Italy for Spanish Drivers — The ZTL Camera Zones Spain Doesn't Have

Spanish drivers will find a lot of Italy familiar — right-hand traffic, the same 0.05 alcohol limit, tolled motorways much like the AP network at home. The one thing that genuinely differs, and the one that costs money, is how Italian cities keep cars out of their historic hearts.

ZTL — like a Spanish zone, but stricter

You already know Spain’s low-emission Zonas de Bajas Emisiones, which filter cars by emissions. Italy’s Zone a Traffico Limitato work on the same camera-and-plate principle but go further: inside a ZTL, almost no car is allowed without a permit, regardless of how clean it is. They cover the old centre of nearly every city — Rome, Florence, Milan, Bologna and many smaller towns. Enter in a rental without a permit and the fine of about EUR 80-100 is billed to the hire company and forwarded to you with fees, often months later. Your sat-nav routes you straight in because the hotels are there. Park outside the centre and walk.

Tolls, speeds and what is familiar

Italian autostrade are tolled, much like Spanish autopistas, so keep change or a card for the booths. The limit is 130 km/h, a step up from Spain’s 120, but average-speed Tutor cameras police long sections, so the higher number does not mean a free hand. A 10 km/h overshoot runs roughly EUR 42-173; estimate it with the Speeding Fine Calculator.

Licence, alcohol and the rest

Your Spanish licence covers the whole trip with no permit needed. The drink-drive limit matches home at 0.05 (lower for novices), so no change in habit. Italian city traffic is busier and pushier than most of Spain outside Madrid, with scooters everywhere, so leave a buffer at lights and merges. The full rules are on the Italy driving guide. Emergencies are 112; fuel is around €2.02 a litre.