ZTLs and Parking in Italy

The dreaded ZTL sign. This one is residents only.

This one has conditions, from 6:00 am to 10:30 except holiday Thursdays and Saturday

This one has a traffic light system, you can enter when it's green.

 

You can enter when it's not active.

 

This sign shows you will need to find a meter to purchase time. You will need to pay between 9 am and 8 pm every day including holidays/Sundays.

 Typical meter. There will be a language choice on most of them.

This parking sign shows that you need a scratch ticket. You will need to pay between the hours of 8:30 am and 1:00 pm and again between 3:30 pm and 8:00 pm on workdays (M-Sa). Between 1:00pm and 3:30 pm is free.

Scratch parking tickets. You will need to look for a nearby store which sells them.

This place uses the disk which is usually taped to the front windshield in a rental car or you can write the arrival time on a piece of paper and place on the dash.

 Here between the hours of 8:00 am and 8:00 pm, you get 30 minutes free.

Sample rates:

 Other things to watch for: Speed cameras

Train seat assignments

Hotel and Apartment Registration

Most hotels and apartments will ask you to sign a form similar to this one when you check in.  Italian law requires your details to be reported to the local police. There are two places to sign on the document, one confirms the details and the other allows the information to be reported due to privacy laws.


Some hotels/b&Bs are now submitting this form electronically but even then you may be asked to sign their copy.




(I've blocked out my signature and passport number on the scan)

Ostia Antica

There are examples of the signage in Ostia Antica and sites taken in 2009. I used the tourist guide downloaded from here: http://www.ostia-antica.org/touristguide.pdf

Driving in Italy- car choices

Choosing a rental car can be a tricky balance between large enough for people and luggage and small enough to navigate narrow streets and small parking places. It can be like Goldilocks trying on beds.

 

This is the typical car that I rent, a FIAT Punto 4 door

Filling the "trunk" space is a backpack, 28" rolling duffle, a folding grocery size bag, and a carryon size bag (the white one) 

A car similar to this one...

Looked like this with 4 x 26" suitcases, 1 x 22" roller, 1 backpack, and 3 carryons. 

This Citroen belongs to the same class as the FIAT Panda.

This is the amount of luggage that fit in the trunk, 

a 22" rolling bag and a rolling backpack.

This is a 4 door Lancia Ipsilon in the same class as a Ford Fiesta 

which holds a 28" rolling duffle and a rolling backpack.

Tight streets in Erice

Cefalù squeeze

 Palermo merge

 Erice do not enter

 Bologna parking

Amalfi coast traffic jam

"moving" speed

Why viamichelin.com's time estimates are approximate...

Things to watch out for....

speed traps

ZTLs- Limited Traffic Zones,

this one's not active