Originally Posted by
bigguyinpasadena
A question for the locals (or semi locals)
Are there any parking regulations in Roman neighborhoods
?
Seriously- In Prati around the Piazza Cavour it really seem to be the case of "Just leave your car anywhere and hope you don't get a ticket!" A driver tried to explain about the blue lines marking parking spots but 3those seem to be mere suggestions to Roman drivers. And the double parking would drive me mad. We witnessed people being blocked in by double parked cars several times-and yet I never saw a tow truck.
Are the fines for illegal parking so minimal that it is worth playing this game?
There is almost no reason to have a car in Italy if you are not a local or semi-local, or someone with a lot of experience there. In essence, you are not allowed to drive in the historic center anyway. You are not allowed to drive in Trastevere. It is said that Roman drivers are maniacs. That's not true. Just half of them are. They have different driving rules, and you won't know them.
You should just park your car in the hotel parking lot and get around by taxi or metro, so that you don't have to worry about the car. Hotels usually charge between 30-50 euros per day, which I find crazy.
You can go to a public garage for about 18 euros per day and leave the car there. Or go to the outskirts of the city and leave it in a computer lot that Romans use who park there car there, and take the train into the city. It would cost you 5 euros a day to leave it out there.
Most of the places in Rome where you can park are called Zona Blu. You have to put money in the meter and pay one euro per hour and display the ticket on the dashboard.
It is a nightmare. However, if you are a Roman citizen you get a tag that allows you to drive and park in ways that a tourist doesn't have access to. If you don't have that tag, cameras will take pictures of your license plate, it will go to an agency to charge you a hefty fine, and they will track you down wherever you are, and put a collection agency on you.
There is no point in having a car in Rome, unless you are a local or semi-local, as you put it.
There are some things a tourist must do when in Rome, and some things a tourist must not do. For example, things you must not do is try walk into St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican wearing a tank top and shorts. Don't say, "ciao" to someone you haven't known for a long time, they are much younger than you, or you are a famous or very important person.
Don't ask for tap water in a restaurant. Pay for the bottled water. Whatever you do, don't criticize the local soccer team. The only thing more dangerous than that would be to drive a rental car into the city unless you really have experience living in Rome.