Province code in Italy

Abbreviations for the names of provinces are extensively used in contexts other than vehicle registration in Italy. They could appear on letterheaded paper or in a postal address or in a guide book and very often on business cards and trade signs.  Sometimes, the codes are also used in postal addresses or documents. The current numbering scheme for vehicle registration plates, in use from 1994, is unrelated to the geographical provenance of the car. So it is a coincidence that this BZ number plate is from the Bolzano area.