funkmonkey

I need some sage input. In Nov. 2016 while driving through Tuscany stopped in Pisa. Parking was impossible but I managed to make a few loops around the Tower area and with encouragement from some Senegalese street vendors, found a spot walking distance from the attraction. That was that. 2 months ago I get an impressive piece of foreign mail with Italian stamps. They charged me with driving in 'forbidden zones'. Since I had a rental, the sleuths tracked my identity down after taking a picture of the license plate, I'm sure. While don't recall hitting any red flags, I now have a $250 plus ticket. With no recourse like protesting the fine or negotiating it - as one would here - what do I do? I'd like to be able to drive in Italy again, but this seems this stain will prevent that - if left unresolved.

Anyone face a predicament like this? Solution? Thanks.

hetismij2

You probably drove into a restricted area without noticig. It is not uncommon, not only for foreigner but for Italians too, unfamiliar with a city, to get these fines.
Pay the fine and put it down to experience. Next trip make ure you find out about the restricted zones in any city you plane to visit.

StCirq

Loads of people have faced this "predicament." You drove into a ZTL, unwittingly no doubt, but also unlawfully, and are being fined for it. Not only must you pay the fine, which no doubt has increased since you made this error, but you must also pay the fee for the local authorities to have tracked you down.

You don't have any recourse as far as I know. Just pay what you owe and, next time you drive in Italy, learn about ZTLs ahead of time.

PalenQ

Join the mob of folks complaining about similar things for several years now -

Q- how would not paying a traffic fine impact one's return to Italy or Schengen? Get you at Schengen entry point - or just if driving when renting a car?

I'd suggest paying but wonder what happens if not?

bvlenci

Even before you have border problems, they'll turn the case over to a collection agency in your own country, and I don't think that would be pleasant.

This is why I don't drive in Italian cities unless I know them very well. Even then we sometimes slip up.

PalenQ

Seems like rental companies should include info in English and other languages to car renters about those zones and how they are clearly marked and how drivers should know what those signs mean.

Poor folks (not literally) like OP don't mean to wantonly violate any laws get snagged making one little error.

bvlenci

Believe me, most of the people who get snagged are Italians. They know all about ZTLs, but it's easy to miss a sign if you're looking for a street, or a parking space, or keeping your eye on someone who's trying to exit a side street, or telling your kids to stop yelling. Anyway, the signs aren't uniform from city to city.

Italian cities aren't designed for cars, and emissions are an increasing challenge. Most city governments do everything they can to discourage people from driving into the center. Some cities have alternate license plate schemes in the winter, they have dedicated bus lanes, entry fees and all sorts of other ways to induce people to leave the car at home. That's the first thing a visitor to Italy needs to understand, but you can't expect Hertz to tell you it would be better to take the train.

I wouldn't dream of driving into Pisa, or Florence, or Rome, or Naples or Milan. Not that I mind driving. I drove to Rome last month, but I was staying outside of the city. Even then, in retrospect, it would have been easier and cheaper to take the train.

PalenQ

Yes, best advice is do not drive in Italian cities.

Edward2005

Like fire, driving in Italian cities is bad.

Dukey1

We had the same experience a few years ago in Siena despite being ultra careful.

I would pay and be done with it.

massimop

I hope you aren't trying to blame black people for your mistake. Apparently those people solved your parking problem and that isn't why you got the ticket. how did you determine they were from Senegal?