Renting a Car & Driving in Italy: What to Know Before You Hit the Road

Last Updated on October 17, 2026 by Lauren Belzer Sanford

For getting around Italy, trains are usually my first recommendation; I wrote a whole guide to train travel in Italy on why. But some parts of the country beg to be explored at your own pace, with no station clock telling you when to move. Regions like Puglia and the Tuscan countryside reveal themselves slowly: down olive-lined backroads, through hill towns that aren’t on any rail map, past masserie and villas behind ancient stone walls. There, your own car makes all the difference.

For our trip to Puglia in June 2025, when we got married at a dreamy masseria outside Ostuni, renting a car was one of our best decisions. We got International Driving Permits through AAA before we left, picked up our rental at Bari Airport, and spent the next week getting delightfully lost on roads Google Maps didn’t fully know. It was, in every sense, part of the adventure.

Here’s everything we learned about renting a car and driving in Italy as Americans, including a few things we wish someone had told us.

To rent a car in Italy as an American, bring your passport, your U.S. driver’s license, an International Driving Permit (from AAA, $20), and a credit card in the driver’s name. Book an automatic early, rent smaller than you think you need, and park outside historic centers to avoid ZTL fines.

What Size Car to Rent in Italy

This is one of the most practical decisions you’ll make. Italian roads, especially in the south and in small town centers, are narrow in ways that will genuinely surprise you: stone walls with almost no margin, parking spaces sized for cars that would look comically tiny back home.

Our advice: go smaller than you think you need. A compact or midsize car is usually the sweet spot, enough room for luggage without turning every street into a calculated risk. As a couple, a small hatchback can be surprisingly comfortable. Save the SUV for trips where space is the point.

Renting a Car in Italy

Rental cars are everywhere, but the most convenient pickups are major airports (like Rome Fiumicino or Bari) and train stations, with the biggest selection and best prices. You’ll find Sixt, Hertz, Avis, Budget, Europcar, and Enterprise, plus local Italian companies that can be cheaper or quicker at the counter. Compare rental cars at Bari, Rome, and Florence on Expedia to see who has what before you commit.

Manual transmissions are the norm, and automatics sell out fast, so reserve early if you need one. Every driver must be on the reservation (added at booking or at the counter, usually for a fee).

Pro tip: Driving and parking in Rome, Florence, or Naples is stressful and expensive. Use public transit in the cities, then pick up your car at a train station or rental outpost on your way to the countryside or coast.

Would you rather let someone else drive for a day? In Puglia, a guided food or wine tour is one of the best ways to see the region without thinking about ZTLs or parking. Book a Puglia food and wine tour on Viator.

International Driving Permit (IDP)

If you’re visiting from outside the EU, including the U.S., you need an International Driving Permit to rent and drive legally. It’s essentially a multilingual translation of your license confirming you can drive at home.

It’s quick and inexpensive. In the U.S., get it through AAA, no appointment needed. Bring your valid license, two passport photos (some offices take them for you), and a completed IDP application. The fee is $20 per permit. It takes minutes, you’ll walk out with it (it looks a bit like a paper passport), and it’s valid for one year.

Do you really need one? Yes. Some rental companies won’t ask, but others will, and Italian law requires you to carry it with your passport and license whenever you drive. The Budget counter at Bari Airport asked for Max’s, since he was our driver, and police can request it during traffic stops. Fines without one can be steep. For twenty dollars, it’s an easy box to check.

Insurance and Picking Up Your Car

At the counter, you’ll be offered several types of insurance, which is where it can get confusing and expensive if you aren’t prepared. Most rentals include basic coverage, plus optional add-ons:

• Collision Damage Waiver (CDW): reduces or removes your responsibility for damage.
• Theft Protection (TP): covers theft of the car (not your belongings).
• Super CDW or zero excess: brings your out-of-pocket cost for an incident to zero.

Before you agree to anything, check your credit card benefits. Many travel cards include CDW coverage, so you can decline the rental company’s; just pay with that same card. Before you drive off, photograph or video every scratch, dent, and scuff (wheels and under the bumper too), and make sure the agent notes them.

