FULLY INCLUSIVE CAR HIRE IN ITALY INCLUDES:
Comprehensive Insurance, Airport fees & local surcharges, Loss / Collision Damage Waiver, Unlimited mileage on car hires.

WHY SHOULD I HIRE A CAR IN ITALY?
Driving around in a hire car is a great way to see Italy's towns, cities and luscious countryside. You travel at your own pace, stop when you want to and explore off the beaten path. There are over 4,000 miles of highways throughout the country, making all regions of Italy easily accessible !!

DRIVING IN ITALY
The Italians drive on the right and overtake on the left. They tend to come right up behind your hire car and follow you bumper to bumper, this is not road rage, merely the fact that they will not overtake from any other direction but the left. So you should change your hire cars position into the right lane, and let the Italians overtake as soon as it is safe to do so.

If you find yourself driving your hire car on a three lane road, remember that the middle lane is used for overtaking which must always be signalled in advance and the signal must be kept on whilst overtaking, but don't be surprised to find Italians paying remarkably little respect to lane definition…..they drive all over the road and try to get away with anything they can.

In Italy, all cars (including your hire car) are required to keep their low-beam lights on at all times when on the motorway or four-lane highways. High-beam headlights can be used only outside cities and towns and when there are no oncoming vehicles; otherwise use only low-beam. If your hire car is stationary and is not clearly visible, the parking lights must be kept on. When driving your hire car in towns and cities do not use undipped headlights:


ROAD NETWORKS
The roads in Italy are quite good and are classified as follows:
Autostrade - Motorways with green signs, most of these charge tolls
Strade Statali – A Roads with blue signs, 2-3 lanes
Strade Provinciali - B Roads with white signs and gravel road
Strade Comunali - Local Roads with NO signs and dirt road

On maps the Motorways are shown with an 'A' before the road number. The A roads (strade statali) are represented by SS and the B Roads with a ‘P’ or ‘SP’.

The motorway network in Italy is quite heavily tolled in comparison to other countries, but you do not have to use these as there is a good network of state roads to get you around in your hire car. As a tourist you may find that avoiding the motorways is a good idea since the B roads (Strade provinciali) will bring you into the real Italian countryside.

The Italian Highways Association has an excellent website showing the major highway routes between all points in Italy. It even shows you how to calculate your own tolls (see below).


TOLLS IN ITALY
Almost all autostrade in Italy (except some of those south of Naples) are toll roads. Toll costs are totally dependant on how far you travel on the Autostrade and on the size of your hire car. Sometimes you pay the clerk directly for the toll, sometimes collect a ticket and pay later.

The easiest way to pay tolls is to use a major credit card. When you get to the exit ramp, look for the lanes with a large sign showing the pictures of the various credit cards. Insert the toll ticket first (with the arrow pointing forward), then your credit card (with the hologram out). If the machine "talks to you," it's telling you to turn your card around the other way. To get a receipt, retrieve your card, push the red button for the receipt and drive your hire car away.

Alternatively, you can purchase a €25 Viacard from toll booths, fuel stations, some banks, tourist offices, and tobacconists. This should be kept in your hire car and inserted into a slot on the controlling mackine at the automatic barriers.


SPEED
The standard limits apply unless the weather is wet in which case the reduced limits apply.

Please also note that if your hire car has an engine smaller than 1090 cc your speed should be limited to 110 kph (68 mph) on the motorways.

Furthermore, the Motorway speed limits are reduced to 110 kph (68 mph) during the following: Saturday and Sunday, the Thursday before Easter through the Wednesday after, midweek national holidays, 20 December to 7 January, and from the Saturday before the second Sunday in July through the first Sunday in September.

Speed limits, shown above, are implemented rigorously. Radar traps are frequent and fines are on-the-spot and particularly heavy for speeding offences. If you are fined when driving your hire car in Italy make sure the police hand over a receipt for the amount of the fine paid.

CAR HIRE SEAT BELTS:
Your hire car will be fitted with front and rear seat belts. These are compulsory for all passengers and it is illegal to travel without a seat belt on.

Please bear in mind that children under four cannot travel in your hire car unless they in a suitable restraint system. Our local car hire supplier can provide you with a baby seat for this purpose if booked in advance. Children between four and 12 cannot travel as front-seat passengers unless using suitable restraint system which again can be provided by our local car hire supplier if booked in advance.


CAR HIRE PARKING
You should always park your hire car on the right side of the road.

You may park in a Blue Zone or Zona Disco for a maximum of one hour from 9am to 2.30pm and 4pm-8pm Mon-Sat (except holidays) and your hire car must display a valid parking disc which can be obtained at fuel stations, tourist offices, and motor club offices. Some cities also have Green Zones or Zona Verde where parking is prohibited from 8am to 9.30am and from 2.30pm to 4pm on weekdays. There are also parking meters in most towns and cities; you will see these near the area you want to park in.

