Your Driving Bible
First of all, you’re making a good choice. Driving in Italy is a fabulous way to see the country and to discover some of the more “off the beaten path” little villages. Personally, one of my favorite routes is driving from Florence all the way up to Milan and hitting Bologna, Modena, Parma and Cinque Terre on the way. You can find some great routes here on another blog post.
As for the driving, if you are from the United States you are going to do just fine. There are a few things you should know about before hopping
Selecting a rental car: Personally, I like AutoEurope. NOTE: Most people drive stick shifts in Europe. If you prefer and automatic transmission – make certain that you select a car with an automatic transmission.
Pick up and drop off locations: You don’t have to pick up and drop off at the same location, which makes life a lot easier if you are driving across country!
Insurance: I just get full insurance from the rental office, cheap and easy-peasy. Important note on this this - take photos of anything that might be considered damage when you pick up the car.
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Luxury or Economical: Cars in Europe tend to be smaller. If you want a compact car, I find the Fiat Panda to be a good choice. If you would like something a bit bigger there are Mercedes and even convertibles. The convertibles are fantastic, as there is nothing more fun than cruising around the Amalfi coast breathing in the wonderful sea-breeze. In some cases, if you want to go all out, I work with a broker who rents Ferrari’s, Lamborghini’s, you name it. However, there is a large deposit
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Diesel or Benzene? If you are going over long distances, Diesel is the way to go – this will save you a lot in fuel. If you are going short distances benzene (regular old gas) will do just fine. Note: You will have to drop your car off full. So, be sure to stake out a gas station near the drop-off location.
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Credit Cards: Be sure to bring the credit card that you booked the car with to Italy. They are going to want to put a 800Euro deposit on the card until the car is returned. Once the car is returned, so is your deposit.
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Drivers license: I can’t list country by country here as the post will be far too long! The short version: people licensed in Europe, North America, or South Africa, you are fine to rent with your license. Although the rental company won’t ask you for it, it’s required that you obtain and International Driving Permit (AAA offers one for $15). You will have to show this if you get pulled over for any reason. There is a lot of conflicting information floating around the internet about the IDP- luckily my friend Michele Capecchi is a lawyer in Florence and confirmed that you do need this document. If you are from outside of those areas – feel free to shoot me an email and I’ll let you know.
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GPS: I always suggest getting GPS. You do NOT want to turn the data on in your non-Italian phone (for my guests, I offer to let them borrow my Italian phone so it’s not an issue). However, the GPS you can easily set to English, it chirps when you are passing a speed trap, and most of the GPS will show you the ZTLS in the city. Which brings me to the next point
ZTLS: Italy is a historical masterpiece. In order to preserve this beauty and history, the Italians can’t just let anyone whizz around their ancient cities. That being said, the way they protect these areas is with a zona traffico limitato. The ZTL is an area of the city that only permitted cars, like residents or taxis can enter. These are easily identifiable signs, which you can see below. If you have a hotel that is inside the ZTL
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Speed traps: They don’t generally have police officers that are going to pull you over when driving to fast. Instead there are radar boxes that capture your plates and send you tickets in the mail (think of all the tax money they must save instead of having police pulling people over)! Your GPS will chirp if there is one near, also there will be a sign prior to passing the radar. You can see the sign below.
Road trip maps
These are some road trips I have taken and are my favorite. These roadtrips are easy driving with the best highlights. Although I couldn't add every little site along the way, these routes bring you right along the path of all the best views and fascinating sites. Most average at about 10 hours of driving so you will have plenty of time to enjoy the sites
MONEY MATTERS
How to save for traveling: The number one thing I hear from friends regarding travel is "I can't afford it." In reality, I think most people would be surprised how much they could save on travel if they organized their finances.
The reality is that we have to pay for things to live, so why not earn a little bit from making all those transactions? I find rewards credit cards are a good solution. Personally, I like chase sapphire. This way you can save hundreds of dollars on plane tickets by earning miles. If you cannot pay off your credit card in full, every month, then this isn't recommended because you will just accrue debt and aren't truly "saving."
Additionally, another way to save is to get creative and fun with cooking! There is no excuse to be spending money on eating out or delivery all the time. When I was living in Italy, I really had to save money to be able to visit my family in the United States. The first things I did was to stop eating out all the time! I was amazed how much this saved me, literally hundreds of dollars a month. We live in the internet age, get some quick and easy recipes and start cooking! This is also a healthy option, because you tend to eat healthier when you know what's going into your food.
It's not about where you go, it's how you do it. Certainly, currency exchange and plane tickets much come into play, but hear me out. The best way to travel anywhere is to get in touch with someone who lives or lived there (ahem, like myself). It's shocking to me how much some people pay to go through websites like Viator or travel agents. A lot of travel agents haven't even been to the destinations they are sending people, so how would they know what the actual prices on local transportation, guides or other services are? Once they get these inflated prices, they even upcharge on them. Forget it, the day of the travel agent is dead! Take your wallet and spend your hard earned dollars on the locals who know the right price for a loaf of bread, and cut out the middle man – which is why I created my business in the first place.
Cards & cash while traveling: Charles Schwab is the best debit card to have. Chip + pin, no foreign fees AND pays you back any ATM fees where ever you are, which is ideal.
