Are you planning on driving during your next holiday to Italy? Do you want to know about the driving rules and conditions in Italy? Our guide to driving in Italy gives you the facts & information you’ll want to know.
By and large Italy has an excellent road system with an extensive network of motorways linking all four corners of the country together. Road conditions are very good in general as the authorities maintain the road surfaces well. Depending on what area of Italy you intend on driving through and at what time of year, you should take special weather precautions. The roads in the north of Italy during the winter months can get icy due to the cold temperatures and the heavy snow fall. It is best to equip your car with special snow tyres or snow chains.
Driving rules in Italy
Anyone in possession of a full driving license from an EU country can drive in Italy. If you have a driving licence from a country outside of the EU then you should obtain an international driving permit that allows you to drive in Italy and anywhere else in the world for up to 12months. In addition to your license, you should also carry a vehicle registration document from where the car is registered as well as a certificate of motor insurance. If you don’t have any of these and you are stopped while driving in Italy this could cause you delays and complications.
Bringing your own car to Italy
Provided you have the above mentioned documentation you should be allowed to enter Italy driving your car without any hassles. However, in order for the police in Italy to be able to recognise what country your car is from you should use either a GB sticker ( if you are from the UK) or alternatively you could use an EU sticker which has 12 stars and will be sufficient.
Drink Driving in Italy
The law in Italy has a very low threshold of tolerance for drink driving. Only 0.05 % blood alcohol level is enough to get you in trouble with the police for drink driving.
Driving tolls in Italy
Most motorways in Italy exact a toll for driving on them. These tolls are usually paid when exiting the motorway and can be paid in cash or with a credit card. If you intend on doing a lot of motorway driving you might consider buying a toll card which comes in denominations from €25 up to €75. This will allow you to pay the toll charge on any motorway in Italy.
