Driving in Italy

I have just read some threads where people have used trains and busses in Puglia so maybe that's a better options for us since we'll only have 5 nights??

Get the smallest car that will fit you and your luggage, don’t exceed the speed limit (stay a couple kph below it), don’t drive in a ZTL (limited/no traffic zone, and have a good navigation system. Be prepared to drive in heavy traffic, on narrow streets at times, and in places where there don’t seem to be any traffic rules. I’ve only driven in Sicily and had no problems.

We've driven all over Italy. I say "we," but my husband is always the driver and I am the navigator, so here's some thoughts for you from where i sit.

Puglia is probably one of the easiest and most rewarding regions to have a car in. So many wonderful small towns. I think you'd spend a huge amount of time trying to use public transportation in Puglia, although it can be done. You could stay in towns with a train station (like Lecce) and find tours or drivers to take you to other towns.

I hope you have a human navigator rather than using GPS --- it really makes a difference. I greatly prefer using Google Maps to navigate, because it's what I use at home, but other systems work as well or even better in Italy.

Learn the road signs before you go.

Never, ever drive over the speed limit, even by a few miles per hour. Even if other cars are going faster. Do not be perturbed if other drivers come right up to your back bumper before passing you --- it's just a stylistic difference.

You cannot drive into the historic district of a town, so don't try to drive right to the edge of the ZTL and then start looking around for a parking place --- instead, navigate straight to a parking lot near the ZTL, park, and walk into the center of town. There usually is a parking lot. I would not attempt street parking --- we've only gotten two tickets in 22 years of driving in Italy and one was for parking somewhere where lots of other cars were parked, but those other drivers knew what time to come and move their cars and we did not.

Do not be put off by what the outskirts of a town look like or how large they are. The outskirts are no clue as to what the historic center will be like.

Unless you are very used to driving a stick-shift, rent an automatic --- it's more expensive, but it will give you one less thing to think about while driving.

I guess only you can assess your degree of nervousness, and its causes and remedies. I am not a good driver and can barely drive into downtown Saint Paul, so driving in Italy is not even a question for me. But a normally good and confident driver should be fine.

Two things I’ll add to Jaimeelsabio’s post: 1) have a bag of change handy for toll roads; use the right hand cash lane. Not all toll booths are manned which can be unsettling. We didn’t know we were on a toll road until we came to the pay booth.
2) Have a good navigator. We got lost returning the car to Naples airport car rental and ended up at the docks. Nerve racking but we figured it out.
We drove from Naples to Mongrassano Calabria for an overnight visit.
Also be aware of the rental agency’s car return hours. Not all are open late or on weekends.

Roundabouts are your friend. You'll see lots of them don't be afraid to "take a lap" and be sure of your route. A human navigator is the best. Don't return the car to downtown locations, airports are OK. You may not be able to see the overhead stoplight,, don't panic there is one at eye level on your right.

Brad

All the tips above are extremely helpful, but download this PDF for all rules of the road for italy.

https://italybeyondtheobvious.com/

Yellow banner at the bottom.

The ZTL is the most important thing to learn about. There is little doubt that this is used as a revenue enhancement tool in Italy, and there are web postings which support this. So to avoid heavy fines, you need to learn about these.

Sardinia is a large island. Google "Sardinia ZTL". There appear to be 6 towns with this traffic feature. That's certainly something you can control by advance information.

We will be in Italy in September-October, and probably will try to either do private drivers or public transport.

Do not enter any ZTLs.

Familiarize yourself beforehand with all of the info (there can be lots of it) that can be presented on signs in parking lots. Keep a pocket full of coins for paid parking lot machines. The color of parking space lines matters - white is free parking, blue is paid parking, yellow is for residents.

Watch for and stay out of lanes with yellow line borders (those lanes are reserved for public vehicles, learned that one the hard way with a ticket).

Make sure your rental car has a parking disc, and learn how / when to use it.

I make a copy the European road signs, in Rick Steves guide books and other places, and tape it to dashboard until I get used to them, different from US.
You really will benefit from renting a car in Puglia, so many small towns to explore. Are you staying in Bari the whole time?
I would stay elsewhere and visit Bari. Look at Polignano a Mare, Monopoli, and Lecce.

I just returned from a trip and I panicked about the ZTL because I had specific directions and couldn’t reference the ZTL map while driving. I’m told it was an overreaction and it’s unlikely I entered the zone. No ticket yet, haha!

I am a nervous person who has adhd and I was pleasantly surprised how much less frightening it was in reality than in my mind.

Remember Richard Scarry books? Like the worm in the apple car and the little vespas with bears? That’s how Italian traffic feels to me… zippy, lol, but not malevolent.

It’s true that “lovetaps” are more common there but I didn’t have an issue with it except that my relatively new and shiny rental car had quite a few scuffs and dings at pickup, so I took photos of the entire car before departing, just in case.

It’s not that hard.

Learn the European road signs. Not hard, most symbols are intuitive. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_signs_in_Italy

ZTL (Zona traffico limitato)
These are restricted traffic zones in the historical districts. Only public transit, taxis, emergency vehicles and residents with permit are allowed. Do not enter these zones or you will be fined by a hidden camera. There are plenty of parking lots outside a ZTL. Park and walk to the city center.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zona_a_traffico_limitato

Watch out for speed limits. Speed is enforced by photo cameras. You may not see a cop but a cop will see you.

Right turn on a red light is never allowed. Move only when the light is green.

Stay in the right lane on a highway. The left lane is for passing only and you can pass cars only on their left. Don’t cruise in the left lane or you will be fined (and aggressively tailgated and honked at).

This may sound like a dumb follow-up question but how did you get google maps to work while on the road? I noticed someone commented that they find it to be much more reliable than the GPS included with the rental car. I ask this because I will be driving in Italy in two months and will also be driving in Sardinia.

We were in Greece a few months back and even though I turned on international roaming and paid an additional $25/week to jump from 2G to 4G, I still couldn't get reception while driving on a Greek Island (not sure how it would have been had I been driving in Athens, which isn't necessary, but I just wonder whether the cell reception on the island was poor). The only time we could get wifi was in hotels, restaurants, etc. We had to rely on a paper map, which was not all that helpful because it didn't tell me which road to take when we came to a small fork.

If you're not aware, you'll need an international driving license to drive in Italy. It was $20 the last time I got one at the local AAA office a few years ago. We have been pulled over a couple of time in Tuscany where they had spot checks set up, and from what I understand, it's a 200 Euro fine if you do not have an international driving license.

You've gotten some great advice, especially from nancys8.

While we use public transportation in Europe whenever possible, there's so much to see and do that's only possible with a car. After reading comments on RS and elsewhere, I started to second guess our decision. Fortunately, I stuck with the plan and I'm so glad I did. There's a lot of exaggeration in posts. I found if you are a good defensive and confident driver you'll have no problems, just follow the good advice offered here.

I disagree that ZTLs are there to generate revenue. Stiff fines are needed to get the attention of blockheads who think rules apply to everyone but them. I'm thankful for ZTLs, it makes it possible to enjoy the areas protected by them.

Have a great time exploring Puglia by car!

I would argue that the ZTL's can at times be unfair. When you miss an obscure turn that looks NOTHING like a street and has a "pedestrians" only large sign, and your next and only option is marked ZTL you may be screwed. Happened to us in Padova following the hotel instructions and Google Maps. After pulling over (likely in another ZTL!) and calling the hotel we were advised that the sign "did not mean us", to just drive right down that stone alley. Yikes!.

Information I have seen stated it could be up to 2 years before your ZTL ticket arrives. Oh well, had a great time.

I'm kind of obsessed with avoiding ZTLs and found this helpful collection of ZTL maps in major Italian cities. The Rome map appears to have been made in 2016, so it's quite possible that the zone boundaries have changed. But it's worth a look.

We bought an e-sim from Airalo. It was extremely inexpensive and very easy to use. Non need to remove your physical sim.

If one needs to switch back to their regular sim, it can be quickly done in your phone settings.