I'm NOT a Racist.....BUT!!! (1 Viewer)

ponyboy

Free Member
Dec 19, 2012
231
428
Tasmania
Funster No
24,010
MH
Hobbyvan AKA Jinks
Exp
April 2012
Sorry sorry - bloody predictive text. I meant "Carist" and I'll tell you, so far my experiences in driving on Italian roads have left me no longer wondering at the number of bunches of flowers there are along the roadside here. From trucks pulling out in front of me on the highway to the almost beautiful but potentially lethal manoeuvre of overtaking everything in the fast lane before cutting back across all lanes to zoom off up the next exit. Oh and not forgetting the overtaking on the brows of hills and into blind corners. Like I said - flowers'r'us here in Italy. Holed up in Camping Village site near vatican city and seriously considering going in on Wednesday to see the Pope and tell him about the miracle of how I've survived so far - Mmm

Last blog entry:
http://slowponyblog.wordpress.com/2014/10/23/mv-matisse-new-zealand-to-panama/
 

Judge Mental

Funster
Deceased RIP
Sep 2, 2009
6,650
5,883
Sarth London
Funster No
8,272
MH
Possl 636 FR panel van
Exp
1994 and beyond...
LOVE Italy and the people big time:love:..They can be a little exuberant! shall we say with the driving:LOL:...but it's very charming and not malicious at all compared to here!:whistle:
 
Last edited:

Forestboy

LIFE MEMBER
Jul 31, 2007
5,023
8,338
Forest of Dean
Funster No
46
MH
A Class Hymer B694 tag
Exp
9
LOVE Italy and the people big time:love:..They can be a little exuberant! shall we say with the driving:LOL:...but it's very charming and not malicious at all compared to here!:whistle:

Me too absolutely love the place great country full of great people and Rome is one of my favourite cities.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

Tootles

Funster
Deceased RIP
Sep 14, 2013
9,511
34,799
Lancaster
Funster No
28,093
MH
Coachbuilt
Exp
Was a newbie, now a Middie.
Just got to love you Tootles that piece of propaganda came from WW11 but during WW1 when they were our allies they fought very bravely especially in the mountains of Europe and on the Western front.
AH! But there lies the difference!! Nella prima guerra mondiale, hanno saputo che erano dalla parte dei vincitori!(y)(y)(y)
 

hilldweller

LIFE MEMBER
Dec 5, 2008
605
36,108
Macclesfield
Funster No
5,089
MH
Zilch Mk1
Exp
From Aug 2007
Oh and not forgetting the overtaking on the brows of hills and into blind corners.

No honking, no swearing, no flashing lights, no fingers, it just seems to work for them. I think they've slowed down since our first visit 20+ years ago.

But if you want real sport, chug down to Naples. They are on another level.

And well worth it for Sorrento, Pompeii and Herculaneum.
 
Oct 20, 2010
2,238
37,582
Burry Port South Wales
Funster No
14,190
MH
A Class
Exp
Since 2003
And well worth it for Sorrento, Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Not to mention the buses on the Amalfi coast road, absolutely 'bonkers' as they say down here, but still our favourite European destination,we were in Pisa, Tuscany, Venice earlier this year, the roads were in the worst condition we have ever seen :Eeek: amazed we didn't get a blowout on the van or the toad.
Lovely people and fantastic food (y)
 

hilldweller

LIFE MEMBER
Dec 5, 2008
605
36,108
Macclesfield
Funster No
5,089
MH
Zilch Mk1
Exp
From Aug 2007
the roads were in the worst condition we have ever seen

A sign of their economy I guess. We came across a motorway on ramp that had collapsed, it's concrete legs buckled under. Just coned off and from the dirt abandoned. May have been on the coast road from Venice to Rimini. You can see exposed steel bars in a lot of their concrete. Grim.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

Judge Mental

Funster
Deceased RIP
Sep 2, 2009
6,650
5,883
Sarth London
Funster No
8,272
MH
Possl 636 FR panel van
Exp
1994 and beyond...
The food enough reason to love em....Tuscany my favorite destination anywhere in the world. Just made made my mind up going again this summer!:)
 
Jul 24, 2009
4,324
103,134
South Yorkshire
Funster No
7,631
MH
Coachbuilt
Exp
Since 1999
We were on the bike travelling on the motorway north of Milan heading towards Garda. I was overtaking a car when it started drifting across the road, forcing me towards the central reservation. I sounded the horn at which point the driver put down the newspaper he was reading and gave me an apologetic wave of the hand.
 
Last edited:
Sep 16, 2010
2,994
2,848
Bungay Suffolk
Funster No
13,734
MH
Autotrail TrackerEKS
Exp
Since 2010
Like your piece Ponyboy, we almost killed about 5 people last year, who just stepped out onto zebra crossings when we were 10 feet away !! Not to mention the T shirted motorcyclist
who shot between a lorry and the central concrete barrier on a dual carriageway at about 100 MPH with 2 inches to spare each side..
But a beautiful place. We will be going through again next spring on route to a ferry to Greece, so if anyone has any advice about ferries from Ancona and the need to book etc we will be obliged...

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

Allanm

Free Member
Jun 30, 2013
5,431
9,191
Cotes d'armor, France
Funster No
26,730
MH
Burstner Harmony TI 736 G
Exp
Since 1987
The thing is, you expect them to drive like that, so it's not a shock when you get there.
Best place to train for going to Italy is mid Wales. My parents used to live there. For a few years, the RAC rally came through their village. People commented that it was nice to see cars driving sensibly for a change!
Allan
 
Jan 22, 2013
1,245
58,342
London SE
Funster No
24,385
MH
A class Adria vision I707
Exp
since 1971
Driving along a causeway from Venice a good few years back with no parking places I had a black fiat uno so close to my rear bumper that he had no chance of seeing ahead to overtake,
But that didn't stopped him every few seconds appearing in my mirror then swerving back behind me before getting hit,
I said to my missus that the next available spot I would pull over to let him pass, But It never happen! On about his tenth trip to look he hit another car head on and died as a result of being inpatient,
The other people were also in a bad way but lucky that they had a much heavier car,
I have driven extensively in Italy since the sixties and love the country but there driving is some thing else!!
 
OP
OP
ponyboy

ponyboy

Free Member
Dec 19, 2012
231
428
Tasmania
Funster No
24,010
MH
Hobbyvan AKA Jinks
Exp
April 2012
ok ok - the Italians are good cooks and the wine is great and who's going to argue about the sights but I just can't understand the lust for speed (mph that is). Oh and I'd forgotten to mention the zebra crossers - unbelievable, as if I didn't have enough on my plate just trying to avoid being sideswiped, they insist on hiding in doorways till they see the likes of me coming along. 3.5 tons of "hard to stop" camper, before leaping out from under their cloaks of invisibility and onto the crossing. Jeeeeeeeezus.

On the bright side - in Rome for a few days and got a call from Pont Max Francis. Apparently he's just back from Poland and wants to catch up over lunch on wednesday. Can't disappoint the Man in White!!

Latest blog:
http://slowponyblog.wordpress.com/2014/10/23/mv-matisse-new-zealand-to-panama/

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

ABZSteve

Free Member
Banned
Jan 8, 2014
1,524
1,657
Aberdeen
Funster No
29,617
MH
2018, Apache 634 150 Auto
Exp
Since 2015
In Rome, we found it best to cross a road with a Nun, everyone stopped:)

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

magicsurfbus

Free Member
Oct 11, 2010
4,673
10,127
NW England
Funster No
14,057
MH
Bessacarr Coachbuilt
Exp
Since 1997
Terrible place. :( Home of the thinnest volume in the world, the 'Italian Book of War Heroes'. (y)

Of course they did all their soldiering two thousand years ago when they conquered the entire known world, including us.

Apart from the Scots of course, but who in their right mind would take on the Scots on their home turf?
 
Apr 12, 2010
4,795
51,040
Bury St Edmunds, West Suffolk
Funster No
11,027
MH
Weinsberg Cara
Exp
since 2007
Love the Italian artistic flair, laid back attitude, and all round friendliness. But their driving generally sucks. Gave up around lake Garda, too bloody dangerous, got hit by a Fiat on our side of the road, driver didnt even stop, fortunately no damage to our vehicle but glass everywhere. Being right hand drive wife was freaking out so went to lake Maggiore, bigger roads.
Phil

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Funsters who are viewing this thread

Back
Top