Public transport, trains and the driving licence

Trenitalia offers high-speed trains (Frecciarossa, Frecciargento and Frecciabianca), Intercity trains and cheaper, slower regional trains (Regionale).

• Italo competes on the main high-speed lines with good prices.
• Tickets are booked on websites and apps or at the station or from machines, and the prices of high-speed trains fall the earlier you book, while regional fares are fixed and require no booking.
• A paper regional ticket must be stamped in the small machine (green or yellow) on the platform before boarding, or a fine.
• But phone tickets and high-speed trains need no validation.
• And there are discounts for young people, families and the elderly and for loyalty card holders.
• Check the platform (binario) on the station board, and expect its late changes and strikes.

Every city has a public transport company.

• Tickets are bought from tobacconists (tabaccheria), newspaper kiosks, machines in metro stations and apps, and in some cities you pay by contactless bank card at the gate or on the bus.
• A paper ticket is validated on first boarding in the machine inside the bus, and is valid for a set time (usually 75 or 90 minutes) for several means.
• Inspectors check without warning, and the fine is several tens of euros and rises if you delay paying.
• Do not board without a ticket relying on not being checked.
• The metro has limited lines in most cities, and buses are sometimes late, and timetables on apps like Moovit and Google Maps are useful.
• And strike days are published in advance.

If you use transport daily the monthly or annual subscription is far cheaper, such as the abbonamento mensile in Milan and Rome at roughly thirty to fifty euros a month, and the annual one saves more.

• A personal card, a photo and the codice fiscale are usually requested, and you register on the website or at offices.
• Students, young people under 26, the elderly and people with low income in some regions get a big discount or free transport.
• And some companies offer a bonus trasporti with support from the state or regions.
• Ask the transport company's office in your city about discounts, and bring your ISEE if requested.
• And some employers pay or reimburse part of the subscription through corporate welfare, so ask human resources.

Shared bicycles and electric scooters are widespread in big cities, but have rules: a helmet is compulsory on e-bikes and scooters for those under 18, riding on pavements is banned, and speed must be respected.

• For a car you need compulsory insurance (RC auto), an annual tax (bollo) and a periodic inspection (revisione).
• In historic centres there are ZTL zones (Zona a Traffico Limitato) where entering with an unauthorised car at set times is forbidden, and cameras record plates and send a big fine by post.
• Do not enter them relying on navigation alone, and look at the signs, and ask the hotel or host about a temporary permit.
• And on motorways tolls (pedaggio) are paid at gates or via Telepass.
• And beware of the lanes and yellow-line parking.

A European Union licence is valid in Italy and needs no conversion.

• As for licences of non-EU countries they are accepted for one year from registering your residence, then you must convert to an Italian licence via the Motorizzazione Civile if your country is in bilateral agreements, which are few and do not include many Arab countries.
• If there is no agreement you must retake the theory and practical exams from the start in a driving school (autoscuola), and that costs a few hundred euros with time.
• Check your country's agreement on the Motorizzazione site and bring an official translation of the licence.
• And the theory has a version in foreign languages, sometimes including Arabic.
• And avoid driving with an invalid licence since it causes a fine and confiscation of the car and may void the insurance.

What do you do with a paper regional train ticket?