How to Survive the Crazy Italian Roads

In Italy, you never have to worry about finding a parking space. Simply double park, put your hazard lights on, and sip your espresso in a nearby café.

Thursday, May 22, 2008
Puglia, Italy

Read more about Italy in International Living Postcards—your daily escape

As I’ve discovered recently, Italy’s “heel” province of Puglia is a treasure trove of bargain coastal property and unique countryside homes. To find the best deals, however, you’ll need a car, because the local bus and train networks won’t take you to Italy’s most interesting corners.

If time is not an issue, then sure, you can use the local bus and train networks around the province of Puglia, but bear in mind that there are fewer connections in the evenings. Exploring rural Puglia by car is much more convenient, despite the frustrating lack of road signs.

All the usual big-name car rentals can be found in the international Bari and Brindisi airports, and by booking in advance you can get good deals. With Hertz, for example, by booking at least three weeks ahead, you can rent a compact manual five-door Fiat Panda for a week for $296, and local firms such as Alfa service and Targarent have similar offers.

The first time you hit the roads, you may find driving in Puglia a novel experience. Here are a few tips to help you cope:

Don’t panic: Directions here are hard to make out. Road signs are small, few, and far between—and badly angled so that you can only read them clearly once you’ve driven past. If you take it all philosophically and remember that nothing is more than an hour’s drive away, you won’t mind the frequent U-turns on vineyard-lined country lanes—you might even come across a charming view or a farm selling local olive oil or liqueurs. In towns, if in doubt, head for the centro and look out for more signposts.

Choose your style: Contrary to popular belief, not all Italians drive their Fiats like Ferraris, stuck like a magnet to your bumper if you’re in their way. In Puglia, the most common type of driving is the sleepy style. These drivers, usually gentlemen of a mature age, never get anywhere close to the speed limit, look carelessly ahead at all times, and have difficulty choosing which lane to drive in. They prefer to straddle both the inside and outside lanes, making it hard to overtake.

Watch out for these drivers if you’re coming on to a highway from a slip lane—they also love driving between the inside lane and the hard shoulder. If you’re trapped behind one, the best strategy is to adopt the Formula One approach: Creep up close behind them and flash your lights until they move.

Parking...as you like it: Parking is easier in the small towns of the south, because there are fewer people chasing spaces. But it’s as much a free-for-all as elsewhere in Italy—double parking is common, and linear parking along the sidewalk frequently gives way to angled parking, without reason. If in doubt, stick to the most common parking pattern of the cars on either side of your space.

The era of the parking meter is also well and truly established. Although the custom is to switch on hazard lights while you pop into a café for an espresso, if you want to stay for any longer you’ll need to pay. Most locals are familiar with the traffic police routine and can tell you that your parking ticket rarely needs to be renewed at 4 p.m. (right after the long lunch break), but that at 5 p.m. it’s a good idea, in order to avoid a fine.

No traffic: For an even easier time negotiating downtown streets, you could choose to arrive during the long lunch break. You’ll be the only soul on the roads, free to take as long as you like to find your way and your parking space.

Leigh Fergus
Roving Europe Editor, International Living

P.S. Most gas stations have attendants to fill your tank for you, and it’s customary to tip them at least 50 cents for their trouble.

Editor’s note: It’s hard to imagine our Leigh Fergus developing Formula One-style strategies to overtake Sunday drivers, or pulling U-turns on country roads, but she knows what it takes to survive the Italian ways. She loves Italy, and has recently been enjoying the fine cuisine, visiting art galleries, and scouting for real estate in Italy…in between driving like a lunatic on the roads. She will be speaking about living la dolce vita in Italy at the Ultimate Event in Cancun, Mexico, May 28–31. But hurry…there are only 15 places left.

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- Italy’s Heel Has Appeal

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