Salve a Tutti, e Benvenuti in estate!

[Greetings Everyone and welcome to summer!]

Siamo appena entrati in estate. I giorni cominciano ad accorciarsi, ahimè! Ma non importa perché i giorni sono belli, il tempo è mite e non si prevede neve per il prossimo futuro!

[We have entered the summer season. Alas, the days start to shorten! But, it doesn't matter because the days are beautiful, the weather is mild and there is no snow forecast for the foreseeable future!]

Many visitors to Italia – this Summer and beyond – will be renting automobiles (and driving them, too). Many visitors - perhaps you - will certainly expect to drive here and there and everywhere in Il Bel Paese.

Some related words...

macchina, auto, automobile, autovettura

[all mean car]

noleggiare un macchina

[To rent a car]

autonoleggio

[Car rental - the location where you rent the car]

auto da noleggio

[rental car]

There is much to say about this topic:

• What are the alternatives to driving?
• Is it better to rent small or larger vehicles?
• What are the regulatory requirements to rent (and drive) in Italia?
• Are there any caveats regarding auto rental in general? 
• What do all those darn Italian road signs mean?
• What's the best way to navigate?
• How does one best deal with all the driving restrictions?
• How can one avoid fines and encounters with the law?
• How does one deal with fines and traffic stops?
• What is there to know about dealing with accidents?
• Any advice on how to deal with those crazy Italian drivers?
• Related... any good curse words and expressions to use when driving in Italia?

Quite a bit more can be discussed on the topic of driving in Italia when, as an American tourist, you decide to take the plunge and press that ignition button!

In this issue of 🇮🇹La Newsletter Italiana, I will focus on helping you understand some of the most important Italian traffic signs and symbology you need to know about when driving in Italia. I concentrate specifically on signs that you need to decipher when parking your car in and around Italian cities and towns.

Misunderstanding or ignoring these signs are likely to affect your wallet and ultimately, your enjoyment of your entire trip.

Some signs are obvious and may even be used in the States, where a good number of international signage has been adopted over the years. Other signs, symbols and icons... well, they're not so obvious. Additionally, many apply to usage and regulations that we are not familiar with and don't have here in the States. When you bite the bullet and decide to drive on Italia's highways and byways (I had to look-up that word), you'll need to understand and deal con una panoplia [with a panoply] of new signs and symbols, and often without a moment's hesitation, take the appropriate actions.

Guardiamo alcuni segnali stradali più comuni che sicuramente incontrerete per strada mentre guidate per tutta Italia. È molto importante capire il loro significato, specialmente i cartelli che regolano il parcheggio di autovetture.

[Let's look at some of the most common traffic/road signs that you will certainly encounter on the road while driving all over Italia. As I mentioned, deciphering signs related to car parking can only occur when their meanings are clearly understood.]

For the love of everything that is good and holy, if an Italian poliziotto or carabiniere waves a red and white paddle [la paletta] at you, don't just wave back while thinking about how friendly Italian cops are! YOU MUST PULL OVER!!

Oh... and try not to hit the nice policeman!

Allow me to bluntly state that not knowing IF you can park, WHERE you can park, and for HOW LONG, can land you with numerous types of multe o infrazioni [fines or violations].

Generally, if you’re not using a dedicated parking facility, you’ll need to pay attention to the COLOR OF THE LINES you see painted on the road as well as the signs you see on the street.

BLUE LINES

Blue lines signify che bisogna pagare [one has to pay] to leave your car there, usually via un parchimetro [a parking meter].

YELLOW LINES

Yellow lines are warnings that the designated areas or spaces are reserved for certain drivers, such as local residents, workers or for drivers stopping per andare in farmacia [to go the pharmacy], for example. 

WHITE LINES

These parking spots can be used by anyone, and they are usually free. However, you should ALWAYS check the curbside for any parking meters, signs or parking instructions and for policemen waiving a red and white paddle at you.

QUESTO ARTICOLO È SPONSORIZZATO

DALLA LETTERA 'P'

[This article is brought to you by the letter 'P']

BLUE SIGNS DISPLAYING THE LETTER 'P'

As you may anticipate, parking spaces are indicated with the letter ‘P’ which stands for the Italian word parcheggio, i.e; a parking spot, area or lot, or even garage; from the verb parcheggiare, as in 'parcheggiare la macchina' ['to park the car'].

