Like everywhere in Europe, autobahns in Italy are a convenient way to travel between cities. They are exceptionally well thought out and cover routes between major cities. However, there are a few points that are better to take note of the Italian freeways before setting off on a journey.
So, Italian Autobahn Drive, or, as they are called here, freeways - paid. Before you leave the usual road to the motorway, you will come across a toll payment point 100%. Please note that at such points, different symbols mark the gates for cars with different payment options. If you are a tourist and plan to pay in cash, you should head for the gate marked with the inscription “Biglietto”. Here, in the machine or from the attendant, you can get a ticket indicating the starting point of your journey. Save this ticket until the end of the trip, so that on the exit from the motorway you correctly calculate the fare.
Never enter the motorway through the gates marked as “Viacard” or “Telepass” unless you are the lucky owners of these payment instruments. If the entrance to the freeway is automated, then the equipment will simply not work and will not open the barrier for you, a line of Italians will form in the back and you will find a situation in which everything will depend on your stress resistance and diplomacy. Moreover, if you still manage to enter the freeway through this gate, you will still have to pay on the road, and the penalty for such a trick will be very noticeable. For example, for entering through the “Telepass” gate on the Rome-Naples highway in 2009, the fine was 70 euros, which was more than 10 times the normal rate.
Italy Autobahns: Different colors on the map can be neglected
As we said above, you will have to pay for travel on the highway at the exit from it. In this case, it is better to focus on gates that allow you to pay for travel in cash, as some payment methods work only with Italian credit cards. In some large tourist areas (such as Florence, for example), traffic signs specifically indicate the direction of tourists to cash points.
The maximum speed allowed on motorways in Italy is 130 km per hour. Along the way, special speed locks can be found in order to punish lovers of hike. However, in most cases, this does not stop Italian drivers from exceeding. We do not recommend exceeding speed, but we are sure that you will orient yourself on the terrain, depending on the behavior of others :).
Please note that in some sections of the freeways the permitted speed can be significantly lower, especially where construction or repair work is underway. Also remember that you should move along the road with the headlights on, regardless of the time of day.
Italian Autobahn fare may seem to someone quite expensive. Remember that near the autobahns, as a rule, a parallel public road is laid, the movement of which is free. The difference between a freeway and an ordinary road is very noticeable - moving along the latter from point A to point B takes much longer.
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Have a nice trip
Photo by graziedavvero
