Driving a large Motorhome in Italy

[Coolcats]

There is an article in the MMM monthly magazine (March or April issue) about a couple that drove to Sicily.

In summary they worked out the simple rule in Italy, "The car in front has priority"
The fact that the car in front has popped out of a side road means it still has priority.
And just because there is less than 1 meter between your front bumper and the rear bumper of the Artic you are following does not mean that is not enough room for a couple of cars to push in (using the car in front has the priority rule)

Personally I've only driven in northern Italy, where they are only mad, but I understand the driving gets considerably more 'middle eastern' the further south you go, I would not even consider driving a car into Naples, but you might be OK on a scooter!

The quote See ‘Naples and Die‘ springs to mind had a couple of taxi rides when we were there and during those journeys we had what would be considard a few near misses and a couple of emergency stops ! Don’t wear expensive jewellery or watches. Other than that we had a very nice time. ?

 

[Cyclewalkbob]

We travelled to Sicily in 2017 and thought it was wonderful. Our van is 7mtr and we could get to most places, with the escomptions of the small hillside villages. Palermo was a driving experience with two dual carriage ways merging together! When I asked why they don’t have traffic lights they just replied “well it works as it is”

We went to join our archeologist group for a few days and then spent 3 weeks around the island.

We decided to take the ferry from Genoa to Palermo which was fine. Just be aware the ferry back to Genoa did not take credit cards so make sure you have enough cash for the journey!

if you like history then Sicily is a great place to visit!

 

[GAVLAD]

We have a 9m tag axle motorhome 3.4m high and travelled to Italy last July & August and had no issues.
Just plan your route and ensure if you are travelling around the northern lakes to check on cliff overhang and cliff tunnel heights.
Driving wise - Bradford is far worse.
In fact the worst place for poor driving in Europe apart from Bradford is Belgium in my view. They’re bloody idiots impatient and unforgiving on the road (will overtake you to force you to adjust your direction only to then indicate at last minute to turn off the road in front of you making you slam on the brakes - happened a few times last year). Plus roads were sh”t

 

[Mhambi]

Just drive slowly and maintain a sense of humour. ?

Looks just like driving in South Africa, Ill be fine.....lol

 

[Howard H]

I asked the question “what’s Italy like to drive in “ to a friend who had just got back from there in his N&b he said “ fit the loudest air horns you can and brightest spot lights you can “and just get out there and join in its fun ?

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[Hilewaychile]

All advice well worth heeding. My L3H2 self-build Renault Master was based in a garage in the city centre of Valencia for a few years. Driving around the city and the Z.I.'s for DIY stuff, the constant thought to bear in mind - it helps, I think, to vocalise it - is, "What is that cretin about to do now!" The worst you can think of is what ... This holds good for France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Belgium ...

Mind you, as all who have been east of Suez will know, at least in Europe you don't have to deal with every class of vehicle, from HGV's to mopeds plus animals, all on the same road.

I spent 9 months in Peshawar, Pakistan. Three examples of common occurances.

Going down the dual carriageway ['GT Road'] from the westerners' enclave at University Town to the old city, we had to manoevre past a tonga [horse taxi] on its side, with the horse lying on the road, in bad shape. Didn't look like it was ever going to get up. T-boned, as the papers always reported, "by an over-speedy pick-up"

On the same road, on another jaunt into the old city [the women had an insatiable appetite for Aghan silver jewellery] we saw a camel legging it down the opposite carriageway at a great lick. At least it was going the same direction as the traffic. About 1/4 mile behind was a small boy, running as fast as poss, waving a stick and shouting ...

A friend was motoring back from The Club at night, in pitch darkness, on a 1962 Triumph Speed Twin 500. As I found when I bought the bike from him when he left, the headlight produced no more than a faint amber glow. At a cross road, he ran smack-dab a'mid-ships into an unlit tonga crossing his path. He must have been going at a lick because the tonga and the horse went over.

I can't rememeber what his injuries were but the passenger, who should not have been there, for various reasons, was out cold for three days and was quite proud of the scar under her hair, once she'd recovered.

 

[pandas]

Couple of additional points; 1. With your vehicle any issues just drive over them. 2. Palermo Sicily has one of the worse reputations for traffic but as we are right hand drive A Class motorhome everybody kept their distance as they thought the driver was reading a book - my wife in the passenger seat, their driver’s side.

