Driving in Italy

Michelin has good maps and road atlas that you can buy online before you go.
Italy, like the rest of Europe uses the international road sign system agreed at the Vienna Convention of 1968. You can find a full list of road signs on Wikipedia.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_signs_in_Italy

Having driven in Europe extensively on many vacations, I'd recommend using a gps with current maps or a smart phone with a GPS app. Much easier than using paper maps (Michellin being the best choice) and they'll give traffic conditions and warn about speed cameras. You can always access maps from a device or computer where available if you need to. If it weren't for my Garmin, I'd still be trying to find my way out of Palermo!

A GPS navigator is very useful, however a paper map is also helpful for the planning part. Also it provides a back up system when the GPS sends you into some strange direction, which is often the case in Italy since there are so many minor roads and therefore there are a million ways to get from point A to point B.

The other thing one should rely on is directions signs. The signs on the road always direct you to the main way to the next town (the GPS not always). Also realize that road signs in Italy rarely direct you to a highway number or north/south/east/west direction. The signs always indicate the next main town. Therefore when you plan a trip is useful to mark on the map the towns you will be passing thru and follow the signs to each successive town in your itinerary.

For freeway driving, the directions on the ramp don't say North or South, but rather the next big city. So for example if you enter the A1 freeway in Florence and want to go north, you would follow the ramp that says: BOLOGNA. If you are going south, you would take the ramp that says ROMA.

We had Garmin GPS that was critical to getting around in Tuscany. We backed it up with goggle maps on an iphone with a data plan. Only found the Garmin to be off a couple of times and it was fairly minor.

Some additions to Roberto's advice about using using a gps and road signs. Sometimes in Europe, the road signs indicate a large town, where the road ultimately goes, that is not actually in the direction of your destination, but will connect you to one that is. This can be very confusing. It helps to have a good map and to review the general path from time to time. Also, you can come to intersections where signs point in opposite directions for the same town. Again, a map will help you determine the preferable one. Finally, we found it best to use maps rather than the gps for the gross directions. The gps becomes invaluable as you get close to towns and need to know the fine points. Same for getting out of town.

We traveled with a Garmin loaded with Italian road maps (download for $69 or so on Garmin's website) as well as a Michelin map of Northern Italy. It helps to have the map for perspective. Even with the GPS there can be occasional hiccups. Ours once tried to drive us up some steps outside of Verbania, leading us to have to back down a very narrow, curvy track.

Thank you everyone for the great help. We have used our Garmin in the past, when we drove in the UK, and it works most of the time. I've learned from the Garmin experience that I agree with Roberto that hard copy maps also help in case there are glitches with the electronics. Thank you for the recommendation to use Michelen maps, which I have now purchased and will plan the routes with those maps. I haven't yet driven in Europe. My last trip to Europe I downloaded the Pocket Earth App for my phone and iPad. It works really well when you're walking around in the cities trying to figure out where you are, especially coming out of an underground (subway, metro, etc). and what direction you're facing. You can download the maps that you need on your device and you don't need a data plan. Since I haven't driven in Europe (other than the UK), I don't know what it would be like on the road. I don't think Pocket Earth does directions.

Roberto, thank you for the driving/street symbols information, because that information I really need, so that I can have a little cheat sheet with me.

Thank you everyone.

Cathy

Cathy,

For driving in Italy, note that each driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. You'll have to be extremely vigilant to avoid the ZTL (limited traffic) areas which exist in many Italian towns (hefty fines!), so be sure you're aware of what ZTL signs look like. You'll also need to be vigilant to avoid the speed cameras and Traffic Tutor system, which monitors both instantaneous speed as well as an average between two points. Exceed both and you'll get two tickets.

I've also used a Garmin Nüvi GPS for both driving and pedestrian use in Europe. It's a bit old (that model is now discontinued) but it still seems to work reasonably well. You might want to check the settings to determine whether it's set for the fastest routing or the shortest. That can sometimes have a bearing on the directions it provides. I'm constantly double-checking the GPS against nearby road signs, landmarks or a map, as I've found that it doesn't always choose the best or most accurate route. Having the Michelin maps will be good for double-checking.