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Travelling by car

The Italian highway net covers in an effective way the Italian peninsula and the state roads are generally in good conditions, therefore going through Italy by car is a fast and comfortable solution. Driving can become more exacting on smaller or mountainous roads and it is better to avoid to go through the big cities by car.

Signals are usually in Italian.

The city traffic is often chaotic. The historical centres are closed to traffic and it’s necessary to find a parking area.

The parking areas in the big cities are marked by the P in white capital letter on an identifying rectangular blue background signal. Generally they are parking areas on payment whose rate varies according to the city, the zone and the hour band.

It is necessary to pay in advance for the number of hours that you reckon to remain through small automatic machines placed near the parking areas delimited by blue lines.

In the big cities there are underground parking or multi-floor structures, in which clients have to pay before take the car.

Outside the historic centres, there are not guarded parking areas characterized by white lines on the road paving, where no payment is requested.

Useful References:

  • Parcheggi.it

    http://www.parcheggi.it
    In Italian. The portal helps to point out on the interactive map the nearest parking areas in all the main cities and in the vicinity of airports.

    It is forbidden to stop a taxi on the road, you need to make a call. The number is the 892192. In this case taximeter is activated since the call. Another chance is to go to the taxi areas marked by yellow lines.

    It is advisable to note down the number of the licence in case of problems, complaint or other things.

Driving in Italy

Generally those who come from a country member of the European Union, or from Croatia, Norway, Suisse, Island e Turkey, have his own driver's licence recognized in Italy.

On the contrary, those who come from a country not member of the European Union need to have the national licence and the international driving, that is the official translation of the national licence.

In Italy vehicles must be assured; assurance RCA of the states mentioned are valid. You need also to contact your car's insurance or assistance company which will cover you in case of accident in Italy and in an eventual street aid causing by out of order of the vehicle.

Before passing Italian borders, certifications of the vehicles not written in Latin alphabet must be translated by an Italian consulate.

If you drive a car without the car owner, you need to have the delegation who authorizes the expatriation .

What is necessary is to show the driver's license if you want to hire a car or a motorbike.

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Fuel

The price of the petrol is high in Italy. In some case the price changes if you are served (it costs a little more) or if you use the self-service. Fuel stations are distributed all over the national territory.

All the service stations in Italy have petrol without lead and diesel oil (diesel). The service stations are open from 7.30 to 12.30 and from 15.00 to 19.00 from Monday to Friday. Anyway there are many self-services.

There are few GPL stations. You can find a list of them on the website http://new.eurogasauto.egm.it/en/homepage

Highways

The presence of highways is indicated by a green background identifying signal and by the letter A followed by the number in white.Generally it is obligatory to pay a toll in the highway cases in cash or using automatic systems of payment: Viacard or Telepass card.

Along the highways there are service areas offering various services: service stations where to make fuel and for mechanical problems, restaurants, bar, mini-market, offices for the information and bank windows.

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BLUE POINTS

The blue Points (in Italian) are centres where it is possible to obtain information and the bringing up to date on all the highway services and buy VIAcard and Telepass àncora.

Breakdowns and assistance

You need also to contact your car's insurance or assistance company which will cover you in case of accident in Italy or breakdowns of your vehicle. Otherwise are available, and more expensive, also other services.

On the highways it is sufficient to activate the S.O.S. columns, installed along the emergency lanes, every two km, in order to make the Highway patrol and the staff on duty able to take part in any moment.

S.O.S columns are characterized by intervention request through push-button and call confirmation. On the columns there are two push-buttons: one for the call of mechanical aid and another for the sanitary intervention. After having pressed on what you are interested in it is necessary to keep waiting for the ignition of the light of confirmation so as to be sure that the call has arrived to the radio room of territorial competence.

 

Information Wireless services

Every 30 minutes approximately on the frequencies of three public radios (RAI) are broadcast - ONDA VERDE(GREEN WAVE) - on the car traffic; often, on the highway, you can find indications about the radio frequency for listening some editions, that are transmitted in English, French and German.

Further information in Italian: http://www.radio.rai.it/cciss/orari.cfm

Information Telephone services

We point out some telephone numbers in order to obtain information on the distance covered of roads and highways:

  • Highways Company

    http://www.autostrade.it/en/index.html
    Call center Viabilità :840-04.21.21 (24 ore su 24, 7 giorni su 7)

  • Onda Verde (Green Wave) 1518

    (active 24 hours out of 24) for information regarding the road conditions and the circulation with a view to the road safety.

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Last Update: 2009
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