Driving abroad
Driving in Italy means driving on the right, with a drink drive limit of 0.05 percent, zero for new and professional drivers and motorway speeds of 130 km/h, 110 in rain. Everything below is the practical version, the things that actually cost visitors money or time.
ZTL cameras, not speed, are what catch visitors. If a sign shows a red ring and a time window, do not drive through it, park outside and walk in.
Once the paperwork is sorted, this is what you came for. Passo dello Stelvio, Amalfi Coast Road, Sella Ronda Loop are among the highest scoring roads we hold in Italy, and all of them are open to any road legal car.
Motorway limit
130 km/h, 110 in rain
Outside towns
90 km/h
Built up areas
50 km/h
Drink drive limit
0.05 percent, zero for new and professional drivers
Checked by the Drivers Atlas desk
Scored and written by the Drivers Atlas editorial desk, drawing on driven routes across the UK and Europe, mapping data and member road reports. A planning summary, not legal advice. Check the national road authority before you travel. How we score roads.
Last reviewed 24 June 2026
The detail
Autostrade are ticket and pay barriers. Take the white or blue lanes, never the yellow Telepass lanes unless you carry a tag.
Winter tyres or chains on board are compulsory on most northern roads from 15 November to 15 April.
Almost every historic centre is a ZTL, a restricted traffic zone watched by cameras. Fines arrive months later through your hire company.
A UK or EU licence is accepted. Carry your passport as photo identification.
Reflective jacket for anyone leaving the car, Warning triangle
112
Now the good part
Lombardy and South Tyrol, Italy
Eighty four hairpins stacked above the treeline make this Europe's most theatrical mountain pass.
Campania, Italy
A cliffside ribbon of hairpins clinging above turquoise water and pastel towns.
Dolomites
Four Dolomite passes in a single circuit of the Sella massif, the finest loop in Europe.
Lombardy, Italy
A narrow, unguarded ribbon past Lago Nero that feels wilder than its famous neighbour.
Trentino and South Tyrol, Italy
Sheer Dolomite towers on both sides make this short link one of the world's great scenic drives.
Veneto, Italy
Twenty nine hairpins climb to a wide open saddle ringed by the jagged Cinque Torri.
Common questions
Motorways 130 km/h, 110 in rain, main roads outside towns 90 km/h, and built up areas 50 km/h. Lower limits are posted and always take priority.
Autostrade are ticket and pay barriers. Take the white or blue lanes, never the yellow Telepass lanes unless you carry a tag.
0.05 percent, zero for new and professional drivers. Roadside testing is routine and the safest approach on a driving tour is nothing at all before you drive.
Winter tyres or chains on board are compulsory on most northern roads from 15 November to 15 April.
Reflective jacket for anyone leaving the car, Warning triangle. Emergency number is 112.
A UK or EU licence is accepted. Carry your passport as photo identification.