Believe me, Italian cars are made for Italian roads. I have driven full-size cars in Italy. Most old towns in Italy were built in the 13th and 14th century. There were no Cadillac Escalades or Hennessey Trucks. The towns were planned for donkey traffic. I’ve got seriously stuck with a Cadillac Eldorado ’73 in Castelsardo (Sardegna) and with a large Volvo in Rome. In Volterra, I drive a grey Fiat Panda Hybrid with Italian plates. It has the perfect size for Italian roads. More than hundred thousand get sold per year in Italy for good reason. It is a cheap, reliable, comfortable car. To rent it will cost about EUR 50 per day or EUR 300 per week (EUR 350 per months long term). Please remember your car’s number plate because there will be five of the same color in any parking lot!
The Italian upper-class drive shiny black European luxury cars but they too will use a Fiat 500 to enter the town center because where and how will you park a BMW 7 series in Florence?
Do’ and Don’t’s: Never leave any luggage visible inside the car! Don’t forget your phone in the car if you don’t intend to gift it to a less fortunate human being! Italian speed limits are slightly flexible, Waze will show you those that are not flexible. If you drive too fast, you will learn that Italian police do know how to catch Ferraris and Lamborghinis. Please respect the speed limit of 50 km/h inside localities, there are many speed traps! Don’t park in front of a Passo carrabile sign! The sign may look rusty, the wooden door is one century old, but there is a Fiat Panda 45 behind it and the 85 years old owner wants to drive his wife to the hospital.
In many Italian towns (including Volterra, Pisa, Firenze, Siena, Livorno) there are ZTL zones with limited traffic. They apply to tourists too! The charming police woman will stop you angrily if you trespass. The small video camera on top of the ZTL sign will read your car’s number plates and a friendly computer will send you an invoice wherever in the world you want to hide. If you don’t pay, Saint Peter will probably charge your credit card before he lets you enter Heaven.
If you park your car where parking is not allowed, don’t be surprised if your car gets towed to the recycling lot outside the town. I paid EUR 350 to get my car back. Remember to stay calm, talk politely and (seriously) do not use profanities. A few f***s and d****s will worsen a bad situation quickly. Carabinieri and Guardia di Finanza are not amused.
Rental Cars: I prefer the local companies. Sicily by Cars’ vehicles look less shiny which is a good thing in Italy. After you receive the car, circle it with your phone video. Expect to drive a small manual car. Take all insurances! Not all rental cars have a GPS, if your phone has no Internet service in Italy, get an Italian SIM card as soon as you cross into Italy.
La Hasa 