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Italy
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''Art. 175 co. 7, capo B'' of the Italian ''codice della strada'' states: * See also ''Sulle carreggiate, sulle rampe, sugli svincoli, sulle aree di servizio o di parcheggio e in ogni altra pertinenza autostradale è vietato (…) richiedere o concedere passaggi.''*''On roadways, on-ramps, junctions, service or parking areas and on any other area belonging to the ''autostrada''Hitchhiking it is forbidden (...) to ask for or grant rides.'' The law is pretty clear, and while it is not at all unusual in Europe that hitchhiking right on the motorway is illegal, Italyexplicitly includes service areas into the law as well. Be aware that drivers picking you up may also be fined; for hitchhikers, the fine appears to be 21 euros, for drivers up to 137 euros. Of course it is still possible to hitch the width and length of Italy on freeways without being fined all the time. On-ramps and exits of petrol stations have big signs saying ''no autostop''; if you stay before those, you should be fine; even if police have a problem, an article they will mostly just ask you to move further away from the sign. The ban on hitchhiking is not generally enforced in highway gas stations, but all the more when you're in a place where it actually is potentially dangerous to stand. It can happen that they ask you to leave a gas station and continue by train (see [http[https://wwwnomadwiki.digihitch.comorg/en/europe44.html DigihitchItaly#public_transport|public transportation section in NomadWiki]] for advice on how to travel for free by train). Generally it is smart to lower your thumb and try to look like a straying botanist or something whenever you see coppers approaching near the motorway. According to [http://www.digihitchlaleggepertutti.comit/userinfo94376_autostop-hikecrazychiedere-un-passaggio-e-illegale this legal article (Italian)], this does not apply to ''tangenziale'', bypasses, unless they are ''autostrade'' or other high-velocity roads.html HikecrazyAll in all, it's less likely that you will encounter problems if you're not Italian -- and, if you speak Italian, don't reveal this to police (or the armed forces, ''carabinieri''). Border crossings that are on the motorways (such as the Grand Saint-Bernard at the Swiss border) might be considered by the police as part of the highway. [[User:Olche Maith|Nina]] was hitchhiking with a nice truck driver who was trying to help her get her next ride at the border, but the policeman did not allow her to continue hitchhiking (even not to stay in the truck with the same driver!) and instead drove her to the bus stop and gave her money (much more than required for the bus). Others might not be so generous though. Edit: (TommytheCommie) We had no success trying to hitchhike from the toll bridges at the entrance to highways (autostrade). Everybody in Italy knows it's illegal to hitchhike on the highway. The police moved us back to the roundabout before the toll bridge, which was fine, but nobody was stopping in either position. So instead we hitchhiked on minor roads (named SS-9/10/etc.) and never waited longer than thirty minutes once we found a good spot. We hitchhiked down from Alessandria to Bologna on the Via Emilia (SS-9), getting short rides of 20 or 50 km at a time, but never waiting long. == Safety == The northern part of Italy is quite safe, but take care in the South. When pitching a tent in the wild, make very sure to stay out of sight. Roads are often not laid out for bicyclists and pedestrians which makes it harder to walk towards or find good spots. Some areas, especially on the outskirts of cities such as [[Rome]], can be dodgy for single female travellers for the reason that prostitutes frequent these places. When you get into a car, make sure that the driver's motives are not determined by his meat loaf. ==Getting out== === North across the Alps === Take the motorway [[A23 (Italy)|A23]] (in the eastern part of Italy) to [[Austria]] (don't try to hitchhike through [[Switzerland]], it's very difficult). Follow the [[A23 (Italy)|A23]] to [[Villach]] and [[Salzburg]] to get through the Alps very easy. On that way, you will also find a lot of people heading to [[Hungary]], [[Slovakia]] and [[Slovenia]].You can also try to hitch [[A22 (Italy)|A22]] to [[Bolzano]], [[Innsbruck]] over the [[Brennero]], but it's quite difficult to find a hitch from A4 to the A22 except when it is holiday time. Also, don't go via [[Milano]], it's really difficult to get out of the ring because almost everybody drives into Milano and very few stop at service areas located nearby. There are a lot of tourists from Austria and Germany, especially in summertime. The new European car plates start with a letter on the left side of the plate, representing the country. Most Austrian (A on a plate) and German (D on a plate) are on the way to the sea or on their way back from holidays, so if you want to go North or South, try to find Germans or Austrians (usually, they speak better English than the Italians, too). Another option is stay on the [[A4 (Italy)|A4]] and ask trucks on the petrol stations. Many trucks go to Austria, Slovakia, Poland and more north through Slovenia to tank diesel there because there is cheaper diesel and on the roads there aren't so many hills so it saves fuel. Edit: (TheLoneBaker) Crossing the Alps via Switzerland from the A9 seemed to be extremely easy. Lots of traffic at the service stations. Probably not worth the effort to go a different route if already in Western Italy. == Regions and cities in Italy ==
{|
|-
|-
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* [[Calabria]]
* [[Südtirol]]
* [[Sardegna]]
* [[Sicily]]
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* [[Agrigento]]
* [[Bergamo]]
* [[Brindisi]]
* [[Bologna]]
* [[Catania]]* [[Cosenza]]* [[Enna]] * [[Firenze|Florence]]* [[Foggia]]
* [[Genova]]
* [[Milano]]
* [[Napoli]]
* [[Padova]]
* [[Palermo]]
* [[Rome]]
* [[Sabaudia]]
|}
=== Towards [[Austria]] Ferries between Italy and Greece ===Take the motorway [[A23 (Italy)|A23]] (in the It's possible to hitchhike from south-eastern part of Italy) to [[Austria]] (don't try to hitchhike through [[Switzerland]]Greece, but it's very seems to be quite difficult). Follow the Find more information [[A23 (Italy)Ferries_between_Italy_and_Greece|A23]] to [[Villachhere]] . == Language == As in any foreign country, learning some of the language is recommended. Aside from Italian and local dialects, French is spoken in some areas of Piedmont and [[Salzburg]] to get through especially the Alps very Aosta Valley in which it is a co-official language, as well as German in South Tyrol. A handful of words from a local dialect may make drivers loosen up. Spanish is easyfor Italians to understand. English is less widely spread than in more northerly countries. "Hitchhiking" is ''autostop'' or ''passaggio'' in Italian. On that wayJust say ''faccio autostop'' or ''cerco un passaggio'' and the name of your your destination or show your thumb, otherwise Italians might think you will also find are asking directions as Italy gets a lot of people heading to [[Hungary]], [[Slovakia]] and [[Slovenia]]tourists.You A sign can also try to hitch [[A22 (Italy)|A22]] to [[Bozen]], [[Innsbruck]] over the [[Brennero]] but it's quite difficult to find a hitch from A4 help to the A22 except when it is holiday timeavoid misunderstandings. Also, donservice stations and restaurants on highways are commonly referred to as ''Autogrill''t go via . For detailed information on speaking Italian check the [[MilanoSouthern Europe phrasebook#Italian|Italian phrasebook]], it's really difficult to get out of the ring because almost everybody drives into Milano and very few stop at service areas located nearbyon hitchwiki.
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