Can I drive with the Australian driving license in Italy?

We have not yet collected the Australian laws. Please visit us again in a later time.

The laws in Italy say the following:
Recognition of driving licences issued in other EU countries Driving licences issued by European Union or European Economic Area Member States are treated in the same way as the corresponding Italian driving licences. Recognition of driving licences issued in third countries Driving licences issued by a country outside the European Union or European Economic Area allow you to drive in Italy provided they are accompanied either by an international driving licence, drawn up in the format provided for by the 1949 Geneva Convention or the 1968 Vienna Convention, or by an official translation of the licence into Italian. Your driving licence and international driving licence must both be valid. The Ministry of the Interior has identified some cases where international permission is not required (e.g. for UK licences following Brexit or for licences drawn up in formats compliant with that laid down by the Vienna Convention). However, if you are the holder of a licence issued by a non-EU or non-EEA country and you have been resident in Italy for more than a year, you need to obtain an Italian driving licence to be able to drive in Italy:
Source: Italian Ministry of Sustainable Infrastructures and Mobility

It means that:
Based on the information provided regarding the Italian Ministry of Sustainable Infrastructures and Mobility's regulations, holders of an Australian driving license can drive in Italy under certain conditions. Since Australia complies with annex 6 of the International Road Traffic Convention of 1968 and annex 9 of the Geneva Road Traffic Convention of 1949, and the Australian license includes the necessary details in English, it is recognized under the conventions mentioned.

However, the Italian regulations state that driving licenses issued by a country outside the European Union or European Economic Area allow you to drive in Italy provided they are accompanied either by an international driving license (International Driving Permit) drawn up in the format provided for by the 1949 Geneva Convention or the 1968 Vienna Convention, or by an official translation of the license into Italian.

Given that the Australian driving license complies with the formats laid down by the Vienna and Geneva Conventions, it is not explicitly stated that an International Driving Permit (IDP) is mandatory for Australian license holders. However, the regulations do mention that there are some cases identified by the Ministry of the Interior where international permission (an IDP) is not required, such as for UK licenses following Brexit or for licenses drawn up in formats compliant with the Vienna Convention.

Since the Australian driving license is compliant with the conventions and is in English, it is likely that an IDP may not be strictly necessary. However, the regulations do not explicitly exempt Australian licenses from the requirement of an IDP or an official translation. Therefore, while the Australian license is recognized due to its compliance with international conventions, to be certain and avoid any potential issues while driving in Italy, it is advisable for Australian license holders to obtain an International Driving Permit or an official translation of their license into Italian. This would ensure that they meet all requirements for driving in Italy as a non-EU or non-EEA license holder.

Different rental agencies might still require an IDP even while the local laws do not require it. Please find your appropriate local supplier in the list above to verify.

We don't have any real life reports by Australian travelers in Italy.
If you've been there and was pulled over by the local officials, please share your experience with us and we will publish it to help others.