ZTL MapIs the ZTL Active Now? Reading the Signs and the Hours
By Josep Mampel Marques, updated
A ZTL is active when the panel at the gate says "ZTL attiva" (in English, "ZTL Closed") or, where there is no panel, when the current time in Italy falls within the hours on the sign. To check a specific address right now, open the map for your city: the checker compares the zone's hours with the time in Italy and tells you "Active now" or "Not active now", and until when.
Live checkers: Florence, Rome, Milan, Bologna, Lucca.
Reading the panel at the gate
| Panel says | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| ZTL attiva (red) | The restriction is in force | Do not enter without authorisation |
| ZTL Closed | English version of "ZTL attiva" | Do not enter without authorisation |
| ZTL non attiva (green) | The restriction is not in force | You may enter, unless another sign forbids it |
| ZTL Opened | English version of "ZTL non attiva" | You may enter, unless another sign forbids it |
| Varco attivo | Older wording: the camera is enforcing the restriction | Do not enter without authorisation |
| Varco non attivo | Older wording: the restriction is not in force | You may enter, unless another sign forbids it |
The English words come from the Ministry of Infrastructure's 2019 guidelines as reported by SicurAUTO. The trap is "Closed": it means the zone is closed to you, so the restriction is on. More on the sign itself in how to recognise a ZTL sign and camera.
Reading the hours on the sign
- Use Italian time. Italy is on Central European Time, one hour ahead of London in winter and summer alike. If your phone is still on home time, the sign and your clock disagree. Our checker always uses Italian time.
- "Feriali" and "festivi". "Feriali" are working days, which in Italy usually include Saturday; "festivi" are Sundays and public holidays. Read which days the hours apply to before you read the hours.
- Night hours cross midnight. "Venerdì e sabato 23:00-03:00" means from 23:00 on Friday to 03:00 on Saturday, and from 23:00 on Saturday to 03:00 on Sunday.
- Seasons. Some zones change through the year. Rome's Trastevere night zone, for example, is off in August.
- Events and holidays. Cities can change the rules for events, and some zones switch off on public holidays. The sign on the day is what counts.
The hours we use, zone by zone
These are the hours behind our checker, all in Italian time and checked on 9 November 2026. Each city guide has the sources and caveats.
| Zone | Restricted | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Florence, sectors A, B and O | Mon to Fri 07:30 to 20:00; Sat 07:00 to 16:00 | Official source for the end times; Saturday start from OpenStreetMap |
| Florence, night zones | Not verified | None |
| Rome, Diurna Centro Storico | Mon to Fri 06:30 to 18:00; Sat 14:00 to 18:00 | OpenStreetMap |
| Rome, Tridente | Mon to Fri 06:30 to 19:00; Sat 10:00 to 19:00; off on public holidays | OpenStreetMap |
| Rome, Diurna Trastevere | Mon to Sat 06:30 to 10:00; off on public holidays | OpenStreetMap |
| Rome, Notturna Centro Storico and Testaccio | Fri and Sat nights 23:00 to 03:00 | OpenStreetMap |
| Rome, Notturna Trastevere | 21:30 to 03:00: Fri and Sat nights Sep to Apr; Wed to Sat nights May to Jul; off in Aug | OpenStreetMap |
| Milan, Area C | Every day 07:30 to 19:30 (sources disagree on weekends) | Reported, not confirmed officially |
| Milan, small ZTLs | Not verified | None |
| Bologna, Centro Storico | Every day 07:00 to 20:00 | Official (Bologna Welcome) and OpenStreetMap |
| Bologna, Zona Università | Not verified (24 hour zones exist inside the centre) | None |
| Lucca, zones A, B and C | Not verified | None |
Where sources disagree we use the more restrictive hours, as with Florence's Saturday start and Milan's weekends. Where we have no hours we can trace to a source, we say so instead of guessing. The method page explains the confidence levels.
What the checker cannot know
- Public holidays. It treats a holiday like an ordinary day of the week. That can make it say "Active now" on a holiday when a zone is in fact off, never the opposite.
- Temporary changes. Events, works and emergency ordinances are not in our data.
- Zones we have not mapped. If the checker finds nothing, the point is outside the zones on our map, not necessarily outside every restriction.
So use the checker to plan, and the panel at the gate to decide. If the two disagree, the panel is right.
Sources
- SicurAUTO, ZTL: la scritta "varco attivo" diventa illegittima (5 July 2019): https://www.sicurauto.it/news/codice-della-strada/ztl-la-scritta-varco-attivo-diventa-illegittima-multe-annullabili/
- Wikipedia, Limited traffic zone: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limited_traffic_zone
- Comune di Firenze, I nuovi orari della ZTL: https://servizi.comune.fi.it/sites/www.comune.fi.it/files/Evidenza/fupload_i_nuovi_orari_della_ztl.pdf
- OpenStreetMap, Rome ZTL Diurna Centro Storico: https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/2459882
- OpenStreetMap, Bologna ZTL Centro Storico: https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/19164209
- L'Automobile (ACI), Area C attiva anche nei weekend: https://www.lautomobile.aci.it/attualita/area-c-milano-da-gennaio-2026-sara-attiva-anche-nei-weekend/
- alVolante, Area C Milano 2026: https://www.alvolante.it/da_sapere/legge-e-burocrazia/Area-C-Milano-2026-auto-che-non-possono-entrare-e-costi-379981
Hours checked on 9 November 2026.