Driving in Italy

Guide to driving in Italy

Parking in Rome, don't, unless it's a scooter.

Driving in Italy: for Europeans, driving in Italy is in theory, a convenient way to get around. Actually it's extremely stressful though high speeds are possible if you have the right wheels. Read 'self-drive' below and take the train!

Signposting in most places, with the exception of on autostrada [motorways], is frequently irregular or non-existant. Rome is particularly bereft of intelligent or sequential directions, so the Bugadvice is get Italy GPS [SatNav] or let the train take the strain.
While rail and bus networks function well when they're not on strike, the autostrada are scary places unless you're under 25 or an F1 driver on a day off. Most autostrada are two narrow lanes with trucks and low-power vehicles occupying the right lane apart from sudden and rarely signaled excursions into the overtaking lane where the rest of the traffic is travelling bumper-to-bumper at 160kph+ [100mph+]. Frequent speed limit signs are ignored.
The Bugforce was once, for example, in a tight 140kph convoy that went past 60kph limit notices without noticeably slowing. Police speed control appears to be out to lunch, though some villages have green speed cameras that look like litter-bins that may work, though the chances are not high.
The upside is that Italian drivers have excellent reactions, are used to small spaces, high speeds and erratic last-minute actions. They drive according to road conditions, not according to the law.
Furthermore, if a visitor owned a powerful car in which the pedal had never touched the metal, Italy [along with Germany] is the place to give the motor a top-level thrashing; just make sure the insurance in up to date and fully comp [and bring the car papers too. If you don't have them the police can and will take the car off you until you produce them.]
Finally, parking is complex, with different coloured spaces meaning different things, but the worst thing is there are frequently no parking space at all, underground or overground. Julius Caesar? Pah! Short-ass Smart cars rule in Rome these days.