Pull over—you've been randomly selected...
The Carabinieri (or state police) and Polizia Municipale (local police) are well represented in Italy but you won't find these individuals citing drivers for traffic violations. What you will find is the well known "posto di blocco" (or police control/blockade). If they hold out the red circle paddle, you've been randomly selected and must pull over. Then, for the next five to fifteen minutes they review your documentation (e.g., ID card, drivers license, vehicle registration, proof of insurance) and ask you questions.Shortly after moving to Italy, we were visiting Rome and thieves broke into our VW transporter shuttle and removed all of our personal articles from the back (including Craig's and Rebecca's international drivers licenses which were not replaceable from Italy). From then on, we traveled with color copies of all our documents and left the originals at our apartment. The one time I was pulled over I was informed that copies were not legal documents. Oh well... they worked fine for two years!
I saw that the Carabinieri have a Lamborghini interceptor... I also saw the Polizia Municipale in a Smart Car (as long as the width of a normal car so it can park perpendicular to the curb). Obviously, the Carabinieri have a bigger budget than the local police.
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