Driving in Italy

To travel from the airport to your rental villa in Tuscany, you should rent a car. 

Car rental is always best handled by your travel agent, do it at the same time with your airline reservations. We can also assist you with the best rates for rental cars and air fares. Car rental can be more expensive in Europe than in the U.S., and will always include full insurance coverage. 

We at TuscanHouse.com send you a good road map for central Italy once you've made the reservation. When you get our driving directions, you should familiarize yourself with the drive ahead. Try to schedule your arrival in Italy early in the day; it's a lot easier to find your way in daylight than in the dark. Arrival time at your villa should be between 4 pm and 7 pm. All the relevant phone numbers are on your driving directions, and we have included a pre-paid local calling card (they are available at the T- tobacconists) in case you get lost. When you drive at the Autostrada, you'll need money for the toll gates. Bring some (Italian liras) Euros with you, including small bills, or exchange money at the airport. You can also pay the tolls with a credit card. Bring your ATM cards, you can use it in local teller machines to withdraw money from your account at home.

The Autostrada highway system is similar to the highways in the States. The road signs are same with STOP, the yield sign and other markings. Things to watch out for: Exit = Uscita, be very careful with the exit and entrance ramps to the highways, the curves are very tight so use a smaller gear and beware of the very short entry lanes. When you pass an intersection along the highway, be mindful of people entering on the right and be prepared to give way. Likewise, when entering, you need to speed up quickly on the short entry lane and make absolutely sure there is room to enter the highway.

On the Autostrada the lane discipline is absolute. No slow drivers on the left lane, it's strictly for passing and driving very fast. If you are hanging out on the left lane, cars coming up from behind will flash their lights at you to tell you to move back to the slower right lane. Keep a safe driving distance to the cars ahead of you, even if this invites others to cut in front of your car. On the Autostrada the speed limit is 130 km per hour, they are talking about increasing it to 140 km. On the slower right lane, people drive around 100 km, trucks are slower. It's always best to go with the flow.

The Autostrada system is a private company and you pay tolls. You take a card at the entry gates, always go to a gate marked "Biglietto" = ticket, or drive to an unmarked gate. Do NOT enter gates marked only Vincard or Telepass. When you exit the Autostrada you can pay by cash at the "Biglietto" or unmarked gates, or by using a credit card at the gates with the universal credit card symbols. These gates usually also have the Vincard sign. When you pay with a credit card (Visa, MC, Amex, Diners...) first insert the ticket, then your card, and the machine will thank you.

Along the Autostrada are frequent service stations with coffee shops and restaurants. The Autogrill chain is wonderful ! They cook fresh food, you can go to the self service line and get fresh pasta, grilled meats, salads, deserts, etc. You pay at the end of the line to the cashier. At the coffee shops you first need to go to the cashier to pay, so you need to know what you want to have. For breakfast there are fresh pastries and croissants = "Cornetto". They have good sandwiches, go look what's available at the counter, the sandwiches all have names. Then go pay the cashier and take the receipt to the service counter to get your stuff.

The larger Autogrills have stores that you must walk through to get out, you'll be able to buy all kinds of specialty foods and beverages, including wine, beer and stronger stuff. They'll have travel supplies from drug store items to electronics. The bathrooms at the Autogrills are modern and usually very clean. During the high season summer months the Autogrills can be painfully full of travelers by the tour bus load. You may want to stop by early for lunch. Not every stop has a restaurant, they are marked along the highway with signs, fork and knife for a restaurant, coffee cup for a bar.

Tailgating is the worst thing Italian drivers do. Especially on 1 and 2 lane roads they can come right up to your rear bumper trying to pass you. The best way to deal with this is just slow down and keep to the right and make the bastards pass you quickly. Do not let someone try to push you to go faster, it's always better for you to slow down. Defensive driving is smart.

Should anything happen, accidents, car trouble or getting lost, the Italians are wonderfully helpful. They all carry mobile phones, there are Autostrada repair service trucks that come to assist if you are stalled, and the Autostrada service stations can do minor repairs. If someone is hurt, hospital emergency care is FREE, no-one asks for your credit card or insurance for emergency treatment. Italy is a civilized country.

The famous white roads can be some of the most beautiful drives you've ever made. But make sure the road is passable. On the local maps the roads in good condition are marked with 2 solid black lines with white space in between. The questionable roads are marked with dashed lines and can actually be just tractor trails and farm roads. The white roads turn very dusty during the dry months of the summer, especially in August you'll be driving with a dust cloud behind you and your car gets all covered up with the fine clay. During rainy winter months these roads can be soft and muddy.

To be continued.........