What's the downside of not getting an IDP?

Fast is in the eye of the beholder. Recently some countries in europe have reduced their speed limits - which used to be 83 on highways and about 60 on other roads outside of towns.

But in Germany there are still quite a few places with no limit - and I must admit that I enjoy being able to do 120 (mph not kph) in a fast car without worrying about state troopers. (I would not want to be in a sports car doing 160+ - because I haven;t been trained for that type of driving - although I wish I had.)

I think a cruise is a terrible way to visit Italy.

Living in Rome for 3+ years we drove our motorino daily - in Rome traffic. The Italians are good drivers, and they have to be! Italian cars used to be sold without cup holders and for good reason... you need to be paying attention to drive in city traffic. As an American we might infer that they are "bad" drivers, but if they're bad, they're so bad they're good!

Living there you get used to the driving styles, And I would have to agree, the Italians are very assertive. As a motorino driver, you also learn to be assertive - or you'll get run over. But because they are assertive, you know they are going to race through that yellow light, or shoot that narrow gap. And so you just "count on that."

When our Embassy friends come into town (they mostly live in the suburbs of Rome), they jokingly toss mne their car keys because, as they say, I know how to drive in Rome. I almost always end up as the designated driver.

All that said, driving in the country is quite easy - and very enjoyable. My wife and I always debate on who will drive in Tuscany or in Amalfi. We've done all parts of Italy by car and by motorino - including taking the motorino to Sadinia (there's a great spot to ride a bike!). So I would suggest you NOT take a cruise (if you want to SEE Italy), but do a combination of trains and car rental options. You do not need a car in Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples (AARRGGHH!), or any of the major cities.

Your biggest challenge will probably be parking - that's always a challenge in Italy. In Rome, here are some options: http://tinyurl.com/Roma-Parking.

Besides traffic issues, ZTL's in larger cities - Rome, Florence, Pisa, etc can also cause you big problems - avoid these. Read about ZTL's in Rome for some background on ZTL's:
http://tinyurl.com/Rome-ZTL

Driving in Italy as an American you will need an IDP. There is much debate on travel boards, but it is the law in Italy. Here's more info on the IDP's: http://tinyurl.com/Italy-IDP

Lastly, I would recommend a car... and not a motorino. A car will give you more security and the days of riding a motorino through Rome like Audrey Hepburn in 'Roman Holday' are a long time gone. And I would again suggest, as mentioned above, NOT to drive in the cities. If you do, watch the videos on this motorino posting to see who you will be driving with - Good Luck!

http://tinyurl.com/rome-scooter

In 2003, my family did 3 weeks in Italy. We flew in to Rome and flew out of Milan. Rome 3 nights, picked up our rented car on our out to Tuscany. We stayed in an agriturismo for a week in a little town just outside Sienna and did day trips from there (Florence, Montepulciano, San Gimignano) The driving was great and we didn't have any instances of drivers tailgating. Then on to Venice for 3 nights (we left our car outside the town), then on to Lake Garda for 8 nights and we explored the northern parts there which are beautiful. We dropped our car off in Malan and flew out from there. It was a fantastic holiday!!!! Oh and its fun if you get a little lost, because the little roads around Tuscany give you great photographs

RonZ, it's cheap, easy (at AAA/CAA), and required by law. Why take a chance?

That said, more car rental places are asking to see it.

We will be taking our 9th trip to Italy this summer, and the 7th with a car. A GPS is essential, you can get one with your rental car, buy one at home that has Western Europe. Insurance is mandatory, but the optional CDL is well worth it. We are renting for 3 weeks, and the total with the insurance and CDL is $825 US. Visit the site In Italy Online,

http://www.initaly.com/info/rentcar/carrent.htm

and you can get a reasonable quote with a discount. I checked both Hertz and went on Kayak but could not get as good a deal. You never know when some one with back into you or you scratch a fender while navigating.

Parking is another consideration. IT AIN'T CHEAP. In 2008 we did a northern Italy trip with Milan, Como , Lake Maggiore, Lake Garda, Lake Iseo, Tessimo and Bozen. Once we left Milan parking was freely available and free. Stay out of Rome with a car, the zona limatado (ZTL) and traffic cams are hard to deal with. The rental car company will mail you a summons ( should you go in the wrong area or get a parkign ticket) , or in the case of Rome, they have a sub contractor do it for them. The more you are in the countryside, the easier it gets. Naples put in a new system of traffic cams and now they drive like perfect gentlemen! What a change. It is now safe to go on the expressway there. If Venice is in your plans, you can drop the car off at the rental return, walk across the street, and get on the shuttle boat service.

Think about flying open jaw if you wish to maximize time and minimize driving. It is more expensive, but a good option.

My favorite places to visit beside Rome, Florence, Venice are: Cinque Terre, Amalfi coast, the Lakes and northern Italy, and all of Sicily. You can find a driving distance matrix in initaly.com, and Michelin online will giving you driving directions, fuel costs, and routings to look at.

My last little bit of advice, is lear some Italian. They are many good web sites, and podcasts ( learnitalianpod.com) that will help. When you see a sign that says senso unico, you will know it means one way.

Ciao


http://web.me.com/gregoryspeck/Gregs...e/Welcome.html

Below is the link (including photos) to our 22-day journey to Italy in 2005. Grab a bottle of Chianti and take a look. It could give you some ideas. Driving in Italy is easy, but be sure to put the correct petrol in the car. As you will see, that can be a problem.

I would suggest:
Fly into Rome and out of Venice (or vice versa)
five nights Rome
three nights Umbria
four nights Tuscany
two nights Cinque Terre
three nights Florence
three nights Venice

Whatever you decide...Enjoy!

http://www.travelswithmaitaitom.com/...taly_2005.html

This is a most amusing thread. There is truth in every contribution, but like most things, it is in the eye of the beholder. The message is that drivers in Italy are very different than those in the USA, but they are not the only aggressive tailgaters in Europe. For an illustrated discussion of driving in Europe, with important information on Italy, see http://tinyurl.com/3bc2ax.

Great link, spaarne.....

I've made something like 20 trips to Italy, all of them involving driving. I would rather drive in Italy any day than around my home town of Washington, DC. Italians are NOT crazy, aggressive drivers - they are GOOD drivers. If they're tailgating you, YOU'RE the one with the driving problem. Italian drivers are skilled and predictable, two things most American drivers are most certainly not (show me your average American city dweller who bothers to hit a turn signal before turning). Any moron can get a license in the USA; in Europe you actually have to put in many, many hours of work and practice and prove that you have the skills and commonsense to be responsible on the road.

I think a cruise to Italy would be a complete waste of time unless you're interested in boat design.

The IDP is THE LAW in Italy. Get it.

I actually AGREE with StCirq.... We have a few things to actually learn from the Italian drivers. Yes, we, Americans, need to learn to signal ahead of slowing down for turning (some drivers use the turn signal after they already slowed down and start turning...), use it to COMMUNICATE with the other drivers, and yes, the left lane is for passing (in some states it's actually the law, but it's not enforced), not for lingering at 50 mph, while talking on the cell phone....

Still, my original response was meant to turn the OP's attention that one needs to understand the way Italians are driving, or else he/she might get in trouble, and even into an accident. This is based on 3 weeks of driving in (Northern) Italy. Calling them "suicidal" was meant to be a joke. I love Italy, and I like Italians a lot. Even when they frighten me with their driving habits....