How to DRIVE IN ITALY | Your Ultimate Survival Guide

Italian here: service areas (Autogrill) are fine but DON'T fill the tank there unless you absolutely are in need. You pay up to 20% more than outside the Autostrada. Fill your tank before entering the Autostrada.

As an Italian, I never realized how much I took for granted.

I just realized something about pedestrian stripes: NEVER NEVER take for granted that drivers will stop to let you cross! It depends a lot from town to town and from the driver itself. Always seek for eye contact and let them slow down enough before to cross. It is for your safety! Tip: in Switzerland you can be pretty sure every one will brake to stop and let you cross… in Italy it deserves attention!

as an italian, I have to say you understood italian traffic rules better than many italians. Nice video.

As a well travelled Italian, I recommend driving in my Country only to very confident drivers and to follow all the instructions and advice on this video. It is very well made. As a side note, if you're driving a car in a small narrow road and end up damaging it, please mind that you might have damaged a private property wall as well so, be very careful.

Italian here: More you go near Rome (i'm Roman driver), more you have to pay attention. People drive like they have 9 life, lot of people feel like they are in formula 1, and above all, just to be in front of you, they are willing to do anything, literally. So when you drive in these areas, you need to be twice as alert, because the rules become less strict, and as the temperatures rise, people lose their sense of reason.

The speed camera in Autostrada are called tutor, tutor use a different tecnique than normal speed camera, the normal speed camera take the istant speed that you are going in that point, tutor instead count the time that you travel in a cert amount of space, like 3km, you pass one camera keep your plate and start a stopwatch after 3km there is another camera that take for the second time your plate, and see your time travel, if it is under the time limit you are ok, of not it send your plate with the speed that you were traveling to the autorities.

Ok, now I need an Italian dubbed version of this video to be shown to my fellows italian compatriots, because many... many... MANY of us need those instructions... 🤣 Jokes aside, I think that this little gem of a video is the most relevant and complete guide to what to expect and how to handle driving in my country that I ever seen. And i want to praise the grace and clarity of presentation you put into it. Hope to meet you somewere here in Italy one day! Byeeee!

È vero, siamo molto attenti a cosa fanno gli altri automobilisti perché sappiamo che ci sarà sempre un italiano che non rispetta le regole stradali😂 Bellissima guida, l ho guardata con piacere. Ciao❤

I did all the driving when I spent a month in Italy…the hardest part about it was honestly ending up down ever shrinking roads until nearly stuck (in a compact vehicle)! Once I had to parallel park on a steep hillside and somehow also start the car and attempt to get out…but otherwise I did a great job. My dad was the backseat driver so it was a high pressure situation lol 😂

Italian living near the Swiss border here. This is the most comprehensive and clear guide to driving in my own country that I have ever watched. I’m sharing this video to all my (Italian and non Italian) friends, it’s just perfect. Thank you - and drive safe.

6:01 the white sign with a red border means that access is forbidden from both sides (yes, unless authorized). The next sign, the red sign with the white rectangle, means that access is forbidden by this side, but it is allowed from the other side, because it's a one-way street and if you enter from there you are going in the wrong direction.

Kudos to you for this video, as an Italian I can assure you it's 100% accurate.

Hello folks. I'm italian and I fonund interesting your video. Thanks a lot. Some points to consider: 1. May be you'll find easier to refuel in highway but consider that highway gas stations are legal robbery. During "office" time it's easy to find a station with operator or a self working with credit/debit card and ... PIN outside highways! But it's all a question of money. 2. When you pay highway toll the automatic voice say you arrivederci-goodby. It's really italian to answer. Yes we are used to chat a lot and we chat to machines too. Feel free to answer in english. Really italian is to answer very bad words: it's catartic! But it is a long story so stick to your attitude and simply say goodby! 3. Roundabout: the sign is correct but first consideration is that it is a "danger" sign. Roundabout are not dangerous, they are really static and have no erratic behaviour. Many time erratic are drivers: you described perfectly what is the law but you may find many drivers out of the law. Possible deviations to take care: following car horning. As before we chat a lot and we love to inform the rest of the world our feelings (In Italy we have many poets and musicians, it's not a case). The car is our body/mind extension and horning is a way to chat, communicate (refer to point 2 and talking to machines). So disregard the horny(ng) advice and drive safely your way. More important is approaching the roundabout: there is a second unwritten rule. I'm not suggesting this rule but to defend yourself. The rule is that if you drive into the roundabout fast enough you have right of way! Obviously as in a F1 Race little mistakes may results in serious accidents! As me and you are not payed to race we must rely on insurance ... I heard you had bad experience so I suggest avoid that competition and interacting with insurance company. 4. Signs are important but sometimes may be erratic. Ok you are right it is not erratic the sign but could be the worker who posed it. In particular speed limit signs. Avoiding speeding fine sometimes it's impossible, could be easier to win casino! Italians have two opinions. First one is that speed limits and autovelox are part of a global plot: majours need money so signs and autovelox are theire moneymachine! No way for money to survive into your wallet... Second one is that speeding fine is the fate, when it's your time there is no way to avoid. May be seems a joke but the reality could be signs covered by other signs (advertizing signs ...), bushes cars or trucks so invisible, and speed limits that sometimes means "I know you'll drive twice the speed"! For now it's all: take care and have nice and safe holiday in italy!

I am Italian, and I live in Rome, which is a hellish city for traffic, and it may seem crazy to foreigners, forced to drive in a big city, don't do it...!!! this guide is 100% accurate, well done...!!!!

Italian here: such a thoughtful and lovely video. I really like the way you present information, one could even use that to teach Italians how to drive 😂

As a Sicilian who has also lived and driven in both the US ( in Boston which has the alleged worst drivers in the US) and in a major central Italian city, Rome, Italy presents a very challenging driving environment full of perils. I would not recommend driving here if you aren't used to driving on twisting mountain roads first of all. Sicily is super dangerous in this regard. Then I would add driving experiences in cities like Palermo and Naples are for only more mature drivers. They take the top of "defensive drivers" who will challenge all of your patience and sense of motorist respect.

I just moved to Italy and this video has been very informative.

As an italian, i said you make a excellent video…good job!!

Guys you have serious skills. Your video is the best informative one I've watched so far on youtube about driving in Italy