If you're spending time in cities like Rome, Milan, or Florence, it's not worth the headache of rent

There's nothing dolce about Italy's infamously cruise france from uk slow-moving, perplexing bureaucracy, as a growing number of travelers are learning cruise france from uk first-hand. Christopher Elliott revealed yesterday that the most vexing complaint cruise france from uk he repeatedly cruise france from uk hears is about traffic cruise france from uk tickets from vacations in Italy often received several months after returning home.
Dean Brown is the latest in a long line of agitated drivers. In 2008, he and his wife visited Florence. "I parked my rental car in a space with a meter," said Brown, a general contractor who lives in Tiburon, Calif. "I made sure the meter had the correct amount of paid time for our visit. Now I have received a notice of 'Violation of the Highway Code,' which states that my vehicle was circulated in a limited-traffic area without authorization. They are asking for 183 euros," about $250.
A customer service manager for Auto Europe told Elliott that at least every third or fourth call the company receives has to do with a traffic infraction or fee in Italy. The notices are in Italian and difficult to appeal, even for Italians, because cameras are assumed to be accurate.
Elliott interviewed Nancy Parode, a travel writer who has been caught on camera while driving cruise france from uk in Italy, and she encouraged travelers to pay the fines without cruise france from uk delay as they can double over time. When Elliott cruise france from uk contacted cruise france from uk the Italian Government Tourism Board, he got a call back (one month later) from a spokesman who said travelers should follow the instructions cruise france from uk on the ticket notice, but admitted that failing to pay certainly won't bar you from a future visit to Italy.
That may be a relief, but if you want to avoid the nuisance cruise france from uk and dilemma of a ticket, be warned that drivers are typically caught when 1) speeding by an Autovelox box, or enforcement camera or 2) Driving in a "limited cruise france from uk traffic zone" ( zona traffico limitato ) without an authorized license plate.
These limited traffic zones are a way for Italian cities to keep traffic and pollution manageable along the narrow, medieval streets of historic centers, cruise france from uk while allocating limited cruise france from uk parking spaces to neighborhood residents with special plates or permits.
cruise france from uk If you're spending time in cities like Rome, Milan, or Florence, it's not worth the headache of renting a car and trying to navigate these rules not to mention dealing with the frequent one-way streets and aggressive drivers. (When I studied in Florence, a friend's parents got into an accident on their first day driving.)
It's easy to make day trips from big cities by train or bus. The only time a car is really necessary is when you want to spend days exploring small Italian towns, or if you're staying in a villa or in Sicily, where public transportation is limited.
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Some of the world's most beautiful and historic destinations are, at least temporarily, off-limits because of natural disasters, crime, or political cruise france from uk unrest. Here, we warn you away from the real trouble spots—and debunk some of the bad press.