Thread: Beware of Italians with cameras

Went to Italy last November. Great time had by all - staying in a castle in Tuscany.

Hired a car and took a daytrip to Pisa. Got lost but eventually found the leaning tower and after much looking found a semi-legal parking spot.

Come April this year I found 4 items at 36Euro each on my credit card from the car hire company for "parking or other infringements in Pisa". Thought it was a bit rough as they were all within 20 minutes of each other. Come May, I got another 5 for the next half hour and 1 for 4 hours later.

This month I have started getting notices from the Pisa police for "circulating in a restricted zone in Pisa without authority". They all tell me that I was caught on camera in the restricted zone and I should pay a fine of 113 Euros within 60 days or else it will be 185 Euros. I have received 7 notices so far so I guess the other 3 are in the post.

It turns out the money charged by Europcar (10 x 36 Euro) is the handling fee to tell the cops who had hired the car. So I have paid about $600AU for them to give the cops the same details 10 times.

What appears to have happened is that in looking for a parking spot, I ventured into a restricted zone and passed the camera 9 times as I circulated looking for a parking spot. Didn't see any signs but probably wouldn't have know what they meant anyway. The tenth time was when we were leaving town and passed the camera on the way out.

They now expect me to pay about $1900AU in fines or $3080AU if I take more than 60 days. You can appeal to the Pisa Justice of the Peace (in Italian) but if your appeal fails, the fines become 370Euro each making a total of about $6159AU.

My solution to the problem is to send them a two word email, frame the fine notices as a memento of the trip and they can whistle dixie if they think they are getting any money from me.