Ah the joys of driving in Italy! You've picked the best country to start driving abroad in. If you can drive in Italy you can drive in any country! But please don't let this put you off! It's a great way to see the countryside, which is beautiful.

You quickly get used to driving on the right, although you'll probably end up with sore/bruised knuckles when you go to change gear - think about it!

The Italians drive fast, they have absolutely no patience, tailgating is normal practice, and when parking they try to squeeze into the tiniest of spaces, even if it means bumping the car in front and behind to get in.
As for the road signs....... a sign will tell you that the town you want to get to is straight ahead, and then you come to a fork in the road. You cannot go straight ahead, you have to go left or right, but which way? No more road signs!!!

You'll see blue 'P' for parking signs, like ours. Don't necessarily think they mean that there's a car park. It usually means that you can park on the street. White parking bays mean you can park for free, blue lines mean you have to pay, and yellow lines are for disabled.

Always leave loads of room between you and the car in front, as some idiot will overtake you where they shouldn't, and have to pull in smartish. Let them pass you, and take your time if you don't know where you're going. The best advice is to go with the flow.

I think you may have gone overboard on the insurance side of things, but better safe than sorry on your first experience I suppose.