It is advisable for you to leave your hire car outside the major cities as driving and parking is difficult at best. Many of the smaller walled cities require a permit to be allowed into certain areas - like the town itself! Accordingly, if you pass a gate and find yourself inside the walls of a large old town, there are some parking rules that will effect you. The punishment is a ticket from the omnipresent traffic cop (the Carabinieri) or worse having your hire car towed. It is no pleasant experience getting your hire car back.


FUEL IN ITALY
There are plenty of Petrol stations along the Autostrade in Italy, unleaded petrol is benzina senza piombo and diesel is gasolio. Petrol stations are open from 7:00AM to 12:30PM and from 3:00PM to 7:30PM with 24hr stations on the motorways. Payment cards (credit/charge/debit) are accepted at most filling stations along most major towns, but automatic pumps only accept Euro notes (5, 10 and 20), so make sure you have some of these tucked away in your hire car for emergencies.


WHAT DOCUMENTS WILL I NEED TOO CARRY?
When driving around in your hire car, you should carry your driving licence, insurance certificates and all the other appropriate documentation given to you by the local car hire company. For any motoring offences, the Italian police are empowered to revoke your licence and to collect fines on the spot.


WHAT DO I DO IN THE CASE OF AN ACCIDENT?
Depending on the severity of the accident you will need to call one of the following, Police (Polizia) 113, Fire (Vigili del Fuoco) 115, or Ambulance 118. If there is any damage to the hire car or to a passenger of yours or another car then calling the police is essential. You will need to provide the local car hire supplier with a cop of the police report as soon as possible. You should also take contact details and the registration number of all witnesses to the accident. If you have a camera make sure you take photographs from all angles before any vehicle is moved.


WHAT IS THE ALCOHOL LIMIT IN ITALY?
The legal blood alcohol level for driving in Italy 80mg, the same as in the UK. The best course of action is not to drink if you are going to driving your hire car since the limit is strictly adhered to and random breath tests are common throughout Italy.


CITY SPECIFICS
In Florence, all cars are banned from the city centre from 7.30am to 6.30pm on weekdays; you may enter the centre in your hire car during these times to load or unload but must then move on to park outside the centre.

In Italy a sign reading zona tutelata indicates that parking is prohibited from 7.30am to 6.30pm on weekdays; punishment for violating this ordinance may include a prison sentence.

In Italy, parking is very difficult to find. Instead you should park your hire car at one of the mainland car parks and then take a bus or ferry from there to the city. The parking facility at Mestre, however, is a well-known haunt of thieves and you are advised not to park your hire car there.

Naples (along with Seville, Spain) is Europe's most infamous lair of thieves. Furthermore, driving your hire car in Naples will be notoriously difficult. Instead of taking your hire car into Naples, stay on the Ischia or Sorrento Peninsula and take the catamaran or aliscafi to the city.

OUR LOCATIONS
We can arrange your car hire in Italy or Sicliy in all the following locations:-Agrigento, Albenga, Alessandria, Alghero, Alghero Airport, Alghero Fertilia Airport, Anagni, Ancona, Ancona Airport, Aosta, Assago, Asti, Bari, Bari Airport, Belluno, Bergamo, Bergamo Airport, Bologna, Bologna (Amendola), Bologna (Stalingrado), Bologna Airport, Bolzano, Brescia, Brescia Montichiari Airport, Brindisi, Brindisi Airport, Brindisi Papola Casele Airport, Cagliari, Cagliari Airport, Caltanisetta, Casale Monferrato, Caserta, Cassino, Castiglioncello, Catania, Catania Airport, Catania Downtown, Catania Fontanarossa Airport, Cefalu, Como, Cosenza RRS, Cremona, Desenzano del Garda, Desenzano sul Garda, Erice, Fabriano, Fano, Ferrara, Florence, Florence (Firenze), Florence Airport, Foggia, Foggia Airport, Frosinone, Gaeta, Garda, Gela, Genoa, Genoa Airport, Genova, Giardini Naxos, Imperial, Jesolo, La Mezia Airport, La Mezia Terme, La Mezia Terme Airport, La Spezia, Lavagna, Lecce, Legnano, Livorno, Lodi, Lucca, Massa, Messina, Mestre, Milan, Milan (Ang. Piazza Missori), Milan (Eurofilpa Srl)

CAR HIRE ITALY – Quotes and Bookings
To book choose your location for car hire in ITALY, check out our prices,
and proceed to the secure booking form. We offer car hire from the following car hire locations in ITALY; ROME ROME AIRPORT MILAN MILAN AIRPORT VENICE NAPLES NAPLES AIRPORT VERONA VERONA AIRPORT SICILY SARDINIA SICILY & SARDINIA PISA PISA AIRPORT BARI PESCARA AIRPORT PALERMO AIRPORT