Driven in france and paris, spain and madrid, but this will be my first time in italy is it as awfull as everyone makes out,I did fine in Paris???

With your experience, you should do fine.

Any exceptions, would be driving in large crowded cities, like ROme

Driving in Italy is actually quite easy. Just be sure you have really good city maps (driving maps - not pedestrian ones). Driving in rome is not much different than Paris - just with a little more Brio.

You won;t have any problems.

This may help---see note at end:

DRIVING IN ITALY & SOUTHERN EUROPE

Q. SHOULD WE DRIVE IN ITALY?
A. Of course you should if your driving skill & confidence would allow you to drive a rental car in Vermont, Colorado or California. But, be advised of these tips:
* Avoid driving in the major cities except for picking up or dropping cars
* Have good maps—study them in advance—and have a good navigator
* Stay in the right lane except when passing and use your rear view mirrors

Q. WHAT CAR SHOULD I GET AND WHERE DO I GET IT?
A. It is best to rent your car before you leave for Europe. The best source we have found is AUTOEUROPE [800-223-5555] who is a broker for several car vendors. They will quote you prices to include the variables that are often omitted by others, such as unlimited mileage, full mandatory insurance coverage, and VAT taxes. The best model will depend on your needs, but for best value we suggest you select a compact car with manual transmission. Automatics are available but will cost you about 30% more and may limit your model options & pick up locations.

Q. ARE ITALIAN DRIVERS AS CRAZY AS I HAVE HEARD?
A. Yes & no! They are certainly aggressive, but they are also more skilled than many USA drivers—both are a function of necessity. Italy is one of the most crowded countries in the world and the drivers have evolved these characteristics
* They are notorious tailgaters. If that bothers you, pull over and let them past.
* On the AUTOSTRADE they will drive fast, but will stay in the right lane except when passing and will use their blinkers when passing—you should too !
* They will often pass on 2-lane roads with traffic coming. Frankly, they expect you, and the oncoming car, to adjust to the shoulder and make 3 lanes of traffic.

OTHER ROAD TIPS FOR YOUR DRIVING SANITY:
1. Learn the meaning of the sign “ SENSO UNICO” and take heed [ONE WAY ].
2. Be sure to get your ticket when you enter the AUTOSTADA system & be prepared to pay the toll when you exit it [ rule of thumb—300 km=15 Euro]. You can use your credit card in the VIA lane at the toll both, or buy a debit VIACARD in advance.
3. Do NOT attempt to follow road numbers—that will frustrate you. But, do pay attention to the directional signs that point to your destination [ TO MONTALCINO]. And, be aware if that road leads eventually to a larger city [ ROMA—SIENA ETC.]
4. Unless you have a diesel car, you will want to fill the tank with benzina from the green pump. Most stations will pump gas for you and will take credit cards.

NOTE: As of 2005, an International Drivers Permit[IDP] is required in Italy.
You can obtain them from your local AAA office. You will need a valid US driver’s license, two passport photos, and $10. The photos can be taken at the AAA office.

I was surprised to hear about the international driver's permit being required in Italy. It was not required in Sicily (this is part of Italy although some northerners might dispute the fact!) in May when we rented our car. Has anyone actually been denied a rental in Italy without one?

My understanding is that many of the rental companies will not require you to show the permit, but if you are involved in an accident, you will be expected to have one and be fined if you don't. They are relatively inexpensive, so we got one but were not asked to show it when we rented the car. PJK

There seems to be some false belief that having an IDP has something to do with renting a car. It does not. There is no reason that a car rental agency will ask you for one (although, I guess sometimes they might). If you are stopped by the police, that is when the requirement comes into play, and fines are steep for those that don't have them. I'm not going to swear about what will or will not happen, but it IS the law. And of course, if you are 100% sure you will never be stopped by the police, then by all means go without getting one.

Someone saying they drove in Italy and didn't NEED one, is just as ridiculous as saying they've driven at home for a year and didn't NEED any insurance. You never need either until you NEED it.

We were in Italy in June, had a car for seven days. We had no problems.

