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Author
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Topic: Driving in Italy-any suggestions
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martyap
TUG MemberPosts: 160
From: Bellmore, NY - Durban Sands SA (red/white)
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 05-30-2005 03:03
    
Just returned from three weeks in Spain and found the driving to be no real problem. Going from city to city was great with excellent, well signed highways. In cities like Granada and Sevilla we partked and either walked or used a taxi. We based in Marbella and simply extended out from there. Able to use a combo of timeshares and hotels.Italy seems a bit more complicated. Would like to start planning a 2-3 week self guided driving vacation but really need some initial advice. Would it be better just to book a packaged tour than attempt to do my own road show. Looks like it would require a lot more extensive homework than Spain. Any tips and advice would be great.....thanks. Marty IP: Logged |
X-ring
TUG MemberPosts: 1233
From: Ottawa, Canada - Cancun (wks 7-8), Hapimag World-Visa, SA (2 white)
Registered: Jan 2002
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posted 05-30-2005 05:38
We've just returned from 5 weeks in Italy. We started with a packaged tour (Rick Steves' Best of Italy in 17 Days) and followed it with another 18 days on our own.The tour covered all the major northern centers (Milan, Verona, Venice, Florence, Siena, Assisi, Orvieto and Rome) as well as the more isolated areas where a car can be a drag (i.e. Cinque Terre, Lake Como, Dolomites). Having finished the tour in Rome, we used public transportation to do Naples and the Amalfi coast to Sorrento and Positano. Finally we picked up a car in Naples and drove up for two timeshare weeks in Tuscany and Umbria where we covered the hill towns. Now we didn't drive in Rome and in Naples we simply drove out of town immediately but at no time did I ever need to be concerned with the Italian drivers we've been warned about. Yes some of them are fast on the highways but for me the driving was far and away more enjoyable than driving the I-95 thorough Florida where there's a disproportionate number of morons going near the max speed and then sitting in the passing lane for miles. I haven't been to Spain so can't compare but the signage on the main highways in Italy was excellent. It was also very good on the secondary roads - in this case much better than in France where I found this to be a frequent irritant. However, I did get lost once as I tried to take a short cut cross-country to get to Assisi only to find a couple of junctions where the directional signs were missing.
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marion10
TUG MemberPosts: 1170
From: River Forest, IL and Dikhololo and Seapointer, SA
Registered: Dec 2000
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posted 05-30-2005 07:17
Last year my husband did the driving on our 10 day trip to Italy (I didn't try) and compared to Chicago, he thought it was fine, We drove from Rome to Assisi and from Assisi to Florence, Orvieto, Spolteo. We turned in the car at Perugia and took the train to Rome. Signage was fine.------------------
Marion IP: Logged |
225chs
TUG MemberPosts: 281
From: Philadelphia pa usa
Registered: Apr 2002
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posted 05-30-2005 07:43
Outside of the major cities,I have never had a problem driving in Italy. Under no circunstances do I recommend driving in the cities.
On the highways, if you don't like driving fast just stay to the right and you are never hassled. On the left and they will tailgate you until you move over.IP: Logged |
pwrshift
TUG MemberPosts: 2902
From: Toronto
Registered: Dec 2000
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posted 05-30-2005 08:40
You always hear about how good the European highways are, but I was surprised to see that most of the major Italian highways only had 4 lanes - 2 each way (where you set the speed limit). There were several occasions on the road from Sorrento to Florence where there were traffic backups the day we went...due mainly to a convoy of large trucks each carrying a huge slab of marble. I guess I expected to see some 12 lane highways, at least in busy areas like we do in Toronto (where we still have backups too - but policed speed limits). Brian ------------------
Those who dream most, do most. IP: Logged |
Tania
TUG MemberPosts: 283
From: Canada, owner of weeks 10,51,52 at Playa Linda Beach Resort, Aruba
Registered: Jun 2002
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posted 05-30-2005 20:04
People will tailgate you anywhere if you are driving on the left. The left lane is for PASSING only. No matter what your speed, stay on the right unless you're passing.In Italy in particular, it is dangerous for you to be sitting on the left: while you do 120 kmh, the car behind you could arrive in an instant doing 160kmh. [This message has been edited by Tania (edited 05-30-2005).] IP: Logged |
dw00103
TUG MemberPosts: 200
From: Vancouver, Canada Owner: Dikhololo, Castleburn
Registered: Jan 2002
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posted 05-31-2005 12:37
quote:
Originally posted by Tania:
People will tailgate you anywhere if you are driving on the left. The left lane is for PASSING only. No matter what your speed, stay on the right unless you're passing.In Italy in particular, it is dangerous for you to be sitting on the left: while you do 120 kmh, the car behind you could arrive in an instant doing 160kmh. [This message has been edited by Tania (edited 05-30-2005).]
I was driving @ 150 KM and they flew by on the left as if I was standing still - must have been doing 220 at least!! ------------------
David IP: Logged |
heatherdcl
TUG MemberPosts: 67
From: Ontario, Canada.
Registered: Apr 2002
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posted 06-01-2005 06:07
Intercity driving in Italy is easy, no harder than Spain. I did both in 2004, one being the same you took branching out from Marbella and the other from the airport in Florence and around Tuscany. Maybe Tuscany is more laid back but I wasn't bothered by signage or speed demons. This was a pleasant surprise to me given the horror stories I had heard.------------------
Heather IP: Logged |
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