What does this speed limit sign mean?
'Velocità' — ve-lo-chi-TA. Four syllables; the accent on the final 'à' indicates stress there.
Ask when you see a round red-bordered white sign with a number in the centre. Speed limit signs appear at town entrances, road changes, and near schools.
'Limite di velocità' means speed limit. 'Limite' (limit) + 'di' + 'velocità' (speed). The ending '-ità' is the equivalent of English '-ity': 'velocità' (velocity/speed), 'qualità' (quality), 'quantità' (quantity). These nouns are always feminine in Italian.
Qual è il limite in città?
What is the limit in the city?
Standard urban limit is 50 km/h.
Posso guidare a 130 sull'autostrada?
Can I drive at 130 on the motorway?
130 km/h is the standard motorway limit.
I limiti cambiano di notte?
Do limits change at night?
Some zones lower limits at night, particularly school zones.
Italy is expanding '30 km/h zones' (zone 30) in urban areas. Bologna became Italy's first major city to adopt a 30 km/h limit city-wide in 2023. Violations caught by autovelox cameras generate automatic fines sent to the vehicle's registered address — foreign drivers are not exempt.