Driving in Italy - Part 2: On the Italian Roads!

Contrary to common belief (at least, I think it’s common, as I’ve gotten so many questions on it), the Italians do not drive on the “wrong” side of the road, they drive on the “right” side of the road. (And really it would be the “left” side and we would drive on the “wrong” side from their point of view, but that’s another issue... lol) Thankfully that was one less thing to get used to!

At the “Right Start” orientation they showed us this video: http://www.lifeinitaly.com/flash 
I recommend you give it a view, it’s super short and comical. I can’t attest to the accuracy of the entire video, but the first half regarding driving has been accurate in my experience. They are rather ridiculous here.

Comments from the Video

Do you recall that part about the Italian car reaching an intersection with tons of signs and being very confused? The signage here is veerry difficult to get used to. First, signs aren’t consistent. By that I mean, sometimes you’ll come to a road and it’s labeled, other times you’ll pass many roads/hwys with no signs indicating their title. We’ve also encountered many signs that simply have a nearby town name with an arrow pointing in the general direction and lacking the distance or any other such useful information. However, these aren’t always pointed in the correct direction. One day while driving back from Pordenone we saw a sign pointing left for Aviano. The road on the left did not lead to Aviano, it was sorely misplaced. After driving a long way and consulting a map, we went back to that location and took the road on the right. After some distance we saw another sign indicating Aviano up ahead.

Most people on base recommend purchasing a GPS, but many admit that they aren’t perfect and can often mislead you as well. Troy and I were loaned a GPS from the base for our house hunting and are considering purchasing an extensive map book of Italy for our travels, as we both prefer maps to a GPS. I can’t stand GPS systems, even when the bossy robot voice is shut off they can be just as misleading in small country towns, and I prefer the detailed maps that I can scribble personal notes into the margins.

Drivers are pretty crazy here, which everyone finds quite odd as Italians are so slow and methodical with everything else. They like to take their time, have many holidays and time off of work, and simply do things one at a time. However, driving is an exception to their laid-back life style, and when they’re on the road, they mean business. I’m quite certain the speed limit signs on the side of the road are invisible to them. I know my mother wouldn’t survive driving here; tailgaters were always a peeve of hers, and here EVERYONE tailgates. Despite going 10 kph over the speed limit myself, I’ll always have an Italian on my tail, sometimes flashing headlights to urge me faster. I don’t like to go more than 10 kph over the speed limit though, particularly because I’m told that Police like to target Americans and will give us less slack than speeding Italians. So I stick around the speed limit or 10 kph over and I will inevitably be passed the first chance they get. When you are being passed, it is your obligation to move as far over to the right as possible. This is really quite difficult as the roads are so narrow and there is really no shoulder. After the edge of the road (for often there is no "white boundary line" on the edge) that's it, and it will drop off or turn into dirt. This leaves cars a very small margin for error...

     Other differences include that it is mandatory for everyone to have either snow chains or snow tires for your car (we were unable to find them at regular stores because nearly all gas stations sell them). Headlights are required basically everywhere, and since there are so few exceptions to when you can have them off, it is advised to simply keep them on at all times. Everyone must also have reflective vests and a reflective road triangle in case of an emergency. Italy also seems to have a ton of roundabouts. They are everywhere and people zoom through them. There are also some different road rules. The one I struggle with most is NO right turns on red lights. I struggle simply because it’s automatic and habit from the states, and often it’ll be clear and I start to go before I (or my hubby) remind me that that’s not allowed here. Definitely going to have to remember that one.

Something else that I have to stop and remind myself of, is their rule of “right-of-way”. Generally in the states when you come to a four way stop, the person who was there first will proceed, someone will kindly wave you on, or the person on the right will go first. Here, the vehicle on the right has right-of-way, however if there are a line of cars behind him, ALL of them have the right of way and get to proceed before you do. So there’s no taking turns, you go, I go, sort of thing. If there’s a bunch of cars lined up on the right, they all get to go before you. Often when approaching an intersection there is a yellow and white diamond sign, which means that you on are the priority road and have the right-of-way.

Another difference is the intersections. I have found that, for the most part, intersections in the states are where four roads meet in one location. Here, there may be four roads, but they don’t line up. I’ve been at a stop light on a hill where I wasn’t able to see the roads to the left and right; after it turned green and I traveled up the hill further, I’d pass them with their stop lights. Because the roads don’t always meet up, you personal stop light is generally off to the road and on your right, instead of hanging in the middle of the intersection (since not all the roads would be able to see it if it were). Furthermore, the intersection lights aren’t always green, yellow, and red. The first time we came to an intersection with different colors, we were quite confused, as they had failed to mention this in our driver’s training. Instead, they will have all white lights and the shape of the light indicates whether or not you can go. We quickly observed that a vertical white bar meant we could proceed, and a horizontal white bar was equivalent to a red light.

Gas:

If you are hoping to go on a weekend trip in Italy, you have to plan ahead for your gas, because Italian gas stations are not open on Sundays, and have very limited hours on Saturday mornings. So I would recommend purchasing it the Friday before, unless you are sure of a gas station’s Saturday hours.

Gas in Italy is also really pricey. For the military, we purchase gas coupons, which is at a discounted rate determined by the DOD. It basically means that we pay gas at the average American cost, not the average cost dependent on the Italian economy. Below are pictures of what our gas coupons look like. 

The coupons have different amounts in liters.

On the left you must fill out the date and sign it, in order for it to be valid.

When you arrive at a gas station, you pull up to an empty pump and wait for a gas attendant to come and assist you. You tell them how much you would like, pay for it (in our case, with the coupons), and then they fill your tank.

Parking in Italy:

            Italian cars are far smaller than American cars. My DH and I thought we were purchasing a small car when we got our Toyota Camry, but after arriving here we realize it’s rather large compared to Italian cars. Everything from cars, to roads and parking spaces are much smaller here. We have great difficulty squeezing into parking spaces. Parking spaces are also different colors. Blue means it requires payment and you must go in search of the often elusive ticket area. White is free parking, and pink is for expectant mothers! Below is a picture of my favorite parking spot! Well, spot plural I suppose, as this sign designates them in various locations. On base my designated parking spot is even closer than the general's. aw yea...

I feel like I see far more of these here than in the states. Why aren't there more?? lol

Police in Italy:

Police, or Carabinieri as they are called, are also different here than in the states. Although they do have cars with sirens and lights, the most common form of being pulled over comes from being flagged down. The Carabinieri are generally pulled off to the side of the road and standing outside of their vehicle. They flag you down by waving a sign that people have nicknamed “the lollipop”, as it’s a stick with a red circle on it. (see pic below. I did not take this pic but found it online, not sure how to site it…)

Picture not mine! stolen from google images... lol.

Once they have waved it at you and you pull over and talk with them, if they decide to fine you, you must pay it then and there (and I’m told fines are at least € 40). And yes, I’m told they have card swipe machines if you don’t happen to have enough euro on you.

 

 

Accidents:

            In Italy, if you see an accident or anything happen, you are required to render assistance (Hence the mandatory reflective vests and road triangles in your car). If a military member gets into trouble, a scrape or what have you on the road, we were given a number to call so they can send a translator to our location. (Thank goodness! I was concerned how I would communicate with someone if trouble arose…)

  

Alright, I believe that should cover just about everything. I’m sure I’ll remember something else odd later and wish I’d stuck it in here, but we’ll also gain more driving experiences the longer we’re here so a part 3 may happen many months down the road. I hope this was informative and helpful :) We have a three day weekend this week! So expect an update on our weekend adventures sometime either Tuesday or Wednesday. Enjoy your weekend!!!