This 'P' symbol is usually displayed on a blue background, as shown above. This sign was adopted for use in the U.S. years ago.

On the sign in the photo just above, there are a few symbols you need to understand in order to decipher the parking indications, exceptions, times, etc.

Starting from the left, this icon doesn't mean that you must bring a scale for weighing-in after a bucatini alla amatriciana meal, but it does denote a parking meter. You will have to pay for a parking ticket/voucher to leave your car parked in that zone. 

Next, the icon showing CROSSED PICKAXES means that parking here is valid on workdays (as if everyone works in construction!), while the CROSS doesn't mean that the spot is for churchgoers, but it does mean that the stated rules also apply on I GIORNI FESTIVI, [national holidays, as well as Sundays]

The dates and times placed below the symbols show when these rules are in force – here, it means from 25 April to 30 September, from 8 A.M. to 8 P.M.*

*As you probably know, for accurate planning and scheduling purposes – especially for travel – the 24-hour clock is used in many countries. So... on the 24-hour clock, '20' (i.e.; 'twenty-hundred hours' in military parlance) is equal to 8 P.M.

Check out this fun parking sign above...

There is much more information to be understood on this sign, including the changing parking fees for the days of the week and the weeks of the year.

Look! There's that parking meter symbol again to the right of the parcheggio 'P', with 8-20 written underneath – meaning you need to pay for a parking voucher between 8 A.M. to 8 P.M.

Further below, you see additional and important tidbits relating to the parking area in question. Why? Because there are different periods of the year where the parking regulations change.

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me...

The first section concerns ‘prefestivo di Pasqua‘, [the day before Easter] - which is also a feast day (festa) and marks the start of this special fee. As indicated, it runs until 31 May.

By the way, you should know that 'ore festive' or 'orari festivi' can often be found posted on store entrances as well. These are special hours ('ore' or 'orari') for holidays. Pay attention to these store signs, particularly during the month of August - il ferragosto - when Italians get the heck out of town, closing down shops and other businesses.

In this particular example, for holidays (i giorni festivi) or the days just before a holiday (i giorni prefestivi), the the parking fee is €0.80 (80 euro cents) an hour, or €4 (euro) for the whole day.

You will also frequently see the word feriali as in giorni feriali means workdays (but be careful, this is not to be confused with the similar sounding word, ferie, meaning work holidays). So, in our example, parking is gratuito [free] from Monday to Friday during this period.

Ci stiamo divertendo ora? [Are we having fun, yet?] 

Incidentally, you should bear in mind that there is another word meaning free (of cost) ➜  gratis.

Referring to the picture above once again, we notice the next part shows that this parking area is valid from 1 June through 30 June, and from 1 September through 15 September. The holiday and eves of holidays are the same fee, but this time, workdays (giorni feriali) are also paid parking – 50 cents an hour or €2.50 for the day. Isn't this fun?

Below that are the rates for stagione alta [peak season], defined here as 1 July through 31 August. But, look closely... the cross symbol (holidays including Sundays) and pickaxes symbol (workdays) can be seen yet again, meaning that the fees shown apply to ALL days, and there are no free parking days within this timeframe.

Finally, at the very bottom, you see indicated some extra instructions for i camper [campers] – in this example, la tariffa per un camper è maggiorata del 50% [the fee is increased 50 percent per camper].

... more anglicisms... sheesh!

Wow!! Be aware of the passage of time while you decipher these ... you don't want to miss the train or your return flight!!

The parking sign shown above indicates that only a maximum of 30 minutes are allowed. This is allowed ONLY for loading and unloading as depicted by the symbol of an Italian guy pushing a hand truck loaded with goods.

THESE TWO SIGNS SAVE YOU DOLLARS AND EURO!! MEMORIZE THEM! LEARN TO LOVE THEM!

THE NO PARKING SIGN  - - - THE NO STOPPING SIGN

Be sure to memorize the meaning of the sign - and symbol - shown above! The red circle with one diagonal line going through, over a blue center means that PARKING IS PROHIBITED (i.e.; a NO PARKING sign). Also, if there are crossing diagonal lines then this means NO STOPPING... which, of course, includes NO PARKING. More on this in an upcoming example.

