Hi everone!

Love reading everyone's experiences on here. I am planning a trip for my family of 4 to Germany, Italy, Austria and Switzerland next summer(2004). We went to Germany, France and Italy two years ago and had a GREAT time. I have family that lives near Munich and last time they drove us everywhere! This time we would like to drive ourselves. I wanted other Americans experiences with driving in Italy...I say Americans because, from our last experience, the driving there is very different (fast and uh..lively) from here in the states. It was wild! Also would like input from locals on what is proper road etiquette there and what are no-no's. Anything else anyone thinks would help us in our adventure. Plan on driving from Munich to Rome and back again through Switzerland.
THANKS in advance!
Debbie

Go to the website www.initaly.com and click on "site contents." Scroll down and you'll see about driving in Italy. It's the most comprehensive driving guide I've ever seen--lets you know the rules of the road, idiosyncrasies of Italian drivers, etc. It's a great little guide.

The entire website, by the way, is brimming with all manner of Italian info!

While the In Italy site does have some very good info on Italy, driving is not one of them. They have a few basic things yes but nothing that even touches on the rules of the road and they refuse to quote the laws. Please, if you would like to know about driving in Italy, either check out the driving section at SlowTrav.com or my site http://www.cristinasweb.com which has all of the road signs and lots of helpful hints.

Hello,
Just returned used our own car for one of the weeks we were there.On the Autostrada.....do not drive in the passing lanes...pass and get back over quick....cars will come up on you so fast! Get a car with some power... you need to move! Be prepared for the unexpected...returning from Cortona we were stuck in traffic...an empty bus was in the middle of the road...the driver had left the bus inorder to kiss a nun that was passing by....We had a blast...have fun . maggie

Hi Debbie. We drove for four days in Tuscany, based out of Siena, a year ago last spring, and absolutely loved it. I'd heard horror stories from other people, but we didn't experience any.

For one thing, on the autostradas, Italians understand the passing lane concept -- passing and then promptly moving back to the right lane -- unlike all too many Americans (IMO) who drive in the passing lane. For another, while Italians do tend to drive fast, they seemed like they also drove "heads-up."

My only irritant, and it was quite infrequent, were those drivers on two-lane roads who had sufficient room to pass but chose, instead, to ride our tail.

This website has an interesting section on driving in Italy (and lots of other stuff too )http://www.romebuddy.com/guidetorome.html While it is mostly about Rome, it gives an interesting insight into the italian attitude to road safety!

Debbie,

Here's an important one: at unmarked intersections, the car coming from the RIGHT always has the right of way.

Also, when parking in a "blue zone" -spaces which are drawn in blue on the street - you can stay free for 1.5 hours, but you must display your arrival time on a "parking disk" (a contraption which you should find either in the glove compartment or pasted directly to your windshield). If you can't find it, just scrawl your arrival time on a piece of paper and display it under the windshield.

Hope this helps,
Andre

Thought you might enjoy this spoof on driving in Italy:

http://www.filipes.sk/flash/Yes_No.swf

We had to laugh out loud the first time we watched it.

Just got back from a week of driving in Tuscany. No problems, maybe because we are from Chicago and used to city driving? The roads were great, very hilly and curvy though. Get comfortable with that clutch or pay extra for an automatic! Much crazier driving in England or Ireland when you're on the other side of the car and road.

The most important thing to have is good maps.

Get a per country map for each country you are going to drive in, not a map that covers several countries.

Also go to the Via Michelin site and plot out your route there. It will give you the miles/kilometers from Point A to Point B, the roads to take and change, and the exits.

If you plan to drive in any large town, get a map of that town.

We just returned from a month of driving in Europe and wish we had done all of the above, would have saved us a lot of wandering around. Our Via Michelin downloads were invaluable.

Hope this helps! Happy travels!

We decided to rent a car in Italy last September, after much agonizing. Were so glad we did. Roads in Italy, especially the autostrades, were terrific, and we really had no trouble with aggressive drivers or traffic. We avoided driving in cities, and I did insist on an automatic, which made all the difference in the world.

Signs were not adequate, and we had to do some backtracking from time to time. Oh! And there was one time when we took the wrong turn and ended up in some hysterical traffic, with cars and vespas going every which way, in some kind of mysteriously choreographed catastrope, which nevertheless worked wonderfully well.

It's great fun. Don't be intimidated.

Well after reading some of the info on the website romebuddy.com from one of the replies....I think I should just skip Rome. That website would scare you to death! I am following up on the other websites posted to my reply...I hope they don't scare me like this one did Keep the info coming and thanks to those who have responded so far!
Debbie

Hi,
Let me tell you all that as of July the Italian driving system has made up a new plan to give points out to bad drivers.
Which now means that with 2 speeding tickets in Italy, you will have your drivers license taken away. So about three days ago in the Corriere della Sera there was an article about how Italian drivers are "(almost) civilized". People are driving slower and safer because police have been looking out to teach the crazies a lesson.
So remember to do all the things the above posters said (get a car with power, pass in the fast lane, then get out, etc.) But do feel reassured that everyone I've spoken to here are finally afraid of getting a ticket, so they are obeying the laws.
-Yes, there were always laws, just no reason to obey them.

Having said that, I say have fun and do it. It's not so bad.
Ciao, Melissa

We justcam back from Tuscany where we logged over 900 miles,

The roads were fine. The signs in the rural areas can be a problem ...a good map is an absolute must. We got a map put out by the Italian equivalent of AAA. Our thick map book covered only central Italy.

Melissa, your comment about the new law could explain why the cars on the Autostrada seemed to be going slower than we expected (maybe 90-110mph in the left lane).

Dick,

Since the speed limit is 130 km/h (about 81 mph), those cars were still definitely speeding... so nothing appears to have changed - for now at least. As a matter of fact, I'm not even sure the law has taken effect yet.

BTW, the new law also RAISES the speed limit on 6 lane autostrade (3 lanes in each direction) to 150 km/h (about 94 mph).

Hope this helps,
Andre

Andre,

I didn't go over 85-90 mph...butjudging the speed at which I was passed..they were going over 100.

It seemed as though most of the cars "flying" in the left lane were either BMW's, Mercedes, or Volvos.

PS Gas cost us about $50 a tank.

Italy sets stricter fines for traffic stops

Go to this link to read the details
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?...;article=18464

The Michelin site has a WONDERFUL set of tools to generate maps, driving directions, hotel, sightseeing, and restaurant recommendations.

It takes a bit of getting used to, but it was a marvelous tool for our last trip.

But, yes, also get the Touring Club Italiano (TCI) maps. It is so wonderful to make a trip and actually get there with everyone rested and happy -- the flip side of no preparation is too awful to think about.

We live in Italy, and the driving at times is crazy as you have heard--but predictable, unlike the states. Once you know what to expect--everybody does the same things that we American's think are crazy. The "third lane" concept that allows passing on a two lane road at any time, even with traffic coming the other way--just stay toward the right side of the road. But beware because cars do not stop at the edge of the road or driveway and then inch out until they can see--they pull all the way out to where they can see and then stop--even if their entire hood is out in the road!! ( These are mostly noted on smaller rural roads, and small towns where the speed limits are lower though) Don't be intimidated, just have fun, and be aware of your surroundings. You will see SO much more and enjoy your trip so much better than if you stick with only the public transportation--which is usually wonderful too if you choose to use it. We have the detailed country maps from AAA. (I think about $8 a piece) and they are GREAT) And they mark some of the landmarks and historical sites that tourists are interested in. I agree with other people-drive in the right lane--only get out in the middle or left lane to pass quickly and get back in or you will be run over. Have a great trip. Patti