Driving

I see the Fiat 500 has quite an advertising campaign going on. That is the exact car that I drive here in Italy. When I bought it a year or so ago, some friends questioned how I could feel safe driving my kids around in such a small car. I quickly was proud of driving around with half the car (40+mpg) because I realized I didn’t really need all that space. Plus, the thought of safety never crossed my mind because having a small car is the key to surviving the Italian driving experience. I have been driving here for about 25 years, but I never would say I am relaxed at the wheel. You just can’t relax, you have to concentrate on the narrow windy roads, the bicyclers, the Vespas and all that is going on. When I get home to the U.S. and drive down the wide roads that have a center line and ample width, then I can relax.

Take a look at the roads I go down to get my girls to school.

Yes, there are two lanes but as you can see, there is no divider line painted in the road because you just have to share the space depending on the size of your vehicle. When I pass a bus or a truck, they don’t even slow down! I hold my breath, you hear a suction sound as they pass (sometimes I feel like closing my eyes too), but if everyone scooches a little bit and it’s all good in the end. Most moms drive very small cars. A minivan or SUV is just not convenient for driving around town. Not to mention that the price of gas is $8.25 per gallon. That’s right! And you thought you were paying a lot!

The other inconvenience is parking.

It is hard to find a space and they are tight. I think it was the government’s plan to discourage people from buying gas guzzling cars. Look at this new parking lot space at the supermarket, you can barely open your car door to get out if you have a big car like this.

I guess that is why the bicycle becomes the ultimate means of transportation here. Italians were smart and created bicycle paths in the country that connect most cities. I can ride my bike down the street and get on the path, which I can follow  to at least 10 towns and over 50 miles of pedaling without getting back on a road with cars. I have put my bike away until the spring, but most Italians never put their bike away. My 78 year-old mother-in-law rides her bike about 3 miles to get the newspaper and bread each day, no matter what the weather is like. I have often seen (from my car) elderly women at 80+ years on bikes in the rain, with an umbrella in one hand and multiple shopping bags draped over the handlebars. Italians are definitely not a lazy crowd, that is for sure. It looks like the Tour de France outside of our window, any day, any time and at any age. The other day when driving the kids to school at 8am, a group of about 50 Greg Lemonds passed by and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed their faces were all covered with wrinkles.

I did notice the Fiat 500 is offered in only one size engine in the U.S., much larger than mine and with not as great gas mileage. This has always seemed odd to me. In America, everyone drives slow but European cars are only offered with large engines. In Italy, everyone drives way too fast and the same cars are sold with smaller engines and much better gas mileage.

Here is one last memory about driving in Italy. Years ago, when my husband would take me out, I would sit silently in the passenger seat as he raced around in his little car to get us to a restaurant or the movie theater. We were young with nothing to do, so I would think to myself, what’s the big rush? Finally, after a few months I asked him if he realized that he drove like a maniac for no good reason. He said that is how everyone drives, so I asked him to slow down and he has been driving safely every since. So, if you are in Rome, and you rent a car, don’t do as the Romans do.