On Thu, 3 Apr 2008 17:57:51 +0100, Annie C wrote
(in article
):
> We'll be driving a rental car in Italy (around Tuscany and then back
> North via Genoa to Malpensa Airport) in a few weeks. Are credit cards
> (MC/Visa) accepted in most gas stations? And is it mostly self-serve
> or do stations have attendants? Any idea how much per litre these
> days? (We're not sure if the rental will be diesel or not.)
>
> I've had trouble finding current info on line, and say thanks in
> advance for any help you can give..
>
The gas stations (petrol stations as I would say) in Italy often seem to me a
little primitive compared to those I am used to in the UK. They often not
self-service, or even when they are, there is usually someone hanging around
who will 'help' whether you want it or not, and will always clean your
windscreen (even if it doesn't need it). He requires a tip for all of this of
course.
Payment also seems over-complicated. The man who fills your tank usually
doesn't take any money, but writes out a chit which you then take to another
man (the cashier) who will take your money (if he's not too busy).
You can usually pay by credit card if you really want but this takes even
more time as the card reader often seems not to work and it requires manual
entry of the details. I prefer to pay with cash - it seems a lot safer to me
given the amount of credit card fraud around these days. The amounts are not
huge, so it just means visiting the ATM a little more often.
There are lots of websites giving current prices of fuel in Europe. Here is
one: http://www.aaroadwatch.ie/eupetrolprices/
Just Google "fuel prices europe" for many more.
--
Mike Lane (UK North Yorkshire)
To contact me replace invalid with mike underscore lane
|