[alfa] Re: re: Alfa Romeo Museum Directions?

[George Graves <gmgraves@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Some" are wrong. Driving in Italy is fairly easy (most traffic laws 
are common sense, after all). The cities can be challenging until you 
get used to them, but even they aren't so bad. I've driven through 
Milan, Turin, Florence, Rome Naples, Messina, Palermo, Syracuse, etc. 
No biggie. It helps to remember that the Italian mindset is "A thin 
veneer of chaos over a core of  strict regulation." We Americans are 
just the opposite, "A thin veneer of strict regulation over a core off 
complete chaos." The Italians might SEEM to drive crazily, but there is 
method in their madness.

On the open highway whether AutoStrade, SuperStrade, or just plain 
two-lane tarmac, the rules are: faster traffic in left lanes. Yield to 
faster traffic, don't pass on the right, and on a two-lane road, when 
another car is approaching while you are passing or they are passing 
BOTH of you need to get as far right as possible. Don't honk your horn, 
dip your lights or try to panic stop. Ten inches clearance is a 
collision avoided. The Italians know this and use it. So should you. 
One last bit of advice. In the north, these days it is POSSIBLE to get 
pulled down for speeding, in the south, drive like you want to drive. 
Nobody will notice or care. Getting Southern Italians to obey traffic 
laws is like herding cats. The police have long since given up even 
trying. :->

George Graves
'86 GTV-6 3.0 'S'
Logged many thousands of miles in Italy... Every one in an Alfa Romeo.



On Friday, September 12, 2003, at 01:48 PM, alfa-digest wrote:


> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2003 09:01:49 +0200
> From: Luca <nodoubt@domain.elided>
> Subject: [alfa] re:Alfa Romeo Museum Directions?
>
> At Wed, 10 Sep 2003 20:35:07 -0400 "N" <twobees@domain.elided>
> > Some have said that driving in Italy is tough, & that the drivers are 
> > crazy.
> Yes. I am completely crazy indeed :-)
>
> Luca,
> Italy.
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