Flying in Italy — a VFR pilot's guide

Italy is one of the great rewards of European VFR. The Dolomites glow ochre at dawn from the Adige valley; Tuscany's ridgelines at 2,000 ft look nothing like they do from the motorway; Elba is thirty minutes from the mainland coast over shallow turquoise water. Sardinia's granite interior gives way to turquoise coastline, reachable in a morning from southern France. The airspace looks complex at first glance, but the corridor logic is consistent and controllers are genuinely helpful.

Airspace

Class A begins at FL145 across the Po Valley (north of the Apennines) and FL195 in the south. VFR is excluded — the three north-south corridors are the practical solution for transits, well-used and familiar to controllers. Semi-circular levels apply and are enforced: 0–179° = odd thousands + 500 ft, 180–359° = even thousands + 500 ft.

Radio & FIS

Four FIRs cover Italy: Milano (north), Padova (northeast), Roma (centre), Brindisi (south). Controllers speak English and expect a structured call — position, altitude, destination, request, in that order. E.g. Milano Radar, Cessna D-ABCD, overhead Lago di Garda, 4500 feet, VFR Padova LIPU, request FIS. FIS is information, not separation: see-and-avoid always applies.

Planning

FPL required for all cross-border entries (SERA.4001, minimum 60 min before departure). Domestic VFR does not require an FPL but filing activates SAR coverage. Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy fields often run AFIS during stated hours only; many Sicilian fields require PPR 24 hours in advance.

Fuel

AVGAS 100LL at smaller strips is unreliable. In Sicily and Sardinia, plan to fuel at the main commercial aerodrome (adds handling fees). MOGAS is available at a small number of fields — confirm by phone.