Getting Around

By Car

Italy is best explored by car. In fact, one of the most common and convenient ways to take a tour of this area is to fly or take a train into, say, Milan, see the city, and then pick up a rental car to wend your way through whichever bit takes your fancy before ending up in Genoa, Venice, or Bologna (or Florence or Rome to the south), where you can drop off the car and fly home.

That said, driving in Italy is also expensive and notoriously nerve-racking -- for both the winding roads and the Italian penchant for driving a Fiat like a Ferrari. Both rental and gas prices are as high as they get in all of Europe. Before leaving home, apply for an International Driver's Permit from the American Automobile Association (AAA; tel. 800-222-1134 or 407-444-4300; www.aaa.com). In Canada, the permit is available from the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA; tel. 613-247-0117; www.caa.ca). Technically, you're required to have this permit, your actual driver's license, and an Italian translation of the latter (also available from AAA and CAA) to drive in Italy, though in practice a driver's license is all you'll need.

Italy's equivalent of AAA is the Automobile Club d'Italia (ACI), a branch of the Touring Club Italiano. They're the people who respond when you place an emergency 116 call for road breakdowns, though they do charge for this service if you're not a member. If you wish, you may join at the border as you're driving into Italy or online at www.aci.it.

Rentals -- Many of Italy's most charming landscapes lie far away from the rail network. For that, and for sheer convenience, renting a car is usually the best way to explore the country. It's also the most expensive (Italy's rates have always been some of the highest in Europe) and is usually a consideration only for the budgeter traveling with one or more companions to split the cost.

The legalities and contractual obligations of renting a car in Italy (where accident and theft rates are very high) are more complicated than those in almost any other country in Europe. You must have nerves of steel, a sense of humor, a valid driver's license or International Driver's Permit (with photo), and a valid passport, and be over 25 (some places accept 21). Payment and paperwork are much easier if you present a valid credit card with your completed rental contract (many companies won't even consider a non-credit card payment). If that isn't possible, you'll likely be required to pay a substantial deposit, sometimes in cash. Insurance on all vehicles is compulsory, though what kind and how much is up to you and your credit card company: Ask the right questions and check with your credit card company before leaving home.

Driving Rules -- Italian drivers aren't maniacs; they only appear to be. Actually, they tend to be very safe and alert drivers -- if much more aggressive than Americans are used to. If someone races up behind you and flashes her lights, that's the signal for you to slow down so she can pass you quickly and safely. Stay in the right lane on highways; the left is only for passing and for cars with large engines and the pedal to the metal. If you see someone in your rearview mirror speeding up with his hazard lights blinking, get out of the way because it means his Mercedes is opened up full throttle. On a two-lane road, the idiot passing someone in the opposing traffic who has swerved into your lane expects you to veer obligingly over into the shoulder so three lanes of traffic can fit -- he would do the same for you.

Autostrade are superhighways, denoted by green signs and a number prefaced with an A, like the famous A1 from Naples to Milan via Rome and Florence. Occasionally these aren't numbered and are simply called raccordo, a connecting road between two cities. On longer stretches, autostrade often become toll roads. Strade statale are state roads, usually two lanes wide, indicated by blue signs. Their route numbers are prefaced with an SS or an S. On signs, however, these official route numbers are used infrequently. Usually, you'll just see blue signs listing destinations by name with arrows pointing off in the appropriate directions. Even if it's just a few kilometers down on the road, often the town you're looking for won't be mentioned on the sign at the appropriate turnoff. It's impossible to predict which of all the towns that lie along a road will be the ones chosen to list on a particular sign. Sometimes, the sign gives only the first minuscule village that lies past the turnoff; at other times it lists the first major town down that road, and some signs mention only the major city the road eventually leads to, even if it's hundreds of kilometers away. It pays to study the map and fix in your mind the names of all three possibilities before coming to an intersection.

