Story: CAROLINE HOLMES, IAM  

Italians invented the Fiat 500 and the Ferrari 250 GTO, not a bad metaphor for driving in their lovely land.

It’s the place for beautiful shoes, wonderful food, and extravagant body language. Sometimes this is expressed through the car so although their reputation as exuberant drivers is exaggerated, keep your wits about you until you get the hang of local customs.  Particularly as you travel further south.

But first you’ve got to get there.

Loads of Brits drive to the Loire for their hols and don’t think twice about it. But it’s 1100 miles from London to Rome and it takes an exhausting 20 hours if you do it in one hit. That might be more miles than your car normally does in a month, or even two – and that’s without touring round when you get there, and coming home again. Let’s call it 3000 miles altogether. Minimum.

You’ll be fully laden, going jolly fast on the motorway, and if you go the pretty way up and over the Alps you’ll put lots of stress on everything, including the brakes on the way down again, and of course yourself. So make sure you’re prepared. Here’s a checklist.

The car

• Add 3000 to the mileage and ask yourself if it needs a service before you go. And if it does, don’t leave it until the day before in case it needs any parts.
• Upgrade your satnav for all the countries you’re going to drive through.
• Check your tyres. Do they have enough tread for those 3000 miles? Any cuts or bulges? Check the pressure!
• Check all the lights, and fill up the washers.

You

• It’s always tempting to leave on Friday night – usually after an exhausting week clearing your desk. But this is a long trip. Be sensible and get a good night’s sleep before you go.
• Stop for breaks at least every two hours. Eat something, and if you’re tired, have a nap.
• Take plenty of water – dehydration equals dozy.
• Travelling with children? They’ll need entertaining of course, and though movies are great you need an awful lot of them to last 20 hours. Story CDs are a long lasting alternative – you’ll almost get there and back on one of the fat Harry Potters.

If you go via Switzerland

I’m sure you’ve read my words of wisdom on driving in France and Germany. You may want to add Switzerland to the list on the way to Italy. The beastly thing about the Swiss is that they make you buy an annual permit to use their motorways – a vignette – even if you’re just passing through. You can buy them at the border or it costs around £30 (2016) online, and you have to buy two if you want to take a caravan or trailer! Don’t think you can dodge it because the Swiss are even bigger sticklers than the Germans when it comes to catching rule-breakers.

OK, you’ve made it to Italy

Watch the Chianti. As in most of Europe, the drink drive limit is lower than the UK – 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. There is a zero tolerance limit for professional drivers and those with less than three years experience. If you’re going to drive, don’t drink.

Be safe and be seen. In Italy you must carry a reflective jacket and warning triangle in your car. If you take bikes, you must wear a reflective jacket on roads outside of towns. In fact, here’s another list – this time of things you need to take:

• Reflective jacket;
• Warning triangle;
• Documents – licence, V5, VE103 for a company car, insurance certificate, and a letter from the registered owner if it’s not you;
• GB sticker;
• Breathalyser kit (this is for driving through France and is mandatory from July 1 2012;
• Spare light bulb set;
• Headlight converters;
• Don’t forget to disable the speed trap spotter in your satnav – they’re illegal in most of Europe, as are radar detectors.

Daytime running lights are mandatory, and as a visitor you must use dipped headlights in poor daytime visibility, and in all tunnels at all times. They must also be used when on motorways, dual carriageways, and on all out of town roads. Motorcycles must use dipped headlights during the day at all times.

Whether it’s down to Palermo or up to Pompeii, speed limits are lower in the wet – keep an eye on the road signs to ensure you’re doing the right speed. Remember, the limit is a legal maximum, not a target. If you do transgress, don’t expect a shrug of the shoulders; fines are heavy, and on the spot.

All grades of unleaded petrol (benzina), diesel (gasolio) and LPG are available, just as here. Credit and debit cards are widely accepted of course, though with a twist. They may not work at automatic pumps, which are often the only pumps open out-of-hours and at lunch-time. And in Italy, lunch time is a very civilized noon till 3pm especially if you’re off the beaten track. Not a bad idea to check your card with these machines before you actually need to use it.

As always, check that your business car insurance is valid in all the countries you visit – Switzerland is outside the EU and that can make a difference. And let your business car manager know where you’re going.

Ciao bella!