Originally Posted by
nodnerb
Driving a car in Italy is scary enough, never mind biking.
I spent nearly 3 weeks cycling in Italy in 2013. We were based in the NE part of country and did day rides. It was quite lovely riding. Never felt threatened by the traffic at all. The only close call some members of our group had occurred when they barreled into a traffic circle without yielding to a car already negotiating the circle.
Lots of people ride in that part of the country. On Sundays we saw numerous large group rides. On one there was a guy hanging onto the back of the group while riding a MTB that had no...wait for it...fork. (And, obviously, no front wheel.)
When I was there in '95 for the Giro the riding was also quite nice. And I had the thrill of seeing Marco Pantani out for a spin while we were heading to a stage finish at the Bianchi factory in Trevliglio. He was sitting out the race recovering from an injury.
Getting a license in Italy is an involved process, and you have to be at least 18 to get a license to drive a car. Many people actually take driver education courses. I remember seeing a lot of auto schools last time I was there.
Getting an Italian Driving Licence - Italy - Angloinfo