International driver license

Bridget,
International drivers license is not required.

Italian law requires you to have an IDP (International Driving Permit) which is just a translation of your license. In the US you can get one at AAA (even if you are not a member). It will cost about $10 or $15 and you need two passport size pictures. Takes about 10 minutes. You must have your state license along with the IDP.

I don't know, but here is what Rick says on p. 25 of "Italy 2006": "Driving in Italy can be scary--a video game for keeps, and you only get one quarter. All you need is a car, internal fortitude, and an international drivers license (get it at your local AAA office for $10...)." When Rick says "license" he means the document that is simply a translation of your US license, you still need to have your US DL with you. Are you saying he has changed his advice since the 2006 edition of his Italy book?

I did some research on this last year. Italy does require an International Drivers Permit. It's not a license; you still need your state license. And IDP is merely a translation of your license so that an Italian police officer knows which line on your license is the expiration date and which is your birth date.

If you don't have one, you can be fined 75 Euro on the spot.

Does it really happen? I don't know. I've risked driving without an IDP but won't again.

Two reasons: Italian police use checkpoints for a lot of reasons. So, even if you adhere to the traffic laws, you can be stopped and asked to provide your license.

Second, Italy is using more radar speed detectors so you're more likely to be pulled over for speeding than in years past.

So get the IDP.

Italy requires an IDP (no such thing as an international license). The permit is just a translated version of your drivers license so the police can know what yours says. I was never asked for mine, but I wouldn't want to be asked and not have one.

I really enjoyed driving in Italy. It reminded me of summer driving in Mission Beach, CA as a teen. Small roads, jam packed and no parking. Add the fact that I had no idea where I was going with no road signs and it really was an adventure.

Turning left at a stoplight doesn't entail waiting for traffic to clear; you start at the green light and "edge" your way through the intersection.

I'm not kidding when I say it was fun. I never got a scratch on my car and was rarely honked at. If you don't enjoy an adventure, however, it will be hell.

The only thing I would do different is get a GPS system. It will save a ton of time, although I did enjoy asking for directions too.

Bridget, just get one from AAA. You won't be sorry that you got it, but you might be sorry that you didn't.