Parking in Italy

by

Fergus O Shea

Parking tips for Italy:

If at all possible stick to the off-street car parks, they may require a fee but it is worth it. On-Street Parking is fairly strictly policed, so if you see a No Parking sign, then obey it lest you get clamped or suffer an on-top-spot fine.

If you see parking spaces on the side of the street, outlined in blue; then you will know that you will have to pay for it by finding a parking meter or getting a ticket from a payment machine. You get your ticket for as long as you want it and put it on your dashboard. In some towns there is a 90 minute parking limit so best not plan on being there too long.

Though that there are some attended car parks, where you pay an attendant instead of a machine, be careful though as there is a scam where a person pretends to be an attendant and will make off with your payment. To avoid this look around for a payment machine (there should be a conspicuous sign) and say no to the attendant.

If you see parking spaces on the side of the street, outlined in white; then these are free but you may still be restricted to a certain time limit. The time limit will be prominently displayed on a signpost. In this case you will need to use a parking disc to indicate your time of arrival and you should return within the time limit. Setting your arrival time incorrectly is frowned upon and may incur a fine.

These parking discs (disco orario) are usually included in your rental car but if not you can pick one up in a petrol station or similar. The disc basically consists of a 24 hour clock where you can set your arrival time on and then leave on your dashboard.

Since most of the signs are symbolic instead of written in Italian, you shouldnt have a huge problem understanding most of them. Some symbols can be confusing such as the crossed hammers on parking signs, which means that the time limit restrictions are no imposed on Sundays and Public Holidays. A Passo Carrabile sign with a red circle and a line through it means No Parking.

Hopefully this will make simple of a simple enough process that is made complicated by differing customs and regulations. For more about Italy why not read our other car rental Italy blogs? If you want to rent a car have a look through your options found on our car rental Italy page.

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