 

[Glandwr]

Don't really want to sit constantly on a motorway, especially with a Unimog. Would prefer to take the back roads where possible and enjoy the scenery and local atmosphere.

South Morocco is the place for you, full of Unimogs and even bigger jobs. You can tell how serious they are by the number of spare wheels they carried. I actually saw one with 3!!!

 

[Mike800966]

Whilst in Italy we were overtaken by a lorry in a 50Km limit, on a cross hatched bend where another road went off to the left. He cut in so sharply that he broke off my nearside indicator with his rear end. Poor Annie nearly had kittens!.
I kept up with him until he stopped to do a delivery and pointed out the damage so he offered me E20. I started to write down the phone number of his factory whereby he upped his offer to E50.
Also enjoy the swarms of scooterists who will swarm round you when stopped at traffic lights - they are like the pilot fish that accompany sharks!
Happy Days

Mike & Ann

 

[Mhambi]

South Morocco is the place for you, full of Unimogs and even bigger jobs. You can tell how serious they are by the number of spare wheels they carried. I actually saw one with 3!!!

Will be spending some time in Morocco on our way down to South Africa. For now we will be touring the UK and Europe for the next 24 month.

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[Martin and Wendy.]

Agree with all of the above. We returned just before lockdown after 5 months. The roads greatly improved compared with 5 years earlier. Sicily sadly still covered with rubbish. Sardinia very nice, much cleaner. Don’t bother with Corsica virtually all campsites closed, no Aires, locals unfriendly to free campers.
We used Park4night all the time.

 

[Gary217]

If you haven't already got one then a dashcam would be useful, I believe they are still allowed in Italy.

The Italian style of driving and the roads are interesting to say the least.

Yep, we've been a few times and I think dashcam footage of Italian driving to show people when you're back home will be far more 'entertaining' than any other holiday snaps!

 

[Mclouis700]

I suppose this is a very broad question but I would like to hear the experiences and advice of people that have driven a large motorhome through Italy. I would like to drive from the UK to the bottom of Italy to the province of Sicily. Id like to visit some of the attractions in the cities Like Pompei and Rome, Naples....ect. I plan to park on the outskirts of the cities and use electric bicycles to get into the cities as I realize that it will not be advisable to drive a motorhome truck into the city but would like to get a feeling from other peoples experience if its just not worth taking such a large vehicle in to Italy.

No problem with 7mtr Coachbuilt

 

[buttons]

Driving out of Milan can be interesting first time I have seen a car flashing and hooting an ambulance on an emergency call to move over and let it by.
Also keep your bikes secure or they will relieve you of them...

 

[Glandwr]

Driving out of Milan can be interesting first time I have seen a car flashing and hooting an ambulance on an emergency call to move over and let it by.
Also keep your bikes secure or they will relieve you of them...

I broke down and had to wait an hour and a half to be towed by the breakdown people. It was rush hour and we were right in downtown Milan an a busy arterial route. There were 3, yes 3 policemen a hundred and fifty yards away on a sort of point duty at a busy intersection (3 lanes each way) that had traffic lights AS WELL!!!!. All of the police pretended not to notice us, or the fact that there was a continous noise of horns coming from our direction.

Wife got out her pink wedding umbarella walked back 50 yds and did point duty around us. I wouldn't choose to do that again in a hurry.

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[DBK]

Will be spending some time in Morocco on our way down to South Africa. For now we will be touring the UK and Europe for the next 24 month.

If you plan to drive into Africa you might want to have a look at Livingston Journal on Facebook. They are two Americans I met in France. They were going to spend their 90 days in the EU (the limit which will apply to us next year) and then cross over to Morocco and from there into the rest of Africa. They spent a year or so doing this and only returned to the US last month where their round the world trip has had to stop because of the virus.

Livingstone Journal

Livingstone Journal. 568 likes. Livingstone Journal chronicles the multi year journey of Bruce and Laurie Heimbigner.

www.facebook.com

 

[Mike800966]

I did suggest to Jim our ringleader that there was a demand for all these motorhome stories, especially in these Lockdown days
Glad you enjoyed reading our story, we must all have dozens like them
Mike S

 

[Thedriver]

I asked the question “what’s Italy like to drive in “ to a friend who had just got back from there in his N&b he said “ fit the loudest air horns you can and brightest spot lights you can “and just get out there and join in its fun ?

I have a choice of 5 very loud air horns if any one wants advice on how to fit and getting a good air supply on any MH. I know it's sad but I am an old trucker after all. You need at least 80 - 100 psi to make em really jump!!!

