This is how you can travel safely through Tuscany by car
The Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Cathedral of Florence or the Piazza del Campo in Siena – distracted by the countless sights and the beautiful landscape, many holidaymakers are overwhelmed by the comparatively hectic car traffic in Italy. Exceeding the speed limit, a parking violation or entering a traffic-calmed zone can happen faster than you would like. Back home in Germany, there is already a parking ticket from Italy in the mailbox.
Road traffic regulations similar to those in Germany, but…
Although the road traffic regulations in Italy are similar to those in Germany, there are a few things you should keep in mind if you want to avoid inconvenience or a traffic ticket from Italy. It starts with the sign colors:- While the motorways in Germany are signposted blue, the signs on Italian motorways are green.
- The signs on state roads are blue - the signs on federal roads in Germany, however, are yellow.
- Signs within cities are white.
- Signs indicating points of interest are brown.
The thing about speed limits
In Italy - as in Germany - the speed limit is 50 km/h within built-up areas. On state roads you can drive up to 90 km/h outside built-up areas and on the motorways you should adhere to the speed limit of 130 km/h. Don't be put off by Italian drivers who don't always follow the speed limit: there are far fewer speed checks in Italy than in Germany, but they do exist! In addition to the classic police checks, the speed on some motorways is also determined by the tutor control system. The speed is not measured at a specific point, but rather the average speed is determined through several consecutive measurements on a specific section of the route. Drivers are even notified of this on large display boards, although measurements are usually only taken for a few hours a day because otherwise the police would not be able to process the tickets. And then there are the speed limits, which you can safely ignore: These are signs that suddenly prescribe a speed of 30, 20 or 10 km/h and are usually set up in front of construction sites. But neither the Italians nor the police pay attention to these signs and interpret them more as an indication of the construction work.
Traffic-calmed zones in Italy
In many cities in Italy “Limited traffic zone“abbreviated”ZTL(traffic-calmed zones) have been set up, which are prohibited for vehicles without a special permit at certain times. Monitoring is carried out using video surveillance and all vehicle owners who enter or leave these zones without permission face high fines. Since every journey in and out is recorded, this can quickly become expensive. The zones are not always easy for tourists to see as the signs are often placed very high up.
Pay attention to the colors when parking
If you are looking for a parking space in Italy, you should definitely pay attention to the different colors on the curbs or parking lot markings:- Parking is only free with white markings.
- Black and yellow indicate a parking ban.
- Only residents, taxis and buses are allowed to park on yellow curbs.
- Parking on blue curbs is subject to a charge.
Drive carefully
The further south you go, the more carefully you should drive. Italians don't always use the turn signal on motorways when they want to overtake or change lanes. Lane boundaries are also often very generous on state highways. In addition, there is no harm in taking a look to the left and right to be on the safe side, despite the green traffic light. What else is important:- Outside built-up areas, the low beam headlights must always be switched on.
- The yellow breakdown vest must always be carried with you and in the event of a breakdown on the motorway, wearing the vest when leaving the car is mandatory.
- Winter and all-season tires may not be used in Italy between May 15th and October 14th.
- In Italy, buses always have the right of way!
