Car Hire Italy: Road Rules & Driving Information

Italy is that perfect holiday destination – it truly has something for everyone! Whether you are interested in the arts and culture, visiting charming villages, splendid city architecture or fascinating archaeological relics, you are totally spoilt for choice.

The best way to get around Italy is the avail of a good value for money Italy car rental. Driving from place to place, or attraction to attractions allows you to adhere to your own schedule, and visit places off the beaten track, not just the popular places. So, Felice da Guida!

For tourists, car hire Italy is the best way to explore the country, and you can travel at your own pace, when and wherever you want!

Road Rules In Italy

- Drive on the right hand side of the road.

- At roundabouts, yield to traffic that is already in the roundabout.

- The right of way belongs to the person in the roundabout, and make sure to use your directional signals!

- The centre of a three-lane roadway is for passing.

- Give way to traffic on the right when you are at a junction or crossroads. You can only pass on the left.

- To rent a car or drive on the road, you must be at least 18 years of age, with a licence held for at least one year.

- The use of mobile cell phones is only permitted with a relevant bluetooth earpiece.

- Law requires wearing of seatbelts and so is the provision of child provision seats for children under 12.

- The blood alcohol limit for drivers is .08 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.

- The Speed Limits for Traffic in Italy are as follows (a) City and Urban areas 50kph (b) Driving on the open road 110kph and Highways (Autostrada) 130kph.

- If stopped by police, be polite and courteous, and have your driver’s licence and car documentation at the ready. If you have committed a traffic offence, be prepared to pay an on the spot fine (this can be expensive so don’t do the crime!)

- If parking on an urban street, park on the right hand side of the street. In areas called blue zone you must display a parking disc, and these can be obtained in tourist offices or at the offices of Automobile Club d’Italia. One hours parking is the time limit with such discs.

- If you are driving a petrol car, please make sure to order ‘benzina’ and not ‘gasolio’! Petrol stations are open from 7am to 7pm, and you will find 24 hour ones along the Autostrada.

Roads In Italy

Italy is home to a fantastic network of roads and highways, and one of the most extensive in Europe. There is over 6,000km of Autostrada (Highways) and nearly 300,000km of secondary roads. The roads are classified as follows:

- Autostrada – known as Superhighways, and the majority of them charge tolls. They cover the Italian peninsula and enables drivers ease of access around Italy.
- Strade Statali – Known as state roads.
- Strade Provinciali  – Provincial Roads
- Strade Comunali – Local Roads

It’s a given that roads in Italy are congested, especially in the urban areas, so be prepared for this. You might be better off driving on secondary roads or rural areas if you tend to panic in traffic – its well known that Italian drivers can take large risks but in the main they are masterful on the roads. City Zones are also another thing to contend with – so be confident when city driving!

Ensure to always drive with your headlights on when driving on the Autostrada.

If you are hiring a car make sure to avail of a Sat Nav/GPS System or do some route planning before you head off on a road trip.

You are not permitted to perform a U-Turn on the Autostrada and if you wish to stop you may do so only in permitted emergency parking spots or in parking lanes.

Some Useful Road Terminology

Some of the following terms are very handy indeed if you wish to ask directions from a local:

Turn to the left – Gira a sinistra
Turn to the right – Gira a destra
To the north – a nord
To the south  – a sud
To the west – a ovest
To the east – a est
Drive Straight On – Vai diritto

Hope you find this article on Driving In Italy useful. If you have any tips on Italian driving please let us know. Thank You.