Driving in Italy: What to Know

It feels like an adventure at first, but it’s surprisingly intuitive once you settle in. Roads are generally well maintained (despite their reputation), and GPS is fairly reliable. A few quirks:

• The roads: narrow, especially in small towns and one-lane rural areas like Puglia’s. Expect stone walls, sharp turns, and the occasional tractor. Roundabouts outnumber stop signs. Stay calm, take your time, and pull over if you need a breather.
• Italian drivers: fast and assertive, but predictable. Tailgating isn’t aggression; it’s just how they drive. Sightseeing? Stay right and let locals pass.
• Speed limits: posted in km/h (100 km/h is about 62 mph) on white circles with red borders. Speed cameras are common, and tickets arrive by mail.
• Tolls: autostrade use either a ticket on entry (pay on exit) or flat-rate booths. Follow “Carte” for card lanes, “Contanti” for cash.

ZTL Signs (Zona Traffico Limitato)

The most important thing to know before driving into any Italian city or historic town: the ZTL. These restricted zones protect historic centers, and their signs (a red circle) can look deceptively ordinary. Drive in without a permit and a fine arrives weeks or months later.

The simplest fix: park outside the walls and walk in. We did this in Ostuni and Alberobello, and it was the better experience anyway, arriving on foot through the old gates instead of squeezing a rental down cobblestones. Google Maps can route you straight into a ZTL without warning, so when in doubt, park and walk.

Navigation (Google Maps)

• Download offline maps for your whole region before you go. Countryside service is spotty, especially in Puglia, Tuscany, and the mountains.
• Double-check ZTLs. Maps isn’t perfect about them; watch for signs as you enter any town.
• Trust the time, not the distance. Winding roads and village limits mean 15 miles can really take 45 minutes.
• Bring a car charger or portable battery. Navigation drains your phone, and not every rental’s USB ports work (learned that the hard way).

Driving Between Destinations in Italy

• Rome to Puglia: about 4.5 to 5 hours, mostly on the A14. We flew from LAX to Rome and connected to Bari instead, which I’d recommend if time is short. From Bari, the whole region is within reach. Search flights to Bari on Expedia.
• The Amalfi Coast: one of the most dramatic drives in the world, and one of the most stressful: a narrow road, steep cliffs, and tour buses taking more than their share. Many travelers park in Sorrento or Salerno and take ferries or buses into the towns. If you drive, go early. Personally, I’d skip a rental on the Amalfi Coast altogether; we used a private transfer on our honeymoon.
• Tuscany and Umbria: perhaps the most rewarding regions by car. Hill towns, country estates, cypress-lined roads; none of it is the same from a train window.

Parking Lines and Lots

Parking in Italy can be a bit of a treasure hunt, but the painted lines mean something:

• White lines: free parking (rare, and magical when you find it).
• Blue lines: paid parking. Buy a ticket at the nearby meter (parcometro) and display it on the dashboard.
• Yellow lines: residents, deliveries, or permits only. Don’t risk it.

In small historic towns, park at a paid lot outside the walls and walk in. In Ostuni, we used Parcheggio Al Giardino (details in my Ostuni travel guide).

Pro tip: If you’re staying at a hotel or masseria, ask about parking ahead; most boutique properties in Puglia have it, but spots can be limited. Still choosing? My guides to the best luxury hotels in Puglia and the masseria hotels we stayed at cover properties that handle this beautifully.

Gas Stations

Gas stations (benzinaio) can be confusing at first; many close midday or work differently depending on the hour. Full-service (servito) means an attendant pumps for you; self-service is fai da te. If you’re at all nervous, look for full service. Benzina is unleaded; diesel is diesel, but double-check before pumping. Many pumps need prepayment or a card first, and after hours, outdoor machines take cards (not every foreign card works, so carry a little cash).

Now that we can laugh about it, one of our peak tourist moments was pulling into a random station near Brindisi Airport to fill up before returning the car. We had no idea how the self-service machine worked. A kind man tried to help, but he didn’t speak English, and we didn’t speak enough Italian. In the end, the pump was broken (we lost a little money to the mix-up), so we drove on and found a full-service station. Much, much better choice. A true “we’re not from here” moment.

What to Keep in the Car

A portable charger (or a car charger), offline maps, and a little cash for gas stations and toll booths that won’t take foreign cards. I keep my go-to portable charger and a few other long-drive favorites in my road trip essentials.

Renting a car in Italy can feel daunting if you’re used to wide American roads and sensible parking lots. But past the learning curve, there’s something freeing about your own wheels: stopping when the light hits a vineyard just right, detouring through a town you’d never have found. Some of our favorite moments in Puglia happened exactly like that, unplanned and off the itinerary.

Still deciding between trains and a car? My guide to train travel in Italy covers when the train makes more sense. Early in planning southern Italy? Start with the best things to do in Puglia or our full Italian honeymoon itinerary.