Attack of the Smart Cars

One of the biggest decisions, at least it seemed to me, was whether or not, to bring a vehicle with us to Italy.  The vehicle in question was my car, Siegfried, a 2002 Lexus I have had for several years that runs like a dream and looks kind of like a nightmare. We decided to sell my car but Carmax would barely give me the price of the gas to drive him there (seriously this car looks like it’s already been in Rome for a few years…) and when we thought about online selling it, I got the worse case of seller's remorse. So instead of being sold (and us buying a nifty little Fiat), he came along with us to Italy.  Anyway, for those of you know and have driven in Siegfried, you know that although he is awesome, he’s no giant. He’s a smallish 4 door sedan.  What I've learned here though is that compared to Roman cars, he’s a monster. He’s going to eat these Smart Cars for breakfast.

Teeny, tiny little cars. 

I had thought it was stereotype that everyone in Rome drives tiny cars but the question here isn't WHETHER you dive a smart car it’s what color.

There's blue, and white, and yellow, and black, and red...teeny tiny little cars...

But I guess given the parking situation here, one needs a small car. Yes, parking situation. I had this rumored before I arrived but seeing truly is believing.  American traffic cops would have a field day here. They park on the side walk, facing traffic, on 2-3 rows blocking in other cars, perpendicular.  Yes, perpendicular between two cars.

Yay, a space! Fit right between these two cars!

This is a space right?

These cars are parked in the lane divider. It's ok though. It's Rome.

I asked my husband what does one do if your car is blocked by another car, and he said it’s Italy, no one really cares. I guess you just wait, go get a coffee, since chances are you have done it too.

Ferragosto

Since we arrived in Italy, now almost a year ago, we had heard about this mysterious "Ferragosto." People would refer to it, almost reverently, as the time of year when the city empties. All the locals go to the beach...or the lake...or the mountains. They take advantage of their 20+days of vacation (jealous?) and take a nice long break during the middle to end of August. As result, Rome becomes deserted. In half whispers, our friends told us about this time of year, when traffic became non existent, shops closed, and the Italians disappeared.
I'll be honest. I didn't quite believe them. I mean, how could a whole city stop, really?
Than August 1 rolled around. Suddenly, there were parking spaces on our street. Our commute to work, usually about 20 minutes to drive the little more than 2 miles, started taking 15 minutes, then closer to 10. There were less and less crazed Italian drivers cutting us off on the streets.  More and more shops were closed with little signs posted, stating
 
"Closed for the holidays".
What is the holiday, exactly? Introduced by Emperor Augustus in 18 BC (yup, the Italians have been taking off like this since BEFORE CHRIST), the Feriae Augusti, or Augustus' rest, was one holiday in late summer that celebrated both the hard work that goes into agriculture and the joys of the harvest.  Traditionally, after all the work of the harvest, the ancient Romans would take a long needed rest. The period was celebrated with horse races and beasts of burdens, like oxen and bulls, were decorated with flowers.  The famous Palio of Siena, celebrated on August 16, is a remnant of these ancient celebrations.
Today, Ferragosto is just one day, August 15, a national holiday where even the government is closed. Depending on the day of the week this national holiday falls, many Italians (and non-Italians like us) will take a quick vacation (or longer one).  The tradition of taking a holiday over the actual Ferragosto holiday dates from Fascism where the government itself promoted quick discounted 1-3 days trips. It was a wonderful opportunity for those who could not typically afford it to visit seaside or mountain resorts and thus Ferragosto became associated with trips to the beach or mountains. And it is definitely worth the trip!!