 

[Martin and Wendy.]

On the subject of Italian driving. We covered about 3000 miles around Italy, through Milan, Verona, Taranto and Palermo and we only saw 1 RTA, a young lady knocked off her scooter. We were In Baradili, a small sleepy village in the middle of Sardinia, which has an excellent sosta by the way, went for a walk round the village in the evening and this had just happened. Nobody hurt just embarrassed I should think.

 

[SpeedyDux]

The Amalfi coast road is extremely exciting if you enjoy that sort of driving in your MH.

I wouldn't. I am a bit of a defensive wuss driver in Italy. You can play "spot the local car that hasn't any dents" for hours while mad scooterists buzz too close.

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[Jenka]

The Amalfi coast road is extremely exciting if you enjoy that sort of driving in your MH.

I wouldn't. I am a bit of a defensive wuss driver in Italy. You can play "spot the local car that hasn't any dents" for hours while mad scooterists buzz too close.

It's illegal for a MH to drive the Amalfi coast !

 

[John Barrett]

All advice well worth heeding. My L3H2 self-build Renault Master was based in a garage in the city centre of Valencia for a few years. Driving around the city and the Z.I.'s for DIY stuff, the constant thought to bear in mind - it helps, I think, to vocalise it - is, "What is that cretin about to do now!" The worst you can think of is what ... This holds good for France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Belgium ...

Mind you, as all who have been east of Suez will know, at least in Europe you don't have to deal with every class of vehicle, from HGV's to mopeds plus animals, all on the same road.

I spent 9 months in Peshawar, Pakistan. Three examples of common occurances.

SNIP

Pakistan? Yuk! I was collected from Lahore airport and driven to Sialkhot where I was doing some QA work in the surgical instrument factories there. We overtook all sorts of human and animal life on the way. Out in the sticks the traffic started slowing down, then the carriageway disappeared and we descended about eight inches into a sandy trench. We lurched along for about half a mile, and rejoined the carriageway. When I asked what was that all about, I was told that so much money had been siphoned off by local politicians the contractor went bust!
I was also bumped off one of my PIA return flights: my pre booked Business Class seat had been 'sold' to someone else! I got my client to pay an even bigger bribe and he got me back on the plane.
Do not bother...

 

[Rosemary1]

The quote See ‘Naples and Die‘ springs to mind had a couple of taxi rides when we were there and during those journeys we had what would be considard a few near misses and a couple of emergency stops ! Don’t wear expensive jewellery or watches. Other than that we had a very nice time. ?

Loved loved Naples - been twice - true I saw more traffic accidents there in one day than 5 years at home, and the only way we got to cross a road was to hang onto the tail skirts of a ruthless local. What a city tho and the whole atmosphere invigorate you. Pizza cheap and to die for.

Hopefully will get there again one day

Do not drive in Naples tho for the sake of your heath and sanity.

 

[Rosemary1]

I asked the question “what’s Italy like to drive in “ to a friend who had just got back from there in his N&b he said “ fit the loudest air horns you can and brightest spot lights you can “and just get out there and join in its fun ?

I think if we were to do it it would have to be in an old beat up banger. Would probably have a heart attack if in our pride and joy. Quite like the idea of the horn and joining in the fun, the horning blowing in Italy has to be heard to be believed - sure I came home deafer than when I went.

 

[Coolcats]

Loved loved Naples - been twice - true I saw more traffic accidents there in one day than 5 years at home, and the only way we got to cross a road was to hang onto the tail skirts of a ruthless local. What a city tho and the whole atmosphere invigorate you. Pizza cheap and to die for.

Hopefully will get there again one day

Do not drive in Naples tho for the sake of your heath and sanity.

Totally agree, we stayed in a hotel There were market stalls beneath and we could see stall holders selling cloths and blankets they would occasionally pull them back to display a watch or other goods. It’s another place and life entirely but a great destination for sure just stay safe ?

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[SpeedyDux]

It's illegal for a MH to drive the Amalfi coast !

I've seen them on that road, but strictly speaking they are only allowed to use it after 10 pm until 7 am. With the advantage of course that they can't see the cliff edge in the dark!

I would stick to the local buses which are cheap and frequent. Quite enough excitement for me.

https://www.malibu-carthago.com/en/company/news/en/travel-tip-sorrento-and-the-amalfi-coast/