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Driving in Italy was a huge fear of mine for far too long. Despite traveling in Italy several times a year, having lived in Italy, and having traveled to most of Italy’s regions, I had done all of my exploring by train because driving seemed too hard.
A few years ago, I was hired for a campaign in the Gargano region of Puglia and could only get there by car. I was terrified. Not only was this my first time driving in Italy, this was SOUTHERN Italy. Don’t people say the south is the worst for driving?!
Then I actually drove through Italy — and I was shocked by how easy it was. Embarrassingly easy. The autostrada was big, beautiful, and smooth the entire way. Finding my way into the tiny town of Carpino was straightforward with GPS. Later, I drove down to Alberobello and easily found a parking space on the edge of the city center, just a five-minute walk from the famous trulli houses.
I really hadn’t expected it to be that easy. It made me realize how much I had been missing by being afraid to rent a car.
Today, a lot of my readers contact me about their Italy trips and want to know two things: if they really have to drive, and how scary it is to drive in Italy. I’ve done so many of these emails this year that I decided to write out a full guide including everything you need to know so I can just send them the post in the future.
Get ready to learn everything you need to know about driving in Italy!
Italian Driving FAQ
Don’t believe the movies! Italian drivers aren’t as bad as they say. You should know that Italian drivers do tend to be a bit impatient, though.
Tuscany and Puglia are my two favorite regions for driving in Italy. Roads are in good condition and there’s so much to see in the countryside that you can’t get to by train.
You won’t be asked for an international driving permit at the rental desk, but you will need one if you get pulled over by the police, so it’s smart to get one. Americans can get one for $20 at AAA.
I recommend avoiding driving in major cities in Italy, especially Naples and Palermo, which tend to have the worst driving…
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