Italian road signs can seem confusing.
But if you understand them, they do actually make sense. The sign above, tutte le direzioni (translated as "all directions") actually means, turn right to access all major roads. Most likely there will be another intersection with more signs, so you can branch out from there.
Apply the strategy below and quiz yourself on six road signs, and save yourself stress and time while driving in Italy.
Strategy: Know Your Colors
While navigating, always know what color road sign you're looking for. You'll inevitably arrive at an intersection posted with many signs, like in the photo above, and have a second or so to decide which way to turn. If you know you're only looking for a green sign, you'll see it much more quickly.
Blue signs indicate main roads that are not autostrada (highways). If you don't want to take the autostrada to your destination but don't want to be driving on dirt roads either, follow the blue roads. They are often more scenic and sometimes faster than the green roads. And they're free.
Green signs indicate the autostrada, which is a toll road. Note: the autostrada may not actually be very close to the sign, but if you continue to follow the green signs, you will eventually hit it.
Brown, yellow, and white signs are also used, though the color-to-function rules are not completely reliable. Restaurants are yellow or white. Churches, places of architectural interest, scenic drives, and tourist destinations (sometimes the tourist office) are usually brown. Everything else is white. Again, note: I have followed signs for restaurants into the hills for many, many miles before actually arriving. The sign does not necessarily mean that the restaurant or attraction is nearby.
So, apply your new knowledge: even though the Napoli/Salerno photo below is from a website that translates as "jokes" (even Italians poke fun at their road signs), it has not been photoshopped. It makes more sense now, doesn't it?
Six Road Signs you Should Know
I picked these six because I think they are important, and are also not easy to figure out if you've never seen them before.
1. Right of Way Sign / End of Right of Way Sign. This sign means you are on a road with the right of way. Cars turning in from the left or right must yield to you. When you see the black line through the same sign, you no longer have the right of way and you must yield to other traffic coming in from the right or left.
2. Divieto Fermata, or Absolutely No Stopping. The first sign means no stopping, and the second one means no parking/tow zone (so really, no stopping either).
3. City center. Follow the bullseye sign if you're looking for the center of the city. Very useful when driving to a city with more than one exit off the autostrada, and also helps locate the historic center within the city limits.
4. Not allowed. The first sign just means no entry with a car. Often there are times of day posted underneath, which means no entry just during those times. However there are many variations of this sign that describe things you are not allowed to do: I've included no passing, and no bicycles, but there are many more.
5. Okay, You're Allowed Now. The first sign below means "it's okay to drive on this road now". The second means "end of no passing zone".
6. Traffic circle / Roundabout: if you already (drive on the right side of the road and) know how to navigate a roundabout or traffic circle, then no worries: Italian roundabouts are the same. But if you are not familiar with them, learn entry and exit rules before you accidentally have to navigate multiple lanes of traffic, all driving in a circle, on the fly.
Happy driving!
P.S. If you didn't know any of the signs above and would like to study up on more Italian roadsigns, here's a more comprehensive list.
Photo of road signs by Anastassiya L
Let Italy Beyond the Obvious plan your trip to Italy: have a look at the sample itinerary or learn more.