The speed limit on roads in built-up areas around towns and cities is 50kmph (31 mph). On rural roads and the highway, it's 110kmph (68 mph), except on weekends when it's upped to 130kmph (81 mph). Italians have an astounding disregard for these limits. However, police can ticket you and collect the fine on the spot. Although there's no official blood-alcohol level at which you're "legally drunk," the police will throw you in jail if they pull you over and find you intoxicated.

As far as parcheggio (parking) is concerned, on streets, white lines indicate free public spaces and blue lines show pay public spaces. Meters don't line the sidewalk; rather, there's one machine on the block where you punch in how long you want to park. The machine spits out a ticket that you leave on your dashboard. Sometimes streets will have an attendant who'll come around and give you your time ticket (pay him or her when you get ready to leave). If you park in an area marked PARCHEGGIO DISCO ORARIO, root around in your rental car's glove compartment for a cardboard parking disc (or buy one at a gas station). With this device, you dial up the hour of your arrival (it's the honor system) and display it on your dashboard. You're allowed un ora (1 hr.) or due ore (2 hr.), according to the sign. Parking lots have ticket dispensers but usually not manned booths as you exit. Take your ticket with you when you park; when you return to the lot to get your car and leave, first visit the office or automated payment machine to exchange your ticket for a paid receipt you then use to get through the automated exit.

Road Signs -- Here's a brief rundown of the road signs you'll most frequently encounter. A speed limit sign is a black number inside a red circle on a white background. The end of a speed zone is just black and white, with a black slash through the number. A red circle with a white background, a black arrow pointing down, and a red arrow pointing up means yield to oncoming traffic, while a point-down red-and-white triangle means yield ahead. In town, a simple white circle with a red border or the words ZONA PEDONALE or ZONA TRAFFICO LIMITATO denotes a pedestrian zone (you can drive through only to drop off baggage at your hotel); a white arrow on a blue background is used for Italy's many one-way streets; a mostly red circle with a horizontal white slash means do not enter. Any image in black on a white background surrounded by a red circle means that image is not allowed (for instance, if the image is two cars next to each other, then no passing is allowed; a motorcycle means no Harleys permitted; and so on). A circular sign in blue with a red circle-slash means no parking.

Gasoline -- Benzina (gas or petrol) is even more expensive in Italy than in the rest of Europe. Even a small rental car guzzles between 35€ and 55€ ($46-$72) for a fill-up. There are many pull-in gas stations along major roads and on the outskirts of town, as well as 24-hour rest stops along the autostrada highways, but in towns most stations are small sidewalk gas stands where you parallel park to fill up. Almost all stations are closed for riposo and on Sundays, but the majority of them now have a pump fitted with a machine that accepts bills so you can self-service your tank at 3am. Unleaded gas is senza piombo.

By Train

Italy has one of the best train systems in Europe, and even traveling on a regional level, you'll find many destinations connected. Most lines are administered by the state-run Ferrovie dello Stato or FS (tel. 892-021 for national train info, 199-166-177 to buy tickets; www.trenitalia.com), but private lines take up the slack in a few places. About the only difference you'll notice is that these private lines don't honor special discount cards or passes.

Italian trains tend to be very clean and comfortable. Though increasingly trains are of the boring straight-through commuter variety, on long-haul runs especially you'll still be blessed with those old-fashioned cars made up of couchette compartments that seat only six or occasionally eight. First class (prima classe) is usually only a shade better than second class (seconda classe), with four to six seats per couchette instead of six to eight. The only real benefit of first class comes if you're traveling overnight, in which case four berths per compartment are a lot more comfortable than six.

Few visitors are prepared for how crowded Italian trains can sometimes get, though with the increase in automobile travel, they're not as crowded as they were in decades past. An Italian train is only full when the corridors are packed solid and there are more than eight people sitting on their luggage in the little vestibules by the doors. Overcrowding is usually only a problem on Friday evenings and weekends, especially in and out of big cities, and just after a strike. In summer, the crowding escalates, and any train going toward a beach in August all but bulges like an overstuffed sausage.