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I would also suggest at least one VISA or Mastercard - AMEX is not well supported in many countries, and often mostly in larger department stores. Discover - forget it. In general you want chip+pin for gas stations, and also many countries expect it for purchases in supermarkets. In some countries many stores charge you a transaction fee for using foreign cards (Denmark does for example).
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Also recommended, if you would like to use debit cards – check out your local credit unions! Not only are credit unions awesome community based banks, many of the credit unions are fantastic for international travel. They have very low transactions fees, and the ATM withdrawal fee is next to nothing.
As for cash, NEVER exchange your American money at one of the airport “Change” desks. They give you a terrible exchange rate and they charge a fee. I recommend going inside a bank to exchange your cash. They will give you the best rate and won’t charge a fee (at most banks). In Italy, Spain and Greece I suggest to carry maybe 100Euro on you. You don’t want to carry too much in case of theft, however there are many places that will not accept cards for purchases below 10Euro. Further, there are many places that just don’t accept cards.
Tipping: In Italy, tipping isn’t a cultural norm. For a guide or driver, it’s a very nice way to show your appreciation for a great service – but it isn’t expected or required. At restaurants, you don’t generally tip, and if you felt the service was great – a couple Euros will do just fine.
Crazy Italian Drivers: Unless you’re driving in Naples, you’re good to go. I think this is one of the most disappointing stereotypes that people hold, because I find Italy such a pleasure to drive in. Sure, when you are in the cities there are the Vespas swarming about, just be aware of your surroundings – let them go ahead and you’ll be just fine! Once you’re out of the cities, it’s just like driving in the U.S *although it tends to be a bit more beautiful! The roads tend to be smaller, and since it is a very mountainous area, they can sometimes weave through the hills. Just take it slow and enjoy the view! Italians drive fast, so you can pull off to let people pass if you are uncomfortable speeding up.
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Parking: When it comes to the city centers, there are generally parking sites outside of the ZTL areas where you can park and head into the city. I have parking maps of almost every major city, which I will be happy to offer guests.
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Putting the car in reverse: The stick shift is a bit different than most. You must either press down on the shift to enter reverse or pull up on a cylinder beneath the head of the shift.
Vespa rental: Renting a vespa is a really fun and economical way to explore outside of the city. Vespas are best for daytrips into Chianti from Florence, or even cruising around Capri. I don’t recommend these for long haul vehicles to drives across country, as most aren’t strong enough for the highway. Upon rental, the office will give you a small tutorial on how to use the Vespa and then you are free to roam!
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Tolls: Most of the highways are tolled. They are expensive, just be prepared for it. Use a credit card to pay them, that's the fastest way.
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Traffic tickets: If you get a speeding violation, or a ZTL or parking violation - these are not issued on on site. When you sign the rental agreement with the car company, you also agree that they can charge the cost of any violation to your credit card. They can do this for up to one year after your rental. Better safe than sorry, just observe the laws and you should be good to go!
LOGISTICS
So you want to live in Italy? Often-times my guests asked me how I ended up there so long. I will try and keep this brief: it was really quite difficult. There are many things to take into consideration, including visa, money, work permission, or even being able to find work. If you were a struggling 20-something like myself when I moved there, it’s going to be hard work. If you have lots of money, then you’re good to go! Here are some options:
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Student visa: Mainly for undergrads that would like to go for a study-abroad program from an American school or language program. There are limits to renewing this. You can renew twice in Italy (once a year) and then the third time you have to go home. Having a student visa allows you to work a 20 hours a week.
Extended stay visa: If you have more than 250,000+ Euro in the bank and want to retire, you’re in luck.
Work visa: This is incredibly difficult to get, I don’t even suggest trying off the bat. A company has to sponsor you, they have to prove that you can aid their company with something that no other Italian could. However, if you have a student visa sometimes you can transfer it over to a work visa through a special program. I won’t get into it here, feel free to email me for more details.
Getting Married: First of all, congratulations for thinking about getting married in Italy. I am going to separate this into a few sections.
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Paperwork for getting married: This is the best resource I have seen so far, it gives you a bit of a step by step. I will tell you, there’s lots of paperwork! https://internationalliving.com/2011/03/getting-married-in-italy-what-you-need-to-know/
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Want to get married in a church: Most of the churches are going to require that you show proof that you’re Catholic. This includes a letter from the Bishop on the letterhead of your parish. Also, proof of confirmation. Please email me directly for more information.
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Gay Marriage: Unfortunately, marriage is not recognized – however Civil Unions are. Also, same-sex parents are allowed adoptive rights. This is a step forward, but the senate watered down the bill quite a bit. You can read more about it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/12/world/europe/italy-gay-same-sex-unions.html. If you would like more info about openly gay relationships in Italy, please feel free to email me and chat, as it’s a bit complicated because it depends entirely on the location you’re visiting in Italy.
Medical Care in Italy: One of the best things about living in Italy was the amazing healthcare that I got. No monthly premium, just pay the doctor when I saw them! 80Euro to get my teeth cleaned (they do an amazing job), 15 Euro to go to the Medical Guard (little doctor shops in every neighborhood). 40 Euro for primary care. If you are traveling to Italy, I highly suggest getting your teeth cleaned or dental work done there – it’s far less expensive.