#1 Just like this country, don't change what you are doing unless you know it is okay. (No fast stupid lane changes).
#2 Marking for roads and highways is more subtle than the U.S.
#3 Keep to the right (Slower lane)
#4 Maps (as said above). We had a large scale map (all of northern Italy on one huge folding map). We did fine but trying to find the road that goes south from town X, when you entered town X from the west is NOT a piece of cake.
#5 This tip is from my navigator. For all your hotels and all your restaurants, have a small scale map.
#6 This comment is to the navigator. Don't point left or right unless the car needs to go that direction.
#7 Right on red is often not allowed in Europe.

Yes we ended up driving thru some (many) pedestrian only areas. (When you see planters and benches in street be extra careful . And one or two Senso Unicos (wrongly). But we also saw Bagolino, Lago Idro and the Passo Croce Domini.

If you will focus on the driving, then there is absolutely nothing to worry about. Beautiful Country.

My only issue with driving in Italy is the "chicken lanes" you sometimes find - the middle lane of a three-lane road where it's a free-for-all for drivers going in either direction. Kind of makes my heart stop.

Otherwise, if you've driven in all those other places, Italy won't be much of a surprise - fast, but skilled, drivers.

As regards the International Driver's Permit, Patrick's right. Italy requires it, and your rental agency won't care or even ask if you have one, but if you get pulled over by the police and can't provide either the IDP or an official translation of your US license, you'll be fined.

Thanks a million, my wife and I have perfected navigation over the years she drives, because the female mind is incapable of reading a map, just like the male mind gets lost in malls, all in good fun! Therefore I navigate that leaves the driver to concentrate on the road.

But seriously, I have travelled with my Canadian license all over europe and this is the first mention of an international license, do we have a genuine license expert fodorite to reply to this post!!!!!!

Learn the meaning of the different color road signs...like green for the Autostrada.

Some of the signposts can be overwhelming.

http://www.pbase.com/dickp/image/22802873

Hi oneillchris, There is another thread about the IDP, that should not be too far down. I had to show my at the rental agency in Rome but I guess not everyone is asked that. Not sure if this applies to Canadians though.

oneillchris - must repond to your comment about "female mind is incapable of reading a map"

While driving through France, my DH and I learned that if he navigated we would still be stuck on the round abouts in Caen. He is the driver because he can only focus on one task at a time while I navigate because my "female mind" is blessed with the ability to multi-task: it can follow squiggly lines on a map, read road signs and give directions - amazingly - all at the same time. Your comment was in fun, and so is mine, for the most part.

I should also mention that we plan on driving in Italy this Fall, so I (since I am the navigator) appreciate your question and all the useful responses.

We were in Italy in June and drove through Tuscany for the first time. Once we accepted the fact that we were going to get lost, we were fine. I found throughout the country side - San Gimignano, Montipulciano etc. the signage was very good - better than expected actually. We had one huge map that wasn't very good so as we got into different areas, we would just pick up another map at the local tourist office.
The easiest part of the driving was acutally the Autostrada. Stay right always except to pass. Best driving I have ever done and I drive in the TOronto area every day.

Yes, you are SUPPOSED to have an IDP which we got for both of us even though I did not do any driving. As was previously stated, no one asks for it but if you are in an accident or stopped by the police for anything, you will be expected to show it. Go to www.caa.ca for details. You can either get one by mail or go to the local CAA office and they will issue one immediately.

One small warning about filling gas: all Italian gas stations seem to have an unattended 24 hour self-service. If you are using a credit card be VERY sure it take regular credit cards. In some cases they take only a unique gas card and the machine will lock up and keep your card. I learned this the hard way (in the last 30 days) and only retrieved my card through some friendly and persistant Italian motorists who called and insisted that an attendent come out to open and reset the machine.

A better bet is to use currency. You may leave a little bit of cash behind since the machines don't give change, but at least you'll have your card. (Best bet is to plan ahead and go when an attendant is on duty.)

Ireland has those 'chicken lanes' too. It's a bit disconcerting to see signs that say "oncoming traffic may be in your lane".