My mom got a ticket for the time we were in Pisa last May for driving in a restricted traffic zone wihtout authorization. I was the driver but neither of us remember offending any laws or signs. We went straight to the Tower to a lot by the stadium recommended by Rick, then out to the Pisa-Florence Autostrada. There are tons of posts on Trip Advisor with conflicting information on whether this is a scam or not, but frankly I trust the posters here. We're also going to try to investigate with the Italian Consulate here before filing our appeal, but we've only got a couple of weeks before the fine goes from 115 Euros to 187.5. Help!!
Posted by
Los Angeles, CA, USA
1003 posts
It's not a scam.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23290 posts
I would guess that it is legit. If you use the search box you will find an extensive discussion of similar tickets in other areas especially Florence. Someone posted that they had handful of tickets for over a 1000 Euro. One of the best reasons not to drive in Italy. It looks like Italy has become very aggressive in the collection of these tickets. The big discussion has been, "What happens if you don't pay." No one has an answer for that.
Posted by
OP
Raleigh, NC, USA
22 posts
Yeah, and of course that's our big question--should we pay it? If we skip out on it and try to drive in Italy again would we get hit for a fine while renting a car or not? I really appreciate the quick replies and have one more question: how likely is it that an appeal would be granted? Thanks!
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
It's not a scam. You entered a ZTL and a camera took a picture of your license plate and you smiling. The ZTLs are all properly marked but the signs are in Italian. You most likely breezed right by it. It takes time for the authorities to track you down as they must first go through the rental car company who willing rats you out. By the time you get the ticket, extra fees have been added. Appeals may need to be in person in Italy.
CLICK HERE to see some good information about the ticket and your options.
Posted by
Petaluma, Northern California
345 posts
We've had lots and lots and lot of discussion on these boards this. Only a couple of people have reported back to us on how they resolved it though.
I'll bring some threads back up to the top-- go to the Transportation board and view the two threads on "traffic tickets in Italy" and the "Driving in Florence" thread posted just above this thread.
No, it's not a literal "scam" -- people say that because they are unhappy about it.
Here's the best URL. http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm/rurl/topic/28814/traffic-ticket-in-italy.html