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You'll find the answers on this thread....
[url]http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=1251[/url]

[QUOTE=GeorgeS]drop down to your Scuola Guida with your UK licence, residence certificate permesso and a couple of passport photographs they will send it off and normally a couple of weeks later you collect it and pay about 40 euro, they then put a pink sticker on it with your ½ûÂþÌìÌà address. This is for both types of licence, a big bloke with a gun told me I had to change mine after a year, so I did. :)[/QUOTE]

George, concerning this "recognition" of the UK driving licence that you've mentioned to me before, once they give you back your UK licence with a sticker on the back, is it still to all intents and purposes a UK licence? ½ûÂþÌìÌÃs have to renew their licence every year for instance (I believe) . Presumably nothing like this is required for recognised UK licences that do not expire (until very late in the driver's life).

Additionally, what happens with points on licences for driving offences? ½ûÂþÌìÌÃs start with 22 points and lose points as they commit offences until they reach zero. In the UK we acquire points in mulitiples of 3 until 9 points at which time our licence is suspended. What happens to a "recognised" UK licence in Italy in the event of driving offences? How can points be deducted from it?

Interestingly, the ACI website says there are 3 options for non-italian EU licence holders:
1) Exchange it for an italian one
2) Have it recognised by paying the fee and having the sticker affixed to it.
3) Do nothing. Keep it as it is.

(exact link in italian is here: [url]http://www.aci.it/wps/portal/_s.155...ere#comunitaria[/url])

I've printed the web page out and keep it in the car now in case I need to show it to any armed policeman who disagrees :-)

[QUOTE=simdim]George, concerning this "recognition" of the UK driving licence that you've mentioned to me before, once they give you back your UK licence with a sticker on the back, is it still to all intents and purposes a UK licence? ½ûÂþÌìÌÃs have to renew their licence every year for instance (I believe) . Presumably nothing like this is required for recognised UK licences that do not expire (until very late in the driver's life).

Additionally, what happens with points on licences for driving offences? ½ûÂþÌìÌÃs start with 22 points and lose points as they commit offences until they reach zero. In the UK we acquire points in mulitiples of 3 until 9 points at which time our licence is suspended. What happens to a "recognised" UK licence in Italy in the event of driving offences? How can points be deducted from it?

Interestingly, the ACI website says there are 3 options for non-italian EU licence holders:
1) Exchange it for an italian one
2) Have it recognised by paying the fee and having the sticker affixed to it.
3) Do nothing. Keep it as it is.

(exact link in italian is here: [url]http://www.aci.it/wps/portal/_s.155...ere#comunitaria[/url])

I've printed the web page out and keep it in the car now in case I need to show it to any armed policeman who disagrees :-)[/QUOTE]

I presume that the points would be dealt with by marking the relevant offence on your paper portion of the licence, much the way the UK deal with them.
Your UK licence should run for the time quoted on it.
I have not come accross the renewal every year...

The option of doing nothing, keep it as it is, is the way it SHOULD be for EU citizens there SHOULD be no need to change any of the official documents, however, in very many ways, Italy has not yet come up to speed, the way I detailed is the route I chose, it has been scrutinised a couple of times by the Police here and no comment made.
I am sure the Police officer will appreciate the copy of the ACI page ;)