How to Read Highway Signs in Italy
Notorious for its swarms of vespas and lane-dodging drivers, the Italian highway can be a confusing and frustrating place for the first-time driver. One way of mitigating the chaos is to familiarize yourself with the colors and shapes of Italian road signs. The basics are relatively simple, and may seem familiar: in short, "warning" or immediate attention signs are always triangular with a red border and white background, whereas prohibition and "mandatory instruction" signs (such as speed limits) are circular with red and black borders, respectively. Informational signs, such as "deviazione", or detour, are all rectangular.
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Instructions
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Study your English-Italian dictionary for the names of various signs and warnings These can usually be found in a separate section in the front of the book. Test yourself on the spelling of the words found on traffic signs and commit these to memory.
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Memorize the ratio for determining kilometers from miles (1:1.6) to ensure a proper understanding of speeds.
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Familiarize yourself with the basic shapes, symbols and colors of highway signs and their different messages. Consult a map book, driving guide or online traffic resource such as Slow Travel Italy for a detailed list of instructions on what to do when you encounter each sign.
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Test your memory while driving the autostrada (or highway) by translating and interpreting every sign you come across. Identify the shape and color of each sign first to help catalog the sign's message in your memory.
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Bring a map to help guide yourself to the desired cities and towns you wish to travel through and watch for their names on the various signs.
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Tips & Warnings
Though toll-roads and autostradas are typically intuitive when it comes to signs and markers, side-road and minor highway travel can be slightly more demanding when it comes to reading road signs. Generally speaking, stop signs are always a red hexagon displaying the word "STOP", and the symbols describing round-abouts, slippery roads and wild animals are identical to those in the U.S.
