Driving in Italy

One of the questions going into the trip was how we would survive driving in Italy.  Everything we had read and heard pointed toward crazy drivers, frequent accidents, and generally chaotic conditions on the road.  What we found was quite the opposite.  On the motorway, their toll roads, speed limits were generally 130 kph (about 85 mph) and we found that the driving rules were much more sensible and everyone followed them strictly. Most notable is the European rule of never passing on the right side.  The fastest cars stay in the left lane and everyone yields to any car coming up faster from behind. No one pokes along in the left lane.  This eliminates the weave and erratic lane changes you see in the U.S. and is much safer.  So, even though many are driving fast than in the States, it's all more disciplined and orderly.

We also drove a lot on the secondary, two lane country roads and found them to be easy and fun as well. The roundabouts were confusing at times, but nothing we could not handle. We used Apple maps on my iPhone for all navigation and it was great with directions.  The roundabouts are very practical and keep traffic moving.  

Lastly, we had a great car that was fun to drive. It was a Fiat Bravia, 6 speed manual shift, diesel, but very fast and very sporty.  I had a blast driving it.  There will b no hesitation next time with driving in Italy and other countries as well.