Driving in Italy

[Sonicriot13 0]

:shock:!

 

I'm not trying to take the mick or criticise or anything but I've honestly never seen anything like it! Just got back from a week in Tropea and I wasn't prepared for just how different their driving style is.

 

We were in the taxi from the airport at Lamezia, we'd literally been in the country all of half an hour and I've never seen so much dangerous overtaking. People just driving on the wrong side of the road over taking about six cars at once and pulling in at the last moment as a car comes the other way.

 

When we actually got to the town itself it was difficult to see why anyone would have a car. I saw huge audi A6s and things going down really narrow streets. Never going out of second gear I wouldn't have thought. The unfortunate side effect was that just about every car has damage, dents, wing mirrors hanging off and doors that don't close properly.

 

It was bedlam. But on the other hand no road rage whatsoever. At first it seems like there is because they were all beeping their horns but after a while you realise they just use their horns to communicate the same way we would flash our lights.

 

I just kept wondering what they would think of our driving! Not so much cutting up or scrapes or narrow roads but everyone blowing their tops at the slightest provocation.

[Wendy 0]

Ah, so you have just come across the latin blood hot headed Italians !! :lol:

 

Yeah, they all drive like that all over Italy and although a little unnerverving to start with, you soon get used to it.

Although it always seems as if they are about to blow a fuse or a fist, its nearly always just hot air.

 

Did you not experience what appeared to be like a full scale arguement, only for after some time of huge uproar - for them to shake hands and laugh together. It really is an experience.

 

Hence the Monza GP is so well attended and Ferrari so well backed and all the latin blooded racing drivers so hot headed.

 

I think they are a great race.

[dukest 0]

I've always wanted to drive in Italy :D 8)

[Sonicriot13 0]

Yeah, they were lovely. We were treated with so much hospitality everywhere we went. Very passionate people. And they all said hello to us. Even just walking through the residential areas we'd get smiles and a "hello" or a "gutten tag" because we were taken for Germans often. There were a lot of Germans over there.

 

We witnessed a couple on the beach having a tiff. Went on for hours :shock:! And that's no exaggeration

 

And they do seem a bit aggressive at first but it's just the way they talk. We heard what we thought to be a full scale argument between about five women coming from a house near our bed and breakfast but it just turned out that they were watching TV and chatting!

 

And 2 euros for a pizza that not only would be bigger than one from pizza hut but would taste 85,693,252 times better! :D

 

I wouldn't have wanted to drive the rado there, just because I'd have been so worried about it getting pranged. They do just ignore traffic signs as well. There were stop junctions everywhere and not once did I see anybody stopping for them!

[Wendy 0]

I hgave driven in Italy - it's mad, mad, mad and great fun.

 

Although i think I will always give the likes of Rome a miss.

 

Hire car is the way to go !! :lol:

[Sonicriot13 0]

I feel sorry for hire cars. They get so much stick. :lol:

 

I know someone who had an accident in a hire car on holiday. Only a really small bump to the driver's side wing but they had to pay a silly excess and it was so much hassle to sort out. Basically if I had been there I'd have considered fitting a new wing before giving it back. Would have been cheaper me thinks.

[Skimask 0]

Italy is really scary for driving, I think Rome has the highest pedestrian fatalities anywhere and its hardly surprising, I think they are used as target practice. In general all cars look the tatty because they are covered in bumps and scrapes, until you see how they park, and that kinda explains it.

As described before, the pizza and coffee are amazing, and the pizza is sold by weight, not size. It's well worth the risk of being run over to get to the roadside cafe.

Fortunately, we knew some people there, and over at their apartment being treated to excellent food. To cap it all I saw a Corrado at the roadside, but it had bodykit plastered all over it.

[Sonicriot13 0]

This was the best car I saw whilst I was there. 8)

 

 

And no damage. Think that's because it lived in the middle of nowhere and was never taken into town....

 

And I know this has nothing to do with cars but check out this sunset picture I took from the grounds of a hotel we stayed at. The mountain thing rising out of the water is the volcano Stromboli which is obviously the inspiration behind the Alfa Romeo colour Stromboli grey.

 

[Skimask 0]

Nice pic Sonic very nice indeed.

[Sonicriot13 0]

Nice pic Sonic very nice indeed.

 

Cheers mate! :D I've never been on a holiday where I've gone so mad with the picture taking. The scenery was absolutely spectacular. I've got a whole series of those sunset pictures where as the sun is going down over the volcano the sky changes colour through oranges and blues.