What Americans should know about driving in Italy?

Some Italian road rules to know: In Italy they drive on the right side of the road. On three-lane roads, the right lane is the slow lane and the left lane is the passing lane. At crossings, vehicles on the right have the right of way. In short, always yield to the right.



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ANYONE with an inkling of common sense, a little pre-trip prep and a solid smartphone or GPS can easily handle driving in Italy. Here are the top Italian driving tips to hit the roads like a pro. Driving in Italy is safe, fun and a must if you really want to see the land.

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He also said the rules for driving in Italy are clear: You must either have an Italian driver's license or one issued by a European Union country. If you don't have one of those, you need to get a IDP to carry with your home country driver's license.

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While renting a car isn't necessary or even advised if you're only visiting major tourists city (you can't even bring your rental car into the old town Florence, and having a car in Rome is a very bad idea not just because of traffic but also because many main attractions are only accessible by foot anyway), if you ...

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When you are on the motorways, you will need to look out for signs marked 'Alt Stazione' – this is where you make the payment at the toll booth. All payments are made in Euros at either a manned or electronic booth – however, they do accept debit cards from other countries.

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If you're on a road indicated with green signs, you're on an autostrada. If you're not on an autostrada but are following green signs, they will lead you to the autostrada. If you're on a road that looks pretty significant but the signs are blue, it's not an autostrada — and it's also not a toll road.

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Yes, you can Uber in Italy, but it's not the same. It's available in Rome and Milan. However, only Uber Black is available, meaning higher prices and nicer vehicles. If you don't mind the slight price increase, then Uber is perfectly safe to use in Italy.

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Italians are known to be aggressive drivers compared to other places. They will quickly switch lanes, drive fast, and there are scooters zooming through all the cars. This can seem chaotic to someone who is not from Italy, but it is their way of driving. It is safe and legal, and Italians expect you to drive like them!

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The drive from Florence to Rome is pretty straightforward, just hop on the A1 and jet three hours south. But you should be making a road trip out of it, so skip eating at the roadside autogrill and extend your drive.

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The speed limits in Italy are similar to other countries in Europe. Thus, the speed limits to follow are 50km/h (30 mph) in cities and towns, 90 km/h (55 mph) on single carriageways, 110 km/h (about 68 mph) on dual carriageways and 130 km/h (80 mph) on motorways. Posted signs inform you of the speed limit.

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In Italy, you pay your autostrada toll when exiting the highway, either by cash, card or Telepass. When you arrive at your exit, you will find another toll booth. Usually, you will be prompted to get in lane and the options given are the following. Telepass – this is the lane for cars equipped with a telepass toll box.

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Blue is paid street parking. You are required to pay Monday to Saturday 08:00–20:00. Prices vary. Once you have your ticket, leave it on the dashboard. If you intend to park your car overnight, check local signs which indicate when street cleaning is done.

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Where there are no lights, crossing places are indicated by white stripes. As a pedestrian you have the right of way here, but drivers are quick to spot a nervous foreigner and are just as likely to accelerate as to stop. You will need to set foot on the road before any vehicle will even consider stopping for you.

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If you're looking to rent a car in Italy, then Catania is the cheapest city to do so as prices are just $3 per day. According to our data, it's 73% cheaper for a rental car in Catania as opposed to renting one in Venice (which costs $11 per day).

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With trains, ferries, water buses, taxis, drivers, mountain cable cars and funiculars, bikes, e-bikes and hiking paths, “you can really explore the corners of Italy for quite a ways before you need a car.”

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What side of the road does Italy drive on? Italians drive on the right-hand side of the road. If you've never driven on the right before, or haven't done so for a while, take your time – but don't worry, your brain will soon switch over.

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