How to move in Italy

Italy is a country that extends from north to south for over 808 miles (approximatively 1300 km).
For this reason traveling from a city to another one take a long time.
Depending on your destination and your budget, you can choose several means of travel.

Falk2, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Train

The recommended way to travel across Italy, even over long distances, is surely the train. Italy has a vast railway network (14912 miles) and a modern high-speed line connecting the country from North to South and from West to East.
The main railway company is Trenitalia which offers high-speed services, connecting the main Italian cities such as Milan, Rome, Turin, Venice, Naples, as well as regional services.
As for high speed trains, in addition to Trenitalia, you can use the NTV company with their trains called Italo.

Trenitalia
Italo
Trenit (train timetables)

Italo Treno number 9990 at Verona Porta Nuova train station 2

Maksym Kozlenko, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Airplane

In Italy there are 42 airports which are connected to each other by different airlines.

The main companies that operate domestic flights are Ita Airways, Ryanair, EasyJet and Volotea.

We recommend to use the plane if you decide to make long trips or if you have to go to Sardinia or Sicily.

ITA Airways
Ryanair
EasyJet
Volotea

Autobus e Boeing 737 lato

Luigi Chiesa, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Car

To be able to drive in Italy, you need a license from a state of the European Union (including Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland) . If you are not an EU citizen then we recommend to check with your local embassy/consulate if you need an international license and, if entering Italy with your own car, what type of insurance documents may be needed.

For example, US driver can use the link below to find all the informations needed to drive in Italy:
https://it.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/transportationdriving/

The Italian road network is highly developed with almost 4349 miles of motorways and over 490000 miles of roads (expressways, state and provincial roads).
Remember that many Italian cites have inner-city areas called ZTL (Zona a Traffico Limitato) that are closed to non-resident traffic. They should be indicated by signs but often they are not, so
unless you are completely sure, it is safe to assume you cannot drive across city centers.

Most parking spots have different lines that show who can use them

  • Blue Lines mean that you must pay a fee in order to use the lot.
  • Yellow Lines mean that the parking is reserved for particular users or vehicles.
  • White Lines mean that the lot is free.

Remember that the speed limits are 130 km / h on motorways, 110 km / h on main suburban roads, 90 km / h on secondary extra-urban roads and 50 km / h on urban roads.
The blood alcohol limit is 0.5 g / l.

A4 Meolo

sferrario1968, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Bus

For long journeys you can use the buses of companies such as Flixbus, Itabus and Marinobus thatconnect most of the main Italian cities.
Buses can also be used for regional travel, usually each region / province has its own bus company.

Flixbus
Itabus
Marinobus

Meinfernbus flixbus bus

ubahnverleih, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Subway

Big cities like Milan, Rome, Naples and Turin have the subway

You can find subway lines in Brescia, Catania and Genoa.

Milano metropolitana Lodi TIBB

Arbalete, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

City buses

All cities have an urban bus service, usually the ticket has a fixed price (regardless of the distance traveled) and a validity between 60 and 90 minutes.

ATAC Menarinibus Citymood (2476) - 01

Kaga tau, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons