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The Results Are In: Part 0

[As the old western song says, “I’m back in the saddle, again”…the blogging saddle, that is. And to all of you who have written and called to wish me well in my Covid-19 recovery, you have my sincere thanks.]

For those of you who have been with me for awhile, you have seen my “The Results Are In:…” articles before. These are articles in which I toot my horn a bit to reflect that others have been tooting it for me.

I was doing a bit of cleaning up in my photography area of the basement, and I came across a Black & White Magazine from 2014, in which two of my photos were published. Then I found other bits of recognition that I have not shared with you. And then I found more.

As these are older awards that I should have published prior to “The Results Are In: Part 1”, I decided to slip this melange in as “Part 0” (zero), rather than Part 18, which should be the next in line.

Not much effort for this article, right? Just assume that I’m just kind of working my way back in to blogging very slowly.

Well, that’s it. I think I’m all caught up on horn tooting. The next installment of ItalyOurItaly.com will be a bit meatier. So, until then, please stay safe, and as always…

…Ciao for now,

Steve

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Eat Here: Enoteca Della Valpolicella

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Has there been a time when you’ve had a meal and you think, “Wow, I’d like to come back and eat here again!”. We said that. And, we then went back and ate there again. It was that good. Italy at its best. Here is what you can expect.

We had just completed a mourning tour and tasting of the wines of the Allegrini winery, and it was oh, so good. Now it was time for lunch. Because of a recommendation by Silvia at the Salvaterra winery, we had made a reservation for lunch at Enoteca Della Valpolicella…and we are glad we did, as the locals already know about this gem.

Getting There

On this map, you can see the short drive from Villa Allegrini (red circle) to Enoteca Della Valpolicella (blue circle) in the small village of Fumane, just 9 miles north of Verona. So, it’s possible that Juliette and Romeo had their first date here. Yeah, I know. Right?

Drive through the gate and park in the small lot.

“Whether you dine for lunch or dinner, either experience (or both, as in our case) will please you no end”

Eating There

First of all, don’t expect to be treated like a customer…you are a guest at Enoteca Della Valpolicella, and that’s the way you will feel.

Dining is upstairs, and it is a very pleasant place to eat. Add to that our very pleasant cameriera (waitress), and you have a very pleasant meal, assuming the food is also very pleasant.

Elisa Riolfi took or order, with a bit of a twist. She asked us what sort of things we liked (and didn’t like) and she then suggested that she bring us what one might call a 'chef’s menu’. We handed her our unopened menus and put our trust in Elisa.

We were glad that she approached our meal this way…because it turned out that, along with everything else, the food was very pleasant, indeed!

It turns out that Elisa has a good relationship with the chef, as Chef Ada is her mother.

I mentioned in the introduction that we returned to dine for dinner after having eaten lunch at Enoteca della Valpolicella. One of the reasons we wanted to return? This absolutely heavenly starter of Tomato Sauce alla Veronese.

It is finished with a bit of burrata cheese, basil, and a splash of EVOO.

And, for our dinner, once more we let Elisa and her mom take the reigns, but with one demand —- we wanted this starter with our meal, once again!

In this photo, you can see the texture of this scrumptious delight.

In testament to just how good this simple dish is, Ellen’s action speaks for itself! This gives new meaning to ‘diving in’ to a dish!

Ellen says, “It is remarkable that something so simple should be so flavorful!”.

And it is super simple. There are only three ingredients, and one of them is butter!

We know how to duplicate this dish. Click this thumbnail and you can see for yourself.

Wine with Our Meals

As with virtually every meal we eat in Italy, wine is always appropriate.

For lunch, we opted for a bottle of La Grola from the Allegrini winery which we had just visited that morning.

For dinner, it was a nice Amarone. This wine is the one that is made from grapes that have been raisinated for about 100 days before being pressed, described in the article here.

They have over 800 labels in their cellar. And they know each one…as well as the families that produce them. Just ask, and you will receive a wine that you will enjoy with your meal.

Whatever the meal, there is always a toast to Italy and friends not present — and that includes you, of course!

Ellen and Steve (in photo) along with Leslie and Craig, offer a toast

Here are the chef’s selections for our lunch and dinner. And it is oh, so good to know that bacon is often a part of a meal in Italy! That particular dish is Dandelion Leaves with Monte Veronese Cheese and Crispy Pancetta (which you will find on page 47 of the yet to be mentioned cookbook, below).

See the third dish in the top row? That is Duck Breast with Recioto & Honey Sauce…and it was absolutely fabulous.

Recioto is a sweet, red dessert wine made in the Valpolicella Amarone style. By putting the Recioto together with the honey, a delicious sweet, but not overpowering, accompaniment is created for the duck breast.

Here is the recipe so you can try it at home. Just click on the thumbnail to get a larger view.

Dessert? Yes please. And thank you!

A Visit from Chef Ada Riolfi

During our trip, we had found a cookbook that we really liked, as it had dishes that were the specialty of Italian chefs of the Lake Garda, Verona, and Valpolicella area - the area which we were visiting.

The cookbook is titled, “Polenta & Amarone: The Flavors of Lake Garda, Verona and Valpolicella”. It so happens that Chef Ada is featured in this cookbook with 7 of her recipes. As we happened to have our own copy with us, we had Ada autograph our book. Surely you too have a cookbook with you as you travel. I certainly hope so!

It is interesting that Ada had not seen the cookbook before tonight, as it was not of her creation. And, upon taking a look at some of her recipes therein, she spotted errors in cooking temperature and time.

Here she is as she signs our cookbook, after penciling in changes to the Duck Breast with Honey and Recioto Sauce recipe. She changed the ‘brisk heat’ of the Recioto sauce to ‘low flame’, and the time of ‘15-20 minutes’ to ‘40 minutes’. It’s nice to have a chef handy whilst you’re cooking, so we will try to do that for our future at-home cooking sessions! We’ve already scheduled Keller, Douglas, Flay, Giada, and more!

Four women of whom bother-in-law Craig and I are in awe

The Cookbook

If you are interested in obtaining a copy of the cookbook (without Chef Ada edits…unless you make a personal visit to Enoteca della Valpolicella, of course), click here.

Just be sure to select the Italiano-English version (rather than the Italiano-German version). Each recipe is given in both Italian and English.

By the way, the woman on the cover is Pierina Caprini. Though we know her, you probably don’t…but you will soon when i publish an article featuring her restaurant and cooking. So, stay tuned for that…it was one of the most truly magical evenings of our lives.

That’s it for our back-to-back visits to Enoteca della Valpolicella. Both lunch and dinner were fabulous.

Want to give Enoteca Della Valpolicella a try for yourself, To the right is their contact information.

And here is a direct link to their website, where you can make a reservation…which is a must. Click on the British flag to get an English version and/or let Google translate for you. Click on the word ‘Reserve’ and fill out the form to make your reservation.

Whether you dine for lunch or dinner, either experience (or both, as in our case) will please you no end. If a bottle of un-ordered Amarone shows up at your table, make no fuss…just turn to the table near the window to see Ellen and me giving you a thumbs up of affection…that bottle is on us.

Ciao for now,

Steve

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Driving a Car in Italy - Part 2

Index of Articles

In Driving a Car in Italy - Part 1, we explored some of the ins-and-outs of driving in Italy. I intended Part 1 as a reality check, of sorts. Assuming that you have now decided to consider renting a car and driving a bit through lovely Italy, here are some pointers on doing just that.

International Driving Permit

Our rental on a trip with just the two of us (less luggage space needed) was an Alfa Romeo Giulietta, parked here at Castello Brolio

OK, so you’ve decided to get a rental. Several sources suggest that one get an International Driving Permit (IDP). Why get an IDP? While renting cars, you will not be asked for an IDP. But it is my understanding that it comes into use if you are asked for one by the polizia (police)…maybe. It is evidently hit and miss in being asked for one by the polizia. So, get one or not at your own risk.

It’s less of a license and more of a translation of the one you already have. It costs you a $20 fee, the need for a couple of passport-type photos, and some time to complete the application process. Click here for more information on getting an IDP, good for one year of use.

Your Own Country’s Driver’s License

You will definitely need your traditional driver’s license to rent a car in Italy.

Renting Your Car

GO REPUTABLE: I can’t stress enough the importance of using a reputable car rental agency. You already know the big ones like Hertz, Avis, Dollar, Budget, Alamo, etc. and they each rent in Italy. The opposite of renting through a reputable car agency can be a nightmare, which isn’t what you want during your trip to Italy…you are after peaceful nights of sleep, with dreams of wine and pasta. You may find some bargain deals from less-known companies, and they may perfectly legit, but they usually/may have fees involved that they do not advertise. Though not an Italy anecdote, on a trip through the Dutch countryside for a day, we paid $375 for a one-day rental. Ouch!!! We learned a lesson, there.

So, using a reputable company will get you peace of mind, the insurance that you need, 24-hour assistance in English, English-language contracts (that you can read!!!), etc.

Here are a few reportedly reputable rental car brokers:

There are occasions to rent from a very small local agency, as the big companies might not be available. For instance, in Bellagio (at least at the time of one trip there) you will not find rental agencies on sites like those above. Before our trip, I contacted the hotel at which we would be staying and they were able to direct us to a local garage that rented out cars.

PICK-UP AND DROP-OFF: We have rented in one location and dropped off in another, several hundred miles from our starting point. Some allow this, and I suspect that some don’t. So, if that is your plan, plug your itinerary into their websites reservation boxes and see what happens.

Speaking of insurance, here is Scott driving our automatic-transmission equipped rental through the Tuscan countryside. This one happens to be a minivan, as we needed luggage space for four adults.

INSURANCE? Be sure to spring for it. You don’t want a relatively small mishap to turn into an afore-mentioned nightmare.

Your American-issued credit card may have some insurance provisions for car rentals, but be sure to check on applicability in Italy, if you plan to use that as your insurance method.

We had a 20-minute wait as THREE of these tour buses jinked back-and-forth to negotiate this curve on this main highway along the north shore of Lago Lugano — We had a 20-minute wait as THREE of these tour buses jinked back-and-forth to negotiate this curve on this **main highway** along the north shore of Lago Lugano

RESERVE EARLY: And, consider making your reservation before you go. It is usually cheaper to do so. And, you will get the car size that you want. For us, when we are on a two-week trip with friends, we have much more luggage than one might imagine! With friends, we have rented min-vans, just to get the luggage space needed for four adults.

MANUAL OR AUTOMATIC?: Do you know how to drive a stick shift? If so, manual transmission autos are typically a bit cheaper, and definitely more readily available. If you want the pleasure of an automatic transmission (and will all in your party who will drive know how to handle the stick?), then renting in advance is a definite must. Be sure to find the right rental deals for automatic transmission if that is an issue.

HOW MUCH ROOM DO YOU NEED?: We have gone small, and we have gone big (well, at least a minivan - like a Ford Winstar). It has depended on how many people we have, which in reality translates into how much luggage we have. Be sure to discuss that with your travel companions. We have friends who travel for two weeks with just a small carry-on size, and then we have friends who would want a large suitcase and a carry-on, or two. Discuss it and rent accordingly. We have had no problem with getting a minivan, but you will want to look early in your planning process.

FUEL TYPE: And, be sure that you know whether the vehicle you’ve rented takes gasoline (benzina) or diesel.

GPS versus Google Maps

We definitely have our opinion on rental-company-supplied in-auto GPS versus Google Maps.

If we had been using the in-auto GPS, we would most definitely not have come upon this small chapel along a back-country gravel road in Tuscany

GPS…is good. It can speak to you in English (be sure of that before rental) to give you fair warning on upcoming turns, etc. But, here’s the thing. Many towns in different provinces can have the same name. You plug in the name of a town and head out, only to find that you are headed to Town-A in Sicily when you wanted to go to Town-A in the Veneto. And, in-auto GPS doesn’t send you through the more remote countryside, and that might be what you want.

iDEVICE & GOOGLE MAPS: We like to use an iPad and Google Maps. Before our trip begins, we get an inexpensive 30-day data plan for our iPad and iPhone accounts from our U.S. cellular. Using the iPad, or iPhone or iSimilar, let’s you see the big picture that is usually difficult with a dedicated in-auto GPS. You can be driving on the Autostrada because the GPS says to do that, while you might rather be driving on the back roads of Italy so you can see the countryside…that’s why you’re driving, right? It takes a good bit of time and effort using just an in-auto GPS to figure out such a route, while your iThingie can give you the view you need to plan a more-excellent route. There are several travel books available that specialize in recommending back-road travel through Italy, and you can use those in conjunction with your iDevice to plan your route.

And, of course your iDevice can talk to you as you drive, just as the in-auto GPS does.

A GPS Tangent

Do you know the very big difference between the in-auto GPS and your iThing? The in-auto GPS has its maps ‘baked in’ — by which I mean there is a DVD or similar device within your vehicle which has the maps stored within it. As you drive, and as your car’s GPS antenna is receiving your location information and direction of travel, the display on your dash is painted with the appropriate parts of the map stored within your vehicle. This means that the vehicle you’re driving must have your country’s maps built into it, as it most likely does not have world-wide maps stored within. Most auto manufacturers will sell you the appropriate DVD or whatever with updates each year to take into account new roads, businesses, etc. This will not be a problem if you rent a vehicle with GPS provided, as it will include the map system for Italy.

In contrast, your iDealie receives its map through the cellular data that it is picking up as you drive…if you are using the cellular data function on your iItem…through the airwaves. There are no built in maps on your iGadget. This means that as long as Google (for example, and Waze is in this category) keeps the maps up-to-date on its servers, you will get the most accurate map available delivered to your device, and it will be painted onto your handheld iMechanism almost in real time. The down side is that when you are not in range of cellular coverage, you just see a blue dot showing your location, but no map to let you know where that blue dot is on the planet. I’ve experienced that in the desert southwest. There is a work-around involving saving particular Google maps to your device, but I’m not going into that here. Of note, we have never found ourselves out of cellular service whilst in Italy.

This is the only street through Amalfi…a traffic light regulates the passage of north- and south-bound traffic…pedestrians just step to the side into a shop as the vehicles (including that bus) creep through

GOOGLE DOWNSIDE: There is a down side to Google maps, though. We’ve had two weird experiences in Italy because of imprecision by the Google-Maps folks.

On a back-roads drive in Tuscany in the Val d’Orcia, we decided to take a tangential route through the countryside. What Google Map displayed on our iPhone as a road petered out completely into a dirt trail suitable only for walking – and we had to backtrack past that pack of dogs that we feared would take the doors off of the car.

A more humorous adventure found us in the most bizarre driving experience of my entire natural life. We followed Google’s route in Lombardy right into a man’s carport…really! The designated route narrowed into a driveway and then into the carport attached to his house – it didn’t continue through his backyard to Lago Garda, I can assure you! As we pulled into the carport, the homeowner opened the door to the carport with a confused look on his face as we rolled down the windows shouting ‘mi dispiace, mi dispiace!’ (I’m sorry, I’m sorry!) as we backed the hundred yards back to an actual road. What looked like a road to those Googleites with their satellite view did not actually work out in reality.

A taxi ride to dinner at La Pergola illustrates the no-road-stripe-everyone-for-themselves driving atmosphere of Rome

PAPER VS ELECTRONIC: But whatever you do, get an electronic device of some sort and don’t rely entirely on a paper map. The scale of the European road maps is so great that a map of Italy takes up just about the whole car. And, once you enter a village, smaller roads are often unmarked and one-way streets and roundabouts can be confusing without a navigation system. An added plus with electronics: you have visual access to dining, shopping, parking, and other points of interest...including street view throughout Italy if you are using Google Maps.

And speaking of Google’s street-view, it is pervasive in Italy. I often use it to plan out a route, getting a ground-level view of the countryside, to see if is more scenic than some other route. And, I’ve been known to stay up late at night well past my bedtime just traveling the roads of Italy voyeuristically using street view.

iDEVICE WHILST WALKING: And the last thing on this subject: having Google Maps on your iArticle as you walk within the narrow streets of a town or city can help you navigate to the point at which you want to arrive. Don’t use it in Venice, though…it is much more fun to get lost there, eventually finding your way by chance and fate.

That’s me in our super compact rental as we leave the Bellagio environs for a day of adventure

Similarities and Dissimilarities to US Driving

They drive on the right side of the road in Italy…whew!
No right-on-red. Do NOT turn right on red. We can turn right on a red light…not so in Italy.
You cannot text or talk and drive while holding a phone. There are very strict penalties if you are caught using a mobile phone while driving.
In the U.S., green means ‘go’, yellow means ‘caution – prepare to stop’ and red means ‘stop’. In Italy, green also means ‘go’, but yellow is for ‘frivolity’ and red is ‘merely a suggestion’.
Though roundabouts, or rotaries, or traffic circles, are gaining popularity in the U.S., they are ubiquitous in Italy (and most of Europe). When you come upon a roundabout, be prepared to know at which point you will be exiting. The key is to not panic! Upon arriving unexpectedly at a roundabout, I have been known to go around 3 or 4 times while wife Ellen researches to get us back on route – just relax and drive in circles until you get your bearings. Our system is that my wife-navigator and I visualize the roundabout as a clock face, with us coming into the roundabout at 6-o’clock on the clock. Ellen looks at Google Maps and lets me know that we will be going out of the roundabout at 10-o’clock, or whatever-o’clock is appropriate.

Useful Words Whilst Driving

Destra = Right
Sinistra = Left
Dritto = Straight
Uscita = Exit
Ingresso = Entrance
Pedaggio = Toll

Ferries

That’s our Ford minivan in a pre-dawn crossing of Lago Maggiore

AUTO FERRIES: On some Italian lakes, there are both auto and passenger ferries. As you look on-line at ferry schedules, be sure you are viewing auto-carrying ferries.

RESEARCH: A bit of research is necessary as you plan your lake-crossing driving trip. Ferries do not necessarily ply the lakes when you want them to. Look on-line at the appropriate lake’s schedule (and for the date range of your trip) and plan accordingly. You may need to bypass something you had planned to see because that delay will cause you problems later in the day as you work to meet your ferry schedule. Our experience is that the ferries do maintain a tight schedule.

Menaggio fades into the distance as we travel across Lago di Como to Varenna

READING SCHEDULES: You can see more on ferry schedule reading, using the passenger ferry to Bellagio on Lake Como as an example, here.

The Super Highway

The autostrada is similar to our interstate highway system. Autostrada highways have a highway designator starting with a capital A (e.g. A1). Unlike the autobahn in Germany, Italy’s autostrade have a maximum speed of 130kph, or 80mph.

TOLL ROADS: The autostrada are toll roads, where you take a ticket as you enter and pay the toll as you exit. Be sure to have Euro cash, as not all toll booths take credit cards.

TASTY AUTOGRILLS: Fuel stations are located in the median area between opposing lanes. And don’t forgo the dining experience in the AutoGrills located in these fuel stops. These huge stopovers have great snacks, as well as full meals offered in several food kiosks…some with cooked to order steaks, pasta, etc. Go slow on the available wine, though, as you have miles to go before you stop!

Ahhh, Verena and lunch awaits…you don’t get views like this one from the ferry while you travel the autostrada

Traffic Signs

KNOW THE SIGNS: Road signs in Italy are not always intuitive, so it is a great idea to become familiar with several before you start your driving adventure…this is especially important within towns, where there are often no-go zones that are strictly enforced. If you have driven in other European Union countries, then you will be familiar with most of the Italian road signs.

SHAPE & COLOR: To start, here is a table which will give you a general idea of the purpose of a sign, based on its shape and color.

Here are several signs with which you should be familiar…

SPEED LIMIT: 50kph speed limit and end of 50kph speed zone

MOVEMENT: Stop (in English, no less), Yield, Traffic Must Turn Left, Right-Turn Only Ahead, No Right Turn, One Way, and Zone of Traffic Limitation

PASSING: No-Passing Zone, and End No Passing Zone,

HIGHWAY DESIGNATION: Autostrada Highway Number, State Highway Number, Regional Highway Number, and Provincial Highway Number

640px-Strada_Regionale_11_Italia.svg.png

640px-Strada_Provinciale_7_Italia.svg.png

MISC: Entering Town (or comune) of Potenza and Leaving Town of Matera, Ferry Terminal, Autostrada Directional Sign, Roundabout Directional Sign, Distance to Borgosole on State Highway 10 is 48 kilometers.

640px-Italian_traffic_signs_-_inizio_provincia.svg.png

MY FAVORITE: No Vehicles Carrying Explosives Allowed.

You can see an exhaustive display of Italian roadway signs here.

Your Final Exam

OK, it’s time for a test. You’ve driven to Deruta to purchase beautiful Italian pottery for your home…maybe a set of dinner plates, a platter and a couple of serving bowls. As you approach this portal, can you drive into the centro storico, or historic center of town? Will parking be available? What else is, or is not, permitted?

Here is an enlargement of portions of the photo. You can click on a photo to get a larger view.

Here are the answers to the test…

For the left photo:

The top portion indicates that you are approaching the historic center of the town, but does not in itself prohibit travel…it is not a ZTL.
The part of the sign with the ‘P’ indicates parking is available, but within the appropriate spaces.
The bottom of the sign indicates that parking meters are available in three places, and they are available for 1 hour between the hours of 8:00am and 2:00pm.

In the center photo:

The circle with a bus (counter-intuitively in my view) means no buses are allowed (why not a circle with a bus and with the traditional slash through it?!).
Vehicles are limited to those weighing less than 3.5 tons. Uhhh, how much does your rental weigh?
The traffic light? You could sit there all day waiting for it, as it doesn’t appear to be functioning! Maybe it is tripped if a vehicle approaches from the other side.

For the right photo:

Beware that the first street on the left is a one-way street…so don’t turn there.

Congratulations! You passed!

Thank you for spending a bit of time with me as we drive around Italy. If you did not read through Driving a Car in Italy - Part 1, now would be a good time to do that.

If you decide to drive awhile with the Italians, I hope your miles are enjoyable. You will most likely see us stopped along the side of a country road as I take a few photos and Ellen sketches and watercolors. If so, stop and say hello, or at least honk as you drive by…you know, as they say, “Honk if you love Italy”.

Ciao for now,

Steve

Feel free to comment below

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Transforming the Courtyard of the Blacksmith

Index of Articles

If you are expecting to find Driving a Car in Italy - Part 2, then you’ll have to wait a week. I know, you are hankering to find out how to rent a car and easily get around. But bare with me, as I sprinkle in another photo transformation, from blah to aahhhh.

First of all, I have to say that I didn’t know that there would be much call for a blacksmith on the island of Murano, sitting right there in the Venetian lagoon. Horses? It’s not that big of an island. But, there it is.

But then, I asked Siri what a blacksmith is, and ‘she’ said, “A person who makes and repairs things in iron, by hand”. So, there you have it…I guess those of us who were raised on western movies just associate a blacksmith with the shoeing of horses.

Today’s transformation takes a snapshot captured during a glass-purchasing trip to the island of Murano, and creates something a bit more palatable.

In this original shot, you can see the sign above the archway that reads, “SOTOPORTEGO E CORTE DEL FABBRO”, which translates to “Sotoportego and Blacksmith’s Court”. If you need the word ‘sotoportego’ to be translated one more step, it is like an alley that passes under a building — like the one in the photo. You will see many sotoportego as you travel within Italy.

I hope that you would agree with me that there isn’t much in this photo of interest to you, the fine-art lover. But, I felt that after getting home to work on it a bit, there might be something there. You’ll have to be the judge.

And, as just a reminder for those familiar with my Italy photography, my goal is to provide you with photos of Italy in a time gone by…not a time with electrical boxes and conduit, as you see in the photo. So, let’s get started…

My first step was to crop the original into an 8x10 portrait aspect ratio. Then, I removed those obtrusive electrical items from the scene. I also eliminated the signage above the archway that lets us know where we are. Speaking of knowing where we are, I also removed the house number and intercom to the right of the gate.

The photo below shows you where we’ve gotten thus far.

An 8x10 aspect ratio and distraction removal

I’m not liking the asymmetry of the photo — where the awning is on the right side, but not the left. I started to remove the awning. But, then I thought, “Let’s just put that awning on the other side, too”. So, that’s what I did, along with the underlying concrete ‘pillar’ and window with Venetian blinds — interesting that they have Venetian blinds in Venice, right? Now, they aren’t necessarily part of a Venice in time-gone-by, but they are definitely Venetian…so they stay.

The awning and window et al have been added to the left side of the photo to balance out the entrance to the sotoportego

That bright blue piece of metal spanning the entrance bugs me. And the stone work along the bottom of the photo is not level. I need to work on those two issues.

Also, I feel that the courtyard needs to be the focus, so it needs to be brightened a bit, and the surrounding entrance needs to be darkened a bit.

Semi-final version - courtyard emphasized and entrance area de-emphasized

Right now you are probably wondering, “Why did he remove the signage above the entrance that let us know where we are?”. I’m wondering that, too…why did I do that? Whatever the reason, I’ve decided to change my mind.

So, here is the final image.

The final version, with location signing, and all…but maybe not so final

OK, I fibbed…there’s something else bothering me. It has to do with where I was standing when I took the snapshot. If I had stepped to the right a couple of feet, the blacksmith’s gate would be centered in the archway (but I would have been up to my neck in the Rio dei Vetrai canal) . There is also a bit of too-light clutter in the left part of the archway that I want to remove. I’m going to resolve those issues now. I’ll be back with you in just a moment…(imagine the theme from Jeopardy here)…

…I’m back now and you can see the final version (really, I mean it this time) just below. The symmetry makes me feel better.

That’s it. we’ve taken a rather starkly blah snapshot captured after lunch at Trattoria Busa alla Torre, and we managed to create a bit of a mysterious entrance to the island of Murano blacksmith’a courtyard. Who knows what goes on back there? Only the blacksmith!

Next week I’ll be back with Driving a Car in Italy -Part 2. See you then…and if you haven’t read Part 1, you can do that here.

Ciao for now,

Steve

Driving a Car in Italy - Part 1

Index of Articles

This is a big topic…with lots to cover. So, I’m breaking it into two articles.

“All fines are passed from the rental companies to the renter, sometimes after a year”

Part 1 will treat the issue of whether to rent a car, or not…with emphasis on what you can expect if you choose to drive. I asked a couple of friends who have lived in Italy for many years, and who have experienced much in their driving throughout Italy, to give us the benefit of their knowledge. You will find that knowledge, below.

Part 2 will assume that you’ve decided to rent a car, and will cover the rules of the road in Italy, as they are a bit different. This includes the best rental opportunities, licensing requirements, GPS vs Google Maps, Ferries, traffic signs, etc.

In both Parts, I have included photos with captions, which will give you an idea of what we have experienced as we have driven through Italy.

So, let’s start with…

Do You Need to Rent a Car?

We’ve explored Italy completely by train. It’s fun, economical and generally convenient. Can you get everywhere? No, but you can get fairly close to everywhere…but don’t then expect to get an Uber to your agriturismo lodging or small Tuscan village rental.

“If you will be finding yourself in the bigger cities getting culturated, and you have little time or interest in visiting the countryside, I would say that you should absolutely not rent a car…”

For example, let’s say you are in Firenze (Florence) and want to get to Castello Banfi in southern Tuscany, which we highly recommend (see Stay Here, Eat Here, Drink Here: Banfi). You would take a train from Firenze, arriving Siena, and then continue your trip to the small town…extremely small town…a community mostly…well, mostly just a train station - of Monte Antico. Though you can see Castello Banfi sitting on a hilltop just 2 miles away, you would be faced with a circuitous 3-1/2 hour walk unless you crossed over the Fiume Ombrone (river) via a train bridge, which one should absolutely not try. And, seeing as how Fiume Ombrone translates to ‘River of Shadows’, it sounds a bit ominous just thinking about it! So, going to Castello Banfi? Rent a car.

But, there is often bus service to get you to a destination away from a train station, like the bus from the train-accessible-from-Florence Poggibonsi train station to not-to-be-missed San Gimignano…we’ve done it and it was no problem.

This is me driving the main street into beautiful Bellagio….super narrow, and yes, it is the main street

And then again, we’ve explored Italy almost completely by rental car. I say ‘almost’ because we generally rent a car just for certain portions of our journey. When we’ve gone the rental route, we’ve had no problems…at least no significant problems. And using our family mantra of ‘tragedy plus time equals comedy’ we can now laugh about the times when things weren’t going peachy keen.

Only in a rental can you get onto beaten paths like this one

If you will be finding yourself in the bigger cities getting culturated, and you have little time or interest in visiting the countryside, I would say that you should absolutely not rent a car…it is much more trouble than not.

However, if you want to visit the remote, charming, historic, off-the-beaten-path, rural, wine-producing, quaint, pastoral, quiet, dreamy, absolutely lovely parts of Italy, then a rental car is just the thing.

HIRING A CAR WITH DRIVER FOR THE DAY: However, let me say here that if you just want to leave the city for one day of adventure (e.g. leaving Firenze [Florence] to explore the charms of Tuscany for only the day), then hiring a car with driver works well. Just do an internet search for ‘car tours’ like this one for Tuscany.

OK, You’ve Made Your Decision to Drive

What can you expect if you decide to drive in Italy? Let’s let a couple of friends give us some pointers. Pam and Elizabeth have lived and driven in Italy for many years. Pam since 1978, and Elizabeth has lived there for over 37 years. They love Italy, its lifestyle, the wine (especially!), and people. With some basic information and the benefit of their own experiences, they feel that you can do well if you give it a go.

So, below are Italy-driving tips from two seasoned drivers, as well as my own limited experiences. Their tips are shown in “quoted bold Italics”.

[By the way, this sloping type called ‘Italics’ is called such because it was introduced in Italy in 1501 by Aldus Manutius, a Venetian printer, when he printed his edition of Virgil]

Staying One Step Ahead of the Law

So, you thought you got out of Italy without being fined for your driving habits? “All fines are passed from the rental companies to the renter, sometimes after a year.” Yes, your rental car company is obligated to pass on your personal information to the policing authorities. We had just such a parking ticket experience which will be related a bit further below.

How Fast Can/Should You Drive?

KPH VS MPH: First, remember that speed limits are posted in kilometers per hour (kph), rather than miles per hour (mph). A sign indicating a speed limit of ‘80’ means 80kph, or about 50mph, and not 80mph. A quick mental multiplication of 80kph x 0.6 gives you a good approximation of the speed in mph.

The sign to the right is an Italian speed limit sign. This one is for…you tell me…how many mph can you drive…legally?

Speed Traps

“Fixed speed cameras have to be announced with road signs indicating “controllo elettronico della velocità” (‘electronic speed control’). There’s not much excuse for getting caught is there, as they give you fair warning. But, are you looking for speed-trap warnings, or are you looking at that beautiful row of cypress winding its way up the drive to that hillside palazzo?

This sign says, “Traffic police, electronic speed control”. Just like for heart disease, look for the warning signs!

But, how about those Italian drivers, themselves? “They are very frightened of getting points on their license for speeding, but they know where every electronic speed trap is and the quickly apply their brakes when approaching one.”

And, don’t think you know where every speeding camera is located, as there are mobile speed cameras. However, “Mobile speed cameras used by the police have to be announced also with road signs”. So, one must remain vigilant! The best way to not get caught speeding is to not speed…right?

But wait, there’s more! The other speed trap is the Sistema tutor, or Tutor System. This complicated system records your license plate number, and then “two speed machines clock the time it takes between the machines to calculate average speed” from two places along the autostrada (more on the Italian autostrada in the upcoming Driving in Italy - Part 2).

Parking

Arrgh! Parking can be such a pain! But, here’s a helpful tip for finding a place to park your rental: “Yellow parking spaces are for residents, blue spaces are subject to payment and white spaces are free.”

VERY LIMITED PARKING: Parking is a great reason to not rent a car in a metropolitan area…whether a major one or a very small one. Many roads in Italy were laid out centuries ago and parking was not something of concern at that time.

Some smaller towns do not allow un-permitted vehicles in their centro storico (historic town center) because of vary narrow streets (see ‘No-Go Zones’ below).

In some of the very small hill towns, there just physically isn’t room to park, and you park at an edge-of-town parking lot and walk into town. Many Italian towns are still walled cities, which are surrounded by large, protective walls with narrow portals here-and-there through which you must pass through by foot or you must have a vehicle permit.

HOW TO PAY IN A PARKING GARAGE: In Siena, for instance, there are large multi-level parking garages outside the walls of the city where you park your car. We learned after thirty minutes of backing up, going the wrong way on ramps, and getting out of the car to illegally lift drop-down gates to drive under them, that you use your machine-dispensed ticket received as you enter the parking structure to pay at a kiosk before you get in your car to leave. Ahhh, so that’s how you do it!

Google Map showing Parking locations in centro Verona

MAP HELP: Using Google Maps, you can zoom in on a city and type ‘parking’ into the search bar and see parking opportunities displayed, like this one for Verona. Though we did have to bypass two full lots before we were able to find one with availability, the map helped, especially with the display of one-way streets. And, using the ‘Directions’ function of the map, we were taken right to the lots going the correct way down the myriad of one-way streets.

DIGITAL PARKING: In Asti, we were directed to download the ‘Asti Parcheggi’ app to park on the street, in lieu of their use of parking meters. These are the blue painted spots mentioned above.

Small town polizia scoring a parking violation

DAUNTING PARKING: In Rome, parking our car at the Hotel Campo de Fiore was something I refused to do. They have arrangements to park cars in a garage a block away and the tunnel-like entrance was so narrow that I insisted that the garage attendant do the parking. He had no problem, and I had no problem with the glass of wine while he was doing it. And folding in the side mirrors was a necessity.

LOOK FOR THE SIGNS: Look for ‘no parking’ signs, which are a red circle on a blue field with a red slash, like this one. Wouldn’t it be more intuitive if there were a white ‘P’ included on that field of blue, under the slash? We saw these signs all over in Italian towns thinking that it was saying ‘do not enter’…but then again, we’ve been wrong about a lot of things before.

Here are some more parking related signs. (from left to right) Applicable 24hrs-a-Day; Applicable for Specific Hours; Parking Ahead to the Right; Detailed Hours of No Parking and Parking

A PARKING ANECDOTE: Arriving at the Hotel Convento in Amalfi, having driven the torturous Amalfi road, there was no place to park in front of said hotel. The Hotel Convento is up the side of the mountain a few hundred feet and there is no pullout in front of the hotel’s small street level elevator lobby. The bellman who came out said, “Just leave it there, I’ll park it for you later”. So, there it sat in the westbound lane of the two lane road along the Amalfi coast. The Italian drivers just drove around our car as if it wasn’t even there blocking the road…that’s just the way it’s done along the Amalfi coast.

That’s the just-mentioned road that you see in this photo below as Ellen takes life-in-hand to get to dinner.

Going to dinner in Amalfi…this is the main (and only) Amalfi Coast road…it is two lanes only

“Most streets have cleaning days which are posted, usually only in Italian.” Here is just such a posting. Can you figure out what it says?

Since ‘lunedì’ is Monday, and ‘venerdì’ is Friday, you best not park here on weekdays between the hours of 9:00pm and 4:00am. Otherwise, look for other signs and curb painting to see if you can park thereabouts.

PARKING TRAPS: Our friend Scott waited at the car in a pull through area for us to get our stored luggage from the Santa Maria Novella train station in Firenza (Florence). Two polizia chatted him up, let him know that he shouldn’t park there, and seemed to understand as he explained that he was waiting on his travelling companions to bring out their luggage. All seemed well, with nothing in hand, until he got a parking ticket for $220 in the mail several months later.

No-Go Zones

“All historical towns have a ZTL, zona di traffico limitato, restricted traffic areas, which are controlled by cameras.”

Do not drive in an area with a ZTL (limited traffic) sign or one marked Area Pedonale (pedestrian zones), unless you have special permission. Most cities and small towns near the centro storico (historic center) have these zones.

We had to get a permit from our hotel in San Gimignano to enter the ZTL…and we only fit through the portal by folding in the mirrors…a very tight fit! It’s kind of like getting the ship in the bottle. This is typical of the ancient walled cities wit… — We had to get a permit from our hotel in San Gimignano to enter the ZTL…and we only fit through the portal by folding in the mirrors…a very tight fit! It’s kind of like getting the ship in the bottle. This is typical of the ancient walled cities with their small, defense-minded portals.

“Access is allowed to hotels in the ZTL. The hotels have to enter the plate number into the system, otherwise there is a fine.” If your hotel is located in one of these zones (as I hope yours is, as it is more fun to stay in these historic areas than on the road leading out of town), your hotel can usually provide you with the necessary permissions– either to park, or just drop off your luggage before parking outside the ZTL. For example, in both San Gimignano and Riva del Garda, we were given a permit to drive into the ZTL to drop off luggage, but we then had to go outside the ZTL to park…repeating the process on the morning of departure.

Below you can see signage designating ZTL and pedestrian zones.

On the left is the sign to look for near the town centers. If you see this sign, don’t drive there.
In the middle we see the same sign, but with additional information. When could you drive into this zone? How about 8:00pm to 8:00am. And if you can’t read the other fine print in this sign, you’d best just not assume that it gives you special permissions to enter the ZTL.
On the right is a sign designating a pedestrian zone…like our pedestrian malls. Supplemental information suggests that there are three exceptions.

A ZTL Anecdote

For brother-in-law Craig’s birthday, we went to dinner on the shores of Lago Orta, in the town of Orta, at Locanda di Orta — we just figured that we orta do that! We drove on a road through the town that was so narrow that once again, we had to fold in the side mirrors and creep down the ‘street’.

The sign emphatically indicates (both signs actually) that going forward is a ZTL for 24 hours a day

Upon entering Piazza Mario Motta (not to be confused with Iron Chef Morimotto, by the way), we were surrounded by Saturday evening strollers with frowns on their beautiful Italian faces. One gentleman kindly informed us that “You are not supposed to drive here”. We had to backtrack down that same very skinny road to park in a lot at the edge of Orta.

What we failed to see, and what we would not have known at the time even if we had seen it, was the sign in this photo, which I have just now captured from Google street view. Plain as day, there’s a ZTL sign — two actually — prominently displayed. And, see the camera on the pole in the upper left…this was in the fall of 2018, so we may still get a ticket in the mail!

Google now tells us to avoid driving into lakeside Orta

We had used Google maps to plan our route to the restaurant, located just off of previously mentioned Piazza Mario Motta and we faithfully followed it to our Saturday-evening doom.

Now, I can see that said Google map actually indicates that you should not be driving along the route designated, where it plainly says (in Italian), “Start of Limited Traffic Zone”. Live and learn…and now, you’ve learned!

This ZTL in Riva del Garda was accessible with our rental for check in and check out…the car was then lodged in a parking garage

Summary

Now you have some idea of what it would be like to drive in Italy, thanks to two, seasoned, long-time Italy residents.

I hope we haven’t scared you off of the idea, because that is the only way you will see some magnificent countryside. Just learn a few important signs and stay within the speed limit…in kph…and you will do admirably.

In the next installment of Driving a Car in Italy, I will assume that you’ve decided to give driving a try, and I’ll give you some tips on car rental, maps, ferries, permits and other things to make your journey more enjoyable.

A special thanks to Pam and Elizabeth for their insight. Pam Mariani and her husband John’s family moved to Italy in the 1970s to start a wine producing business just south of Montalcino, Tuscany…the home of Brunello wines. Their pioneering adventure paid off and Banfi is now one of the largest wine producing companies in the world. Elizabeth Koenig has faithfully served as Banfi’s Hospitality Project Director since 1982…hospitality that we have experienced and enjoyed first hand.

As you drive those charming Tuscan roads, if you hear a honking horn behind you as you negotiate a narrow curve in the road, that will be me letting you know that I want to pass…just like an Italian!!!

Ciao for now,

Steve

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