Car Pron

Lotus

The Stelvio

Here is the infamous Stelvio. They call it an SUV but there is little U in it as the rear is little more than a hatchback. 

You need a degree in computer science to operate these new cars. I had my grandson handle the GPS programming and the radio. It is kinda pretty, though. As we were creeping through holiday traffic at Lake Garda, my wife heard a man sigh and comment, "It's an Alfa."

New Tricks

It's good to have a savvy grandson. During our visit with him in Bologna, Italy we returned to the apartment late at night and too tired to go out to eat. He pulled up "Deliveroo" on his phone and we'd order a meal to be delivered by a guy on a bike. We could track his progress so we knew when to meet him at the front door. Evidently, it is the saviour of college students wanting late night pasta.

I rented a couple of different cars while here. The first was the Volvo S90. We took it to Florence and then down the Chianti Road to Siena. it was very comfortable and smooth to drive. The next day I got an Alfa Romeo Stelvio and we took it north to Lake Garda. It was not as comfortable, the instruments and controls (shifting) were a little confusing and the steering was twitchy. The shifter is electronic and operates like a floppy paddle shifter but its a stick on the console. Getting reverse required pushing a button with your foot on the brake and a couple of nudges. And when I stopped for diesel, the eco system shut it down, I got out to pump and when I got back in, it would not re-start. I had to press the stop engine button to make it think I shut it down.

Chianti Road (Strada Regionale 222) would be a blast in an open top sports car