Getting Around

By Car

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 his lights, that's the signal for you to slow down so he 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. (Plus, the alternative is not pretty.)

Autostrade are superhighways, denoted by green signs and a number prefaced with an A, like the A1 from Rome to Florence. A few aren't numbered and are simply called raccordo, a connecting road between two cities (such as Florence-Siena and Florence-Pisa). 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, as in the SS222 from Florence to Siena. 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 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), as it is on the highway. Italians have an astounding disregard for these limits, mostly because the limits are only enforced if the offense is egregious. However, police can ticket you and collect the fine on the spot. The blood-alcohol limit in Italy is 0.05%, often achieved with just two drinks, but this too is not enforced as often as it is in Northern Europe or North America. Clearly drunk drivers, however, can expect to be arrested.

As far as parcheggio (parking) is concerned, on streets white lines indicate free public spaces and blue lines 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 booths are not usually manned 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 that 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: no passing; 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 40€ to 60€ 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 through Tuscany and Umbria, 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, or 199-166-177 to buy tickets; www.trenitalia.com), but servicing the Casentino and western Valdichiana in Tuscany is a private line called LFI, and northern Umbria is serviced by the private FCU. About the only difference you'll notice is that these private lines don't honor special discount cards or passes.

Italian trains are about as clean and comfortable as commuter trains in the United States. 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. (Try to find one full of nuns for a fighting chance at a smoke-free trip.) 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 (ES) is the "pendulum" train that zips back and forth between Rome and Milan, stopping at Florence and Bologna along the way. It's the fastest but most expensive option (first class only, a meal included); it has its own ticket window at the stations and requires a seat reservation. Other Eurostar/Eurocity (ES/EC, EN if it runs overnight) trains connect Italian cities with cities outside the country; these are the speediest of the standard trains, offering both first and second class and always requiring a supplement (except for Eurail Pass holders, though the conductors won't always believe you on this one); Intercity (IC) trains are similar to Eurocity 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 (Tuscany) or Interregionale (IR) if they don't (Tuscany to Umbria) -- 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 (124 miles) 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 distance-time correlation continues, with an extra day added to your limit for each 200km (124 miles) above 250km (155 miles) (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, which 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. 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, with luggage storage facilities at all but the smallest and usually a good bar attached that serves 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 sell you tickets.

Special Passes & Discounts -- To buy the Eurail Italy Pass, available only outside Italy, contact Rail Europe (www.raileurope.com). You have 2 months in which to use the train a set number of days; the base number of days is 3, and you can add up to 7 more. For adults, the first-class pass costs $239, second class is $211. Additional days cost roughly $30 more for first class, $25 for second class. For Youth tickets (under 26 years old), a 3-day pass is $171 and additional days about $20 each. Saver passes are available for groups of two to five people traveling together at all times, extending a discount of about $20 off an adult pass.

There are also Italy-Greece, Italy-Spain and Italy-France combinations, in addition to a rail-and-drive pass. This is valid for 2 months during which you can use 3 rail days and 2 car days (and add more car or rail days cheaply.) Prices start at $398 for second-class tickets and an economy car. Fares vary depending on type of car.

When it comes to regular tickets, if you're under 26, you can buy at any Italian train station a 40€ Carta Verde (Green Card) that gets you a 10% discount for domestic trips and 25% on international connections on all FS tickets for 1 year. Present it each time you go to buy a ticket. A similar deal is available for anyone over 75 with the Carta d'Argento (Silver Card): 15% off domestic and 25% off international, for 30€. Children 11 and under 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?"

Tuscan & Umbrian Bus Lines -- The ticketing offices and depots of most Tuscan bus lines based in Florence are very near the main train station, Santa Maria Novella.

Lazzi, Via Mercadante 2, Florence (tel. 055-363-041; www.lazzi.it), and SITA, Viale dei Cadorna 105, Florence (tel. 055-478-21 or 800-373-760 in Italy; www.sitabus.it), have service to all of Italy.

The following companies service northern Tuscany: CAP, Largo Alinari 11, Florence (tel. 055-214-637 or 055-292-268); CLAP, Via Luporini 895, Lucca (tel. 0583-5411; www.clapspa.it); and COPIT, Via XX Settembre 71/Stazione FS in Pistoia (tel. 0573-363-243; www.copitspa.it). CAT, Via G. Pietro 2, Carrara (tel. 0585-85-211), and Via Fiume 5a, Florence (tel. 055-283-400), services central and southern Tuscany and some of Arezzo province. CPT, Via Nino Bixio, Pisa (tel. 050-505-511 or 800-012-773 in Italy; www.cpt.pisa.it), services Pisa province. LFI, Via Guido Monaco 37, Arezzo (tel. 0575-324-294 or 0575-39-881; www.lfi.it), services Arezzo province and the Valdichiana. RAMA, Via Topazio 12, Grosseto (tel. 0564-475-111; www.griforama.it), services the Maremma and southern Tuscany. TRA-IN, Piazza San Domenico, Siena (tel. 0577-204-111 or 0577-204-246; www.trainspa.it), services Siena province.

In Umbria, ATC, Piazzale della Rivoluzione Francese, Terni (tel. 0744-492-711; www.atcterni.it), services southern Umbria and Orvieto. APM, Pian di Massiano, Perugia (tel. 075-506-781; www.apmperugia.it), services Perugia, Assisi, Todi, and northern Umbria. SSIT, Piazza della Vittoria, Spoleto (tel. 0743-212-208; www.spoletina.com), services the Spoleto area. And SULGA/ACAP, Pian di Massimo, Perugia (tel. 075-500-9641 or 075-74-641; www.sulga.it), has service to Perugia, Assisi, Todi, and northern Umbria.