Driving in Italy. Thinking of renting a car? 12 tips!

I have never rented a car in Italy and I'd be afraid to. I think I am missing out though because it would be nice to explore the countryside fully in Tuscany and Umbria, plus I'd love to go to the spa in Fiuggi, Lazio. Really good video with helpful advice. The parking in Italy never fails to amuse. I have however, ridden on the back of motorini, and motocicli in Roma and I wasn't scared. It was exhilarating☆

Pro tips for driving in Italy. 1. Never put your phone down. And remember, texting while driving is a skill that needs to be practiced. 2. Drive as fast and reckless as possible. When you see pedestrians or bicyclists on the road, don’t slow down. Try to see how dangerously close you can get without hitting them. Especially at crosswalks. The same rule applies to driving near motorcyclists on the autostrada. 3. When entering a roadway or intersection, never look in the direction of the oncoming traffic. Only look in the direction that you want to drive. If there’s traffic, block the oncoming cars and wait until there is an opening in the lane you need. And of course, never use your indicators. 4. Ignore all speed limits and stop signs. When at a traffic light, honk your horn as soon as the light turns green. Don’t be shy, horns are made for honking. 5. Parking. Make sure that when double parking you block as much traffic as possible. 6. If the car or motorcyclist in front of you is not going as fast as you want, be sure to tailgate at least a half meter from their bumper. Don’t forget to dangerously pass whenever possible, even on blind corners.

One of my favorite driving experiences of my life was driving a small Fiat thru the country side of Tuscany on our first trip to Italy . I loved it. I was nervous before we went and even thought of changing our plans to doing a tour so I wouldn't drive, but my wife insisted that we did an independent style vacation. That woman is a genius. We landed in Rome and picked our car up at the airport, the whole time I was nervous, then when we were in the car and turned on the GPS and just followed directions out it was fine. Sure we got a little lost, missed an exit or two and had an epic time at the first toll booth we came across. Like you said, a million stories to tell our friends. I did park in the wrong place when we went to Pisa and did receive a ticket several months later in the mail. Knowing I would go back to Italy we paid it. So we returned to Italy earlier this Summer with some family in tow, so we needed a bigger car. We rented a full size Sedan that was unfortunately automatic. And Full size. Still enjoyed the country side but not as much because the roads are so narrow that I was in constant stress of damaging the car and as bad as parking can be, it's that much worse in a big car. The upside on this trip is no Tickets. Yea! And learned how to get through those darn Tolls. Loved driving in Italy, but will not drive in Big towns or Cities. No driving in Florence, or Rome for me. And if you are someone looking just to go from one big city to another such as Rome to Florence, don't forget the high speed rail because, Awesome also.

I am from Connecticut, and am an "aggressive driver". #facts. I was deployed to Sicily twice in my early 20's and always rented cars. I loved the driving there, lol. It was the wild west and I felt like I belonged. I actually saw a car get bounced and pushed out of a busy intersection by guys sitting in a Cafe because traffic came to a halt because the car was in the way😅

Planning to rent a car in Italy in February, this tip will come in handy.

2cent from italian prospective 1)Driving in places like Rome,Naples is asking for trouble: traffic congestion , undisciplined drivers ,lack of parking. 2) Do not drive with your purse on the passenger seat and the window open to avoid theft . 3) Do not park your car with valuable stuff inside above all if it's clearly visibile .

Question of the week: Ever driven here? Are you up to the task??

Thank you. It is was a great help David. For a few weeks I was thinking that I will need to drive into the center of Milan due to time constraints on our trip but now I am convinced it is better to park and ride as in park near an outer suburb metro and catch public transport.

Thanks for your detailed descriptions. I love learning the phrases at the end, too.

Picking up the rental car tomorrow and driving from Bolzano to Gudan/Chiusa area. Its a manual and slightly nervous but excited too. Your video was very helpful

Lol they dont respect the rules and love honking, I am not surprised 😂 great video!

I think the word you are searching for is, assertive. Italian drivers are more assertive than most Americans.

Hahha mannnnn, I've been living in Rome for a couple years now and driving for a year. There's never a dull moment - You gotta keep your head on a swivel over here. The other day while going through a four-way intersection I was almost tboned from the driver's side and in that moment, I had no idea who was at fault. Well, now I do thanks to your video. Haha. Ogni giorno rompono le mie scatole.

Grazie mille, David!! I'm traveling to Italy next month, and we're renting a car sp this video answers a lot of the questions I had!

Rented a car in Italy 3 times. Just fine. Obviously don't drive in Rome or any other big city but the countryside is easy.WAZE worked just great. Also let tailgaters pass you. Also avoid areas that require resident permits. Park outside of town (like Siena) and be prepared to walk to the city center. Driving in Italy was fantastic.

Thks for these fantastic tips this MayTuscany Wedding from Florence!

Spot on. Your experience is the same as mine in Veneto.

thanks for clearing up what side of the road they drive on. would've been lost without you

You have to be a good driver and be very relax at driving to drive in Naples for instance. My wife could not believe it... if you're more the nervous type, you're gonna be alright because they are good drivers but you're not gonna like the experience... Also, I felt like one of the biggest difference is passing. People pass on secondary road all the time. You stay on the right side of you lane and they'll use the left side of the lane to pass you ... often getting close to be three cars wide one on two lane facing each others... They'll just sneak in between.

Helpful, thanks.