Rent a car in Italy and go explore the Big Boot yourself - a very tempting prospect. Companies offering car rental in Italy - a lot, in Italian car rental will be noleggio auto. It is more preferable to make an order in advance via the Internet, but you can take a car and directly at the airport or in the city from where you plan to start your journey.
You can try to save money if you go to the sites of companies for car rental through the links on the airlines' websites, the biggest discount is for switching from the sites of budget airlines, for example, WindJet or RyanAir. Of course, the rule only works for cars of economy class
Most of the companies iy allows to take cars in one city, but to pass in another, but this option will be more expensive. In addition to classic models, in Italy you can rent an exclusive transport: a rare car or a chic porsche - this hire is usually handled by small private agencies . . . At first it is difficult to understand the intricate road junctions. In Italy, the roundabouts (the priority in this case for a car already going around in a circle) prevail and there are almost no intersections of streams and interchanges like the "butterfly". . Rent a car in Italy
To rent a car you will need Russian rights and an international driving license (even if you received a national B sample 2011). State institutions in Italy threaten to write out fines from 300 EUR for driving around the country with only national rights. You will also need a plastic card (credit or debit not lower than the Classic level) with enough free funds on the account to be blocked as collateral (from 500 euros). The deposit is returned in 2-4 weeks with the deduction of fines or problems with your car.
The cost of car rental in Italy usually includes: mileage without restriction, insurance against theft with a franchise, insurance against damages with a franchise, third party insurance OSAGO, local VAT. Additional paid: superinsurance, insurance for the second driver, baby seat, navigator.
Fuel and refueling
In Italy, you can refuel with unleaded petrol (95 and 98 octane) or diesel fuel (Gasolio). Diesel fuel is traditionally cheaper, but renting a car running on diesel will be slightly more expensive.
You can only refuel round the clock without problems on the motorway. On the rest of the roads at night and at weekends, not all fuel stations work, and fuel is paid through machines that do not accept foreign cards, and for this case keep cash. When driving to a gas station in the city at the height of the day, also pay attention to the plate that will read Aperto (open) or Chiuso (closed).
Traffic regulations
Traffic regulations in Italy ( codice della strada) do not differ much from ours, but unlike Russia they are almost always observed. Trying to "negotiate" with a police representative is fraught with big troubles, so we advise you to follow the rules, to behave correctly towards other participants in the movement and pay the written fines, if any. Road signs also coincide, pointers are quite informative (sometimes even too much) - it's almost impossible to get lost.
In Italy, it is mandatory to use daytime running lights - cars outside of built-up areas, motorcycles everywhere . It is forbidden to use the phone without hands free system .It is forbidden to enter the zone of restricted traffic (zona traffico limitato) without special permission (there are many such zones in the historical centers of Rome, Milan, Florence, Pisa, Naples, Turin, Genoa and other large cities) . Most often, entry is prohibited on weekdays in business hours . If your hotel is located in such a zone - safely drive through, but do not forget to inform the reception of your car at the reception desk .
Fines
The Italian roads are equipped with a large number of TV cameras, and on the freeways a special program tutor calculates the speed movement outcome from data on the time elapsed since the entry of the motorway to exit it. Penalties come to the rental company and can be debited from your card, even if you left the country. You can pay the penalty and on the spot, the police officer will issue a receipt. Unpaid fine can become a hindrance for getting a Schengen visa in the future.
Some amounts of fines (effective from August 2010): speeding - from 38 EUR (up to 10 km / h) to 779 EUR (over 60 km / h); back traffic on the motorway - 389 euros; violation of the rules of overtaking - from 74 to 150 euros; wrong parking - from 35 to 75 euros; violation of the rules of transportation of children - from 74 to 299 euros; the non-use of seat belts by the driver or any of the passengers - from 74 to 299 euros; talking on the phone without hands free - from 155 EUR, entry to the restricted traffic zone - up to 100 EUR for each case. In many cases, you can prohibit further movement at the wheel of the car.
Toll roads
Toll roads in Italy roads (an average of 7 EUR for every 100 km). The rate depends on the class of the vehicle. At the entrance take a ticket, at the congress you pay in cash or by credit card. The yellow strip with the inscription Telepass is intended only for the owners of these same telepasses. Blue - for self-service, payment by credit card. White - payment in cash to the operator or in the machine.
Also in Italy there are sites with special payment - most often these are tunnels. So, for example, traveling in one direction on the Mont Blanc tunnel on a passenger car will cost 40 EUR (2012), and round-trip on the Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road from Italy to Austria with panoramic views will cost 18 EUR (2011 g.). This road is open only during the daytime from June to October. Calculate the total cost of the trip and make the best route on the official website of the Italian motorways.
Parking in the cities of Italy
In the center of cities in parking lots there are usually temporary restrictions . The free parking zone is marked with white lines (in major cities, such as Florence, for example, free parking can only be for local residents), parking for invalids - yellow . Blue lines signal the need for payment, after which you must perform one of two actions: issued after pay the ticket under the windshield or indicate the time to which the parking is paid, on the blue parking disc, disco orario (it can be bought at the post office, at the travel agency or at the bank) . The information plate indicates the hours in which parking is to be paid and hour tariff (tariffa oraria) .
The general rule for all tourist centers in Italy - the closer to the center of the parking, the more expensive and problematic to find a free place . In Verona, parking in the center will cost from 1 to 2 EUR per hour , the nearest to the center free parking - next to the pl . Porta Palio . Parking in Florence will cost from 20 to 30 EUR per day, you can leave the car for free in the Piazzale Michelangelo . In Pisa, an inexpensive and small parking area 15 minutes walk from the Leaning Tower of Pisa is on Via Atleti Azzurri Pisani - 0, 6 EUR per hour, and after 14:00 for free .In Siena, the average price is 1 EUR per hour .(All prices 2011 year .)
Car Rental Firms in Italy
National operator: Maggiore
International companies: Sixt, Hertz, Europcar, National, Avis.
Rental brokers: Beres, Economy car rentals, Rental cars.
Rent a car with a driver in Italy: Tuscia.