Note that there are other written indications for NO PARKING ... most typically, divieto di posteggio ['divieto' is a noun meaning 'ban' while 'posteggio' is another word for the noun 'parking'] and the phrase, 'è vietato posteggiare' meaning 'it is forbidden to park'.

By the way, you will also see 'divieto di sosta' ['no stopping'].

In the absence of any other symbols or information, this parking ban is valid 24 hours a day on roads OUTSIDE OF URBAN AREAS.

However, ON URBAN STREETS, without any other instructions provided, the ban is in force from 8 A.M. to 8 P.M. Look for those little supplementary signs with figures, symbols or short inscriptions as they may limit the scope of this restriction.

In this example, we can see a blue parking 'P' symbol next to an icon denoting un poliziotto or un carabiniere [a policeman]. This may seem a bit odd, but what this indicates is that police vehicles are excluded from this parking restriction - meaning that the police is allowed to park or stop there in order to give you a ticket!! 

I bet the cops are grateful for that regulation! 

The image at the very bottom of the sign above depicts a car being towed. This indicates that parking in this NO PARKING zone constitutes a serious obstruction or danger, and that any vehicle parked there is subject to being removed and towed to the municipal depot.

Of course, this excludes police cars.

Just above you can see that the parking ban is 24 hours a day, indicated by the numbers below the round ‘no parking’ symbol. It indicates times from zero hours (midnight) to 24 hours (the following midnight). Again, we can see that any vehicle found parked there may be towed.

Can you figure out the meaning of the parking sign above? ...

Correct!! You can park here for up to 15 minutes.

However, there is also a different symbol at the bottom to the left of the number indicating 15 minutes. It represents a 'il disco orario'- not the name of a place where boomers can dance to 70's music, but a 'parking disk' which has been used for many decades - and is quite analog! I am very familiar with this because my cousins and I used to throw them around like frisbees!

This disco must be displayed in plain sight near the parabrezza [windshield] of your car at the time of your arrival at the parking space. As shown in the image of the disco, if the time you dial-in on the shows that you have been parked longer than 15 minutes, you are subject to a parking fine.

I want to know... why can't we have these here in the States?

While tooling around Italia, you may come across a so-called parcheggio rosa [pink parking]. These spaces or areas are reserved for pregnant women as well as parents with children under two-years-old. I've seen similar indications here in grocery store parking lots... but they're not as elegant or colorful.

And, no... this doesn't apply to husbands acting like two-year olds!

The Dreaded 'ZTL'

Beware of the 'ZTL' a.k.a Zona Traffico Limitato [Restricted Traffic Zone] – this is one sign you’ll need to learn before driving anywhere in Italia! This is because they are very common these days, and ignoring the regulations will hurt your travel pocketbooks. These areas can easily get the best of us; they're often easy to miss because you may not even know they exist.

This is why Sandrino is here to assist and guide you! 

Referring to the photo just above, if you see a round road sign showing, a RED EMPTY CIRCLE and containing the letters ‘ZTL’, DO NOT DRIVE DOWN THAT STREET unless you have a special permit. Thing is, if you’re just visiting Italia, it’s unlikely you will notice one.

You are most likely to find ZTLs around congested areas and within i centro città [city centers], especially the many towns that have un centro storico [a historic center; the oldest part of town]. The Italian government introduced these special zones in an effort to reduce pollution and congestion. As a result, the only vehicles allowed to enter a ZTL are local residents or businesses in the area, and emergency vehicles, of course.

If you unwittingly drive past one of these signs, una fotocamera [a traffic camera] will capture your numero di targa [license plate number]. You can expect to receive a friendly fine of between €83 and €332 (I know, these are strange costs), plus administrative costs. Don't think you can escape this by using a rental car, as you will be charged for the fine by the rental agency long after you've returned home!

Notice that within the body of this road sign in this example, we see that the ZTL applies 24 hours a day (0-24), but what follows is additional information that points out some some exceptions – shown as ‘eccetto' ['exception(s)']

The symbols indicate that you can drive down that ZTL without a permit if you’re driving un motorino [a scooter] or un motociclo [a motorbike], or you are handicappato [disabled]. 

Also, as seen in this example, traveling to the two specified streets are allowed for services only, like taxis as shown in one of the symbols.

Finally, at the very bottom is an additional sign - a very important one I mentioned earlier - the crossed red diagonal slashes over a blue-filled circle that means NO PARKING, NO STOPPING. In the absence of additional information, the ban is permanent and in-force 24 hours a day.

