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This paper presents the vision system used by the ARGO autonomous vehicle to sense the surrounding environment and the basics of the algorithm used to detect lane markings in real-time. The system, based on a pair of low-cost b/w cameras, can autonomously steer the vehicle thanks to a stepping motor installed on the steering column. This paper also presents a discussion and a critical analysis of the 'MilleMiglia in Automatico', an extensive test of the ARGO vehicle that took place in the first week of June 98, when ARGO drove autonomously for about 2000 km on Italian public roads in real traffic conditions. The experience gained during this trip is described and the main problems of the vision system discussed.