Milan traffic fines

[Matsikula]

Does anyone happen to know how to pay a traffic fine in Milan? We picked one up in our hire car, but all the information we have been sent is in Italian, and sadly I don't speak Italian.

Any tips that will help keep us out of prison much appreciated!

Did the fine come with a slip or via the hire car company? If it was the latter I'd try to phone or email them to find out how to do it. The former, I'd go to my bank to pay it.

If you want to copy down what it says, can help you translate it?

Normally, here in Italy you have to go either to a Post Office, special Fines office type of place, or you can pay by bank transfer if there is one of those paying in slip things attached to it?

(you usually have about 20 years to pay Dp still has one from 1989 when he was doing his military service he hasn't paid)

I got fined in Milan in the late 90s.

I was on the way to the airport, didn't listen to a word the chap said (my italian wasn't great and I was stressing about the flight).

Dropped the hire car back and took the flight.

never heard another word about it. And I've been back to Italy A LOT.

I don't think you need worry about prison just yet! I'd igmore it and see if you hear anything.

There is nowadays a 360 day limit for fines. The 360-day limit for issuing fines starts from the day that the municipality obtains notification of your driver details from the car hire company ? not from the date of the offence itself.

Your post is a reminder of the dangers of driving in Italy, especially into historic city centres, many of which now limit traffic to residents and essential vehicles only.

I would also ask if this came directly to you or via the hire car company. If there are payment details I would go to the bank and pay the fine asap.

A Zona Traffico Limitato (ZTL) is announced by a white sign bearing a red circle and a pair of cameras mounted high above the street. If you are staying within a ZTL and need to drop off luggage at a hotel you must get an exemption pass, issued by the reception desk, to avoid being fined.

Thanks for the advice everyone. It came from the car hire company, but the only covering note was a Visa bill, showing, I presume, how much they were taking off our card as payment for forwarding the letter from the police (it was a smaller amount than the amount mentioned in the official letter).

Yes, we were caught by a ZTL. We were blindly following satnav, and by the time we figured out why everyone was honking at us, it would have meant reversing into two lanes of evening rush hour traffic to get out.

Nothing for it but to contact the car hire company. I was hoping not to, as they weren't overly helpful in the first place.

At least I know now that we've still got a fair bit of time to pay!