Italian trains come in six varieties based on how often they stop. The Eurostar AV (AV) is the new-and-improved Eurostar (the AV stands for alta velocita or "high speed") that shaves a few minutes off its predecessor's quick times between major routes such as Rome-Milan, but, aside from a small price difference, it is identical to the Eurostar/Eurocity train. They share their ticket window at major stations and each requires a reservation. They connect major Italian cities with cities outside the country and with each other; these are the speediest of the standard trains, offering both first and second class and always requiring a supplement (except for Eurailpass holders, though the conductors won't always believe you on this one); Intercity (IC) trains are similar to Eurostar trains in that they offer both first and second class and require a supplement, but they never cross an international border.

Of the regular trains that don't require supplements -- often called Regionale (R) if they stay within a region (the Veneto) or Interregionale (IR) if they don't (the Veneto through Lombardy to Piemonte) -- the Espresso stops at all the major and most of the secondary stations, the Diretto stops at virtually every station, and the snail-paced Locale (sometimes laughingly called accelerato) frequently stops between stations in the middle of the countryside for no apparent reason.

When buying a regular ticket, ask for either andata (one-way) or andata e ritorno (round-trip). If the train you plan to take is an ES/EC or IC, ask for the ticket con supplemento rapido (with speed supplement) to avoid on-train penalty charges. On a trip under 200km (124 miles), your ticket is good to leave within the next 6 hours; over 200km you have a full day. (This code isn't rigorously upheld by conductors, but don't push your luck.) On round-trip journeys of less than 250km (155 miles), the return ticket is valid only for 3 days. This mileage/time correlation continues, with an extra day added to your limit for each 200km above 250 (the maximum is 6 days). If you board a regular train without a ticket (or board an IC/EC without the supplement), you'll have to pay a hefty "tax" on top of the ticket or supplement the conductor will sell you. Most conductors also get extremely crabby if you forget to stamp your ticket in the little yellow box on the platform before boarding the train.

Schedules for all lines running through a given station are printed on posters tacked up on the station wall. Binario (bin) means track. Useful schedules for all train lines are printed biannually in booklets (which are broken down into sections of the country -- you want nord e centro Italia, north and central Italy, or simply centro) available at any newsstand. There are official FS-published booklets, but the better buy is the Pozzorario, which not only is cheaper but also lists private lines (and it's just as accurate). You can also get official schedules (and more train information, some even in English) on the Web at www.trenitalia.com.

Stations tend to be well run and clean, with luggage storage facilities at all but the smallest and usually a good bar attached with surprisingly palatable food. If you pull into a dinky town with a shed-size or nonexistent station, find the nearest bar or tabacchi, and the man behind the counter will most likely double as the "station master" to sell you tickets.

Special Passes & Discounts -- To buy the Italy Flexi Railcard, available only outside Italy, contact Rail Europe (www.raileurope.com). It works similarly to the Eurailpass, in that you have 1 month in which to use the train a set number of days; the base number of days is 4, and you can add up to 6 more. For adults, the first-class pass costs 207€ ($269); adults traveling together can get the Saver version for 176€ ($229) each. The second-class version costs 166€ ($216) for adults (142€/$185 on the Saver edition); for those under 26, the price is 139€ ($181). Extra days cost 21€ ($27; 17€/$22 for Saver passes) in first class, 16€ ($21; 14€/$18 for Saver), and 14€ ($18) for youths.

A 4-day Trenitalia Pass is 447€ ($581) in first class, 357€ ($464) in second; a 5-day pass is 492€ ($640) in first class, 393€ ($511) in second; a 6-day pass is 536€ ($697) in first class, 428€ ($556) in second; a 10-day pass is 716€ ($931) for first class and 570€ ($741) for second. The Youth Pass version (for ages 16-25) is available for second-class travel only. A 4-day pass is 229€ ($298); a 5-day pass is 329€ ($428). Each additional day (up to 10 days) is an additional 30€ ($39). A Saver Pass allows two to five people to ride the rails for 4 to 10 days in either first or second class. A 4-day pass is 379€ ($493) in first class, 305€ ($397) in second class; a 5-day pass is 417€ ($542) in first and 335€ ($436) in second; a 10-day pass is 604€ ($785) for first class and 484€ ($629) for second class. Children age 4 to 11 pay 50% of the adult fare.

