Italian traffic violation you get in the mail....very alarming

I am not sure of purpose of your posting other than to confirm that traffic violations are frequent when traveling in Italy. It is NOT a scam. This question of Italian traffic tickets is discussed here frequently -- sometimes weekly. It is a problem and you have to be very careful. Unless your clear up the tickets, the fine will probably be turned over to a collection agency. The current belief is that the collection agency cannot obtain a US judgement just for parking tickets. However, they may be able to ding your credit score. So monitor your credit score, and challenge any reporting to your score. Remember the hotel owner does not have a dog in this fight so I would careful with his advice. And, finally, we have driven several times in Italy and never received a ticket. Pay attention to signage and understand where you are solves a lot of problems.

When you’re in Italy, you’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.

As previously mentioned, there’s always discussion about the ticket fines on here when people ask about renting cars in Italy.
And I’m not so sure it’s a good idea to advise people to disregard a fine from another country.

How do you tape a permit LOUDLY to a windshield? Inquiring minds want to know.

Am I hearing the theme to the Godfather?

“ It’s the mob.”

Simply sounds like you were ticketed throughout your stay.

Have you been ticketed in the States? If yes, did you choose to ignore the ticket (s)?

And unless in pantomime or for sign language hands don’t speak.

I have never heard of or got any type of permit for entering a ZTL. Your hotel should take down the license number of your vehicle and report it to the proper authorities. If that is not done, the only thing that the municipality is aware of is that a car with a specific license illegally entered the ZTL. As far as paying the fine, some municipalities turn them over to local (USA) collection agencies.

So why not wait and see? The worst that could happen is you pay the collection agency.

What is an “oar legal”?

I will just say that I have read some hotels will say they are getting you a permit, but it may be only a parking permit. As explained above, the ZTL camera captures the license plate, and if your rental car has not been registered by the hotel with the authorities, whatever “permit” you attached to your windshield may not have been effective.

If I am reading this post correctly the poster has ignored any tickets from Italy on the last 4 visits. One would think that by now he would know if collections from anywhere were after him, if there were any consequences from previous violations when he returns to Italy and then rents a car again or if his credit score is being effected. I would be very interested to know of any consequences that have occurred from ignored tickets and violations.

Is there some reason that you are not obligated to pay the fine. I'm confused?

This is the world telling you that maybe you shouldn't drive a car in a historic city.

I am in Tuscany right now, and the cars still act as if they own the place. A small sidewalk is all the hundreds of pedestrians get, the rest of the street is claimed by the cars.
It is depressing really. Cities should be fore people, not cars.

I noticed, according to your posting history, you’ve only posted this post.

Since you chalked up 4 violation categories on the first fine, it sounds like you never bothered to learn what the rules of the road are in Italy.
Thus, the very next year— if your story is to be believed—-you had yet another multiple-violation fine mailed to you as a souvenir of that trip.
You wrote you are an “OAR Legal.” OAR in legal speak is “Operating After Revocation” and means after your driver’s license was revoked by the state authorities it was issued in, you were caught driving anyway.

What car rental agency in Italy would rent to a U.S. visitor with a revoked U.S. driver’s license? It’s not like they don’t verify driver’s licenses. Two things are always required to rent a car: a valid driver’s license and a credit card.
Something tells me the OP will not be returning.

I’ve never heard of ZTL permits taped on a windshield. Everything is done digitally via internet nowadays. The hotel puts your license plate on the Lista Bianche (white list) on the City website (in some Cities for a fee) and the ticket doesn’t get issued. I don’t know about other types of fines. No Hotel can get you out of parking illegally, or driving in bus only lanes, or turning the wrong way against the flow of traffic in a one way road.

That reminds me of an old Italian joke (maybe there is a similar American one).

An elderly lady enters the freeway driving on the wrong direction against the flow of traffic. While driving against the flow of traffic, she hears on the radio the traffic broadcast warning motorists about a crazy driver driving on the freeway against the flow of traffic. Hearing that, the lady says out loud: “One crazy motorist driving against the flow of traffic? I’m seeing hundreds of them!” She said while trying to swerve between lanes to avoid incoming cars.

Regarding those Verona fines, you can ask your hotel to send you confirmation that they did register your license plate as they said. If you do get this confirmation, then you can find a way to send it to the local authorities, I guess.

title says VERY alarming yet the post says that after several years the behaviour has not changed.

I don't believe any or at least not much of it.

Is it a rant? Or just stirring to get a reaction - which I think is likely the case.

Well, the OP managed to collect more fines in one holiday than many people do in their entire lives... Maybe he should just not drive.

Probably time to stop feeding this troll, don't you think?

After reading the post more carefully I determined this is not real. Permits to enter a ZTL are not pieces of paper obtained by the hotel that one places on the windshield. The license plate number is simply listed on the Lista Bianca online. But the kicker is the fine given for changing lanes without signaling. Although in America you might be pulled over for something like that, in Italy nearly nobody signals anything for changing lanes and cameras are not even used for that purpose (it would also be impossible to tell from a single photo). Cameras are used only to enforce ZTL, bus lanes, speed limits, and red light violations. That’s it.

Yes. This is a bona fide troll.

11 days and OP threw in a rant and left never to be seen again

Roberto: After reading the post more carefully I determined this is not real. Permits to enter a ZTL are not pieces of paper obtained by the hotel that one places on the windshield.

Just a side note. You can ask a day permit to access a ZTL zone in Florence for something like 5 euros. This is done, for example, for people that have to deliver something or have a reason to be there; you need to know your plate number, register and pay in advance on a website. The registration is digital but you are still required to print out the permit and leave it on the windshield. Most accesses are checked by traffic cameras, a few are not; but there could be (unfrequent) controls by municipal police - not at accesses but within the protected zone. Also residents have transponders for camera accesses but are required to display resident access cards.