Italian road signs quiz: how to recognise the signs by their shape and colour

When a statement is about a sign, the first question to ask yourself is: which group does it belong to? Danger, prohibition, mandatory, right of way (precedenza) or information. The group already tells you a lot: a danger sign warns, a prohibition forbids, a mandatory sign requires a behaviour.

Shape and colour help you understand the group in a moment. Then read the symbol and check whether the statement says exactly what the sign shows.

Danger signs have the shape of an equilateral triangle with one point facing upwards. They warn you that there is a danger ahead.

As a rule they are placed 150 metres before the start of the danger; on urban roads the distance can be shorter. When the distance is different, a supplementary panel shows the actual one (Regolamento del Codice della strada (the implementing rules of the Highway Code), arts. 81 and 84).

A useful detail: when a danger sign and a regulatory sign (segnale di prescrizione) are on the same post, the danger sign is always on top (art. 84).

Prohibition signs are circular. They forbid passing through, some directions or some manoeuvres, or they set limits. When a prohibition ends, you see it from an end of prohibition sign (fine divieto): white background, dark grey symbols and a black diagonal bar (Regolamento del Codice della strada, arts. 115 and 119).

Mandatory signs are circular too (art. 121):

• general mandatory signs have a blue background and a white symbol
• specific mandatory signs have a white background, a red border and a black symbol

Since prohibition and mandatory signs are all round, the shape alone is not enough: look at the colour and the symbol too before you answer.

Right-of-way signs (segnali di precedenza) are of two kinds. Some require you to give way; others tell you that it is the other drivers who must give way to you (Regolamento del Codice della strada, art. 105).

Among those of the first kind there is STOP AND GIVE WAY (FERMARSI E DARE PRECEDENZA): it requires you to stop at the stop line before you enter the junction (art. 107). In the quiz, pay attention to the verb: to stop (fermarsi) is not the same as to slow down (rallentare).

Information signs give you information to find your way. The background colour tells you which road or what it is about (Regolamento del Codice della strada, art. 78):

• green: motorways
• blue: extra-urban roads
• white: urban roads
• yellow: temporary signs for roadworks
• brown: places of historical, artistic, cultural and tourist interest

Supplementary panels are rectangular. They can show the distance or the length of the stretch concerned (estesa), specify where the sign applies, explain its meaning or limit it to certain categories of road users or to certain periods of time (Regolamento del Codice della strada, art. 83). In the quiz, always read the panel too: it can change the answer.

To practise, review the signs group by group and then mix them. On the PatenteInTasca website you find the Italian road signs explained one by one, with shape, colour and meaning. PatenteInTasca is not affiliated with the Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti (MIT, the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport) or with the Motorizzazione (the vehicle licensing office), and it is not a driving school.