So... if you see this circular sign... just move on, nothing to see!

Your vehicle will be removed if it’s found 'stopped' in any area where this round sign is displayed. So this means... no stopping the car solo per un attimo [only for a brief time] to run into the caffè-bar to grab a cappuccino da portare via [cappuccino to go]

(wait... is it 11 A.M. yet?)

Allora ricordatevi [So remember], as a tourist driving in Italia... AVOID THE ZTL!!

The photo above (enhanced for clarity) shows a sign indicating that the ZTL has ended, i.e.; you are leaving this restricted traffic zone - denoted by the slash over the blank red circle. You may drive beyond that point without needing a permit.

Vi sta per scoppiare la testa? A me sì!!!

Questo vuole dire che è arrivato il momento di prenderci una bella pausa-caffè e di riflettere su questa faccenda dei segnali stradali italiani!

[Is your head about to explode? Mine sure is!!! This means that it must be time to take a nice coffee break and ponder the significance of what we have just learned about these wonderful Italian traffic/parking signs!]

As you will come to learn in future issues of 🇮🇹La Newsletter Italiana and elsewhere, getting around in Italia can be a real challenge. Navigating at the mercy of the numerous and utterly confusing traffic signs and indications can be quite daunting. However, it is important to familiarize yourself with the most ubiquitous - and important - signs. 

While enjoying your beverage, peruse the infographic below, showing you the most common and important traffic signs in Italia and elsewhere within the European Union.

La pausa-caffè e terminata!

Continuiamo con il discorso dei segnali stradali...

[Coffee break is over! Let's continue with

this discussion of Italian traffic signs...]



Residential Areas

Take care when driving through residential areas, as the rules may differ compared to driving within the centro or centro-città [a town center].

In the photo just above, see the blue sign depicting a nice house and tree with children playing calcio [soccer]? This does not mean you can stop to let your kids or grandkids or spouse go play ball. Rather, it indicates the start of a street or residential area where special traffic rules apply, which are shown on the other sign below the blue one.

The bottom sign informs that driving through this area is restricted to a maximum speed of 30 km/hr, that transit of commercial vehicles is allowed as long as the gross vehicle weight is not more than 3.5 tons – unless it’s for loading and unloading goods.

While that is not likely to apply to you, the bottom-most blue 'P' symbol certainly might. This informs you that when parking, you must do so entro gli spazi [within the provided/designated spaces].

And... yes, this means no parking on sidewalks, lawns, or playgrounds! Don't say Sandrino didn't warn you!

Area Pedonale

[Pedestrian Area]

Finally, you can’t drive through areas that are meant exclusively for pedestrian use. This is indicated by a blue round sign containing a figure of a person walking (looks more like an Italian zombie to me).

It may also be accompanied by the description ‘area pedonale‘.

In this example, there are no times specified, so assume that it applies 24 hours a day. Note, though, that there are exceptions also shown on this sign. The bottom part tells you that cyclists may use that route, shown by the bicycle symbol and the description velocipedi (any form of pedal-equipped vehicle with two or more wheels), as well as veicoli autorizzati [authorized vehicles]. That could mean street sweeping Zambonis or vehicles belonging to local residents, for example.

When in doubt, it’s unlikely you can drive down that area!

🇮🇹 🇮🇹 🇮🇹 🇮🇹 🇮🇹

You'll be happy to know that we're done for now...

There is much more to say and to explain about automobile driving issues while visiting beautiful Italia. One good thing to be thankful for is that driving in Italia is on the right, as it is here in the U.S. ... although sometimes - in some places (who said Napoli?) - you'd have to question that!

Driving abroad can certainly be stressful and may even ruin one's vacation. Hopefully the information in this article will give you some relief - or maybe not. In any event, whether you drive or take in the wonderful scenery by train or professional driver - or even by plane ... have a great and safe trip...

BUON VIAGGIO!

[Bon Voyage!]

BUONA GITA IN MACCHINA!

[Have a good car trip!]

Buona estate e ci sentiamo presto nel prossimo numero della nostra bellissima 🇮🇹Newsletter Italiana!

[Have a great summer, and we'll meet again soon in the next issue of our beautiful

🇮🇹Newsletter Italiana!]

Per adesso, vi do un caloroso CIAO-CIAO!