped with electronic access detection devices, which are able to detect and record illegal access of vehicles. This electronic access detection system "reads" the plate numbers of vehicles illegally accessing the Zone and the vehicle owners will receive a fine at home.
All tourists wishing to drive to downtown hotels by their private car should first contact the hotel management. Upon arrival the hotel has to send a fax containing numberplate and days of stay to ATAC.
fax 0039 06 57 11 82 59 to avoid the fine.
For further information, please visit www.atac.roma.it or call the Information Center at the number 06 57 118 333 (Monday through Friday from 8.00 to 18.00, Saturday from 14.00 to 18.00)."
There is a map of the Zone on the ATAC website http://www.atac.roma.it/
Click on
"Permessi centro storico - ZTL"
and then on
"Mappa, varchi elettronici e settori della ZTL"
Also, Italian drivers are very assertive. Rome is not as hectic as Naples or Catania, (Boston, New York and DC are child's play compared to Catania) and the farther north you go, the easier it is to drive, in my experience. Freeways and rural roads are no different from driving in the US.
If you drive to Venice, you will experience the infamous Mestre toll plaza, the "mother of all traffic snarls" in the civilized world. Seriously, I've been through there when the toll booth back up was over an hour delay and I've been through there when the delay was only a 10-15 minutes or so. I had a business acquaintence that had a 3 hour delay there. Early in the morning,(6:30 AM) I've been though with no delay.
I guess it would depend on what the cost differences were as well as whether I would want to the EXTRA 3 hours for the train ride.
A car is a liability in Florence (Traffic Limited Zone there also) and no use IN the CT and (obviously) no use IN Venice... There are several 1-change trains listed on the Trenitalia site from Monterosso (either at Milano Centrale or Bologna) and the fare is about 45 euro (1st class) and 30 euros (2nd class).
Apr 12th, 2006, 06:26 PM
#23
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Fibonacci, I'm not sure it was the Limited Traffic Zones but it was just difficult to get out of the city as there were no signs indicating A1 or autostrada, understandable, I guess somce Borghese is still within the city. As for Venice, the toll booth was not crowded as I hit it at noon on Thursday, but again, no signs indicating which lane/direction to go in. If I hadn't asked at the toll booth, I'm sure I would have taken the wrong lane. I wouldn't attempt to drive in Rome other than car pickup or in Florence.