There is also a rail-and-drive pass, with 1 month during which you can use 4 rail days and 2 car days (and add more car days cheaply), available from Rail Europe. Price ranges depend on the class of car, how many people are traveling, and what class train travel you buy, but start at 182€ ($237) per person for two adults in an economy car and second-class train seats.

When it comes to regular tickets, if you're under 26, you can buy at any Italian train station a 26€ ($34) Carta Verde (Green Card) that gets you a 15% discount on all FS tickets for 1 year. Present it each time you go to buy a ticket. The same deal is available for anyone over 60 with the Carta d'Argento (Silver Card). Children under 12 always ride half price (and can get the passes mentioned above at half price), and kids under 4 ride free.

By Bus

Regional intertown buses are called pullman, though autobus, the term for a city bus, is also sometimes used. When you're getting down to the kind of small-town travel this guide describes, you'll probably need to use regional buses at some point. You can get just about anywhere through a network of dozens of local, provincial, and regional lines , but schedules aren't always easy to come by or to figure out -- the local tourist office usually has a photocopy of the schedule, and in cities some companies have offices. Buses exist mainly to shuttle workers and schoolchildren, so the most runs are on weekdays, early in the morning and usually again around lunchtime. All too often, though, the only run of the day will be at 6am.

A town's bus stop is usually either the main piazza or, more often, a large square on the edge of town or the bend in the road just outside the main city gate. You should always try to find the local ticket vendor -- if there's no office, it's invariably the nearest newsstand or tabacchi (signaled by a sign with a white T), or occasionally a bar -- but you can usually also buy tickets on the bus. You can also flag a bus down as it passes on a country road, but try to find an official stop (a small sign tacked onto a telephone pole). Tell the driver where you're going and ask him courteously if he'll let you know when you need to get off. When he says "E la prossima fermata," that means yours is the next stop. "Posso scendere?" (poh-so shen-dair-ay?) is "May I please get off?"

Northern Italy Bus Lines -- Unlike in central Italy and even the South, buses in northern Italy have limited appeal, as nearly every town is easily reached by train. Popular destinations for buses include hard-to-reach ski areas in the Alps and Dolomites, isolated towns in the Veneto, the Lakes Region (although it is a much prettier ride by boat), and beach resorts along the Ligurian coast.

Austostradale, with an office in Piazza Castello, Milan (tel. 166-845-010; www.autostradale.it), offers regular service to Aosta and to the Dolomite ski resorts of Madonna del Campiglio and Cortina d'Ampezzo. To move around the Dolomites, you can catch a bus from the unfortunately acronymed SAD company (tel. 0472-801-075; www.sad.it). To get to the Alpine resorts from Aosta, look for SAVDA buses (tel. 0165-841-397).

The Lakes Region is also best navigated by bus if you find the ferry schedule inconvenient. For towns on Lake Garda, contact SAIA (tel. 030-223-761) in Brescia or APT (tel. 045-800-4129) in Verona. For Lake Como, look for the blue SPT buses (tel. 031-304-744) in the center of any of the towns.

There is no shortage of local trains along the Ligurian coast (in fact, most trains stop in every small town, like it or not), but still a handful of companies operate bus service to popular destinations. One of them is Riviera Trasporti (tel. 0184-592-706; www.rivieratrasporti.it), which connects towns along the northern coast: San Remo, Imperia, Bordighera, and Ventimiglia.

In the Veneto, neither Bassano del Grappa nor Asolo is reachable by train. To get to Bassano, and then on to Asolo, you'll need to catch a FTV bus (tel. 0424-30-850; www.ftv.vi.it) in Vicenza.