Driving solo in Italy

How affected will your plans be if you do not get a car? Will public transportation suffice?

Will you need to change your plans without a car? If so, what would be your Plan B?

I have not driven solo in the Alto Aldige without a GPS, but I have done so in Sicily -- driven solo with only a paper map, even on 'back roads'. Hopefully, someone more familiar with driving in the Alto Aldige will be able to answer.

Get a good paper map, fold it for each day's driving. Keep it close at hand, pull over and consult it when you're not sure. Look for places names along the route (closer & further) that you could recognize on signage.

Most importantly, ask advice before you leave for each day's driving. "Local knowledge always trumps GPS" is my motto! ;-)

Try driving where you are now, without asking your companion to navigate, as an experiment. See how it goes...

Thanks, Diane. I don't have a specific itinerary for this period - just a "good weather" bucket list and a "bad weather" bucket list. The good weather list involves driving some mountain passes and doing some light hiking. Obviously, I would have to scrap this without a car. I could do the bad weather list via public transportation without any trouble at all. I just love the mountains, and was really looking forward to seeing the Dolomites. We rented our car for the Tuscany leg of our trip in Bologna. I got driving instructions from our innkeeper, studied the map and wrote out detailed instructions - but I would have been hard pressed to get to the Autostrada without some sort of real time navigation help. That's the situation I'm concerned about.

The best paper maps are those specific to one region, since they provide an extra level of detail beyond a paper map for all of Italy. These are usually for sale at highway rest stops and gas stations. They may not have much city info, which is one of the ways that Google Maps or www.viamichelin.com can help, for instance to preview in the hotel if you have a computer. I wouldn't let the Bologna experience push this decision, especially if you won't be driving in any more cities of that size. When I'm driving and have an idea of what I'm looking for, I usually do find signs pointing to the autostrada, if it is near, or to the city center, train station, or other major landmark. Presumably, you will still have hoteliers and other locals to consult.

Don't cancel the rental. You don't need the GPS navigator but you need a car to fully enjoy Alto Adige. There was a time when there was no such a thing as a GPS navigator yet people survived. Buy a local paper map for the region when you get there. They are also sold at newspaper kiosks/shops. When you plan you trip before driving out make note (or highlight in the map) the names of the towns and mountain passes you will be passing through. Then follow the signs to each town along the itinerary. Italian signs indicate towns not so much highway numbers. You won't get lost. There will be plenty of people you can ask if you are momentarily disoriented.

Believe it or not, this dinosaur doesn't use GPS. It is surprising how quickly they seem to have become a necessity. How did people get around 15 years ago? Paper maps, and Italy should have some good ones.

Follow route numbers, which are actually pretty good. I figure out the routes I want to follow, study the map looking for where intersections are before starting out. Pull over and check the map when you have to.

Speaking of Alto Adige, last December I was riding with an Italian friend, a Lucchese who was not very familiar with the region. He was locked into his GPS and we were heading from Bolzano to Ortisei. After getting off the A-35 we entered a tunnel where there was a Y intersection in the middle of it. Of course, in a tunnel you loose contact with the satellite, so a split second decision was required, left or right. We went left and that was the wrong one, which we figured out when we got the signal back and had to find a spot to do a U-turn on a steep mountain road. So even a GPS isn't fool proof.

Agree with the consensus, GPS in not necessary for driving in Italy. Last April I drove all over remote interior Sicily with the rental company map and Map.me on my Ipad mini. I have driven all over Italy using Michelin maps and always got to my destination.

Thanks for the pep talk, everyone. I'm still undecided, but you've given me some things to think about.

The Italian Touring a Club maps are great. I travel with friends for two weeks every summer and we rent a car, no GPS. The advice given about trying it while your friend is with you is a good one. By the time you are on your own, you will be familiar with the basics.

I have never had a gps in Italy and driven all over. Often alone. I think the key is to remember you won't stay lost forever. It is just a temporary detour and usually a pleasant surprise. Without a strict schedule it is easier to enjoy these little diversions in the route .
It's how I ended up spending a few hours alone in the tow da Vinci was born it. Would not have been there otherwise.

the town da Vinci was born it.

That would be Vinci. (I used to call him da Vinci as well until it was pointed out that that was the equivalent of referring to Joan of Arc as "Of Arc". So it's "Leonardo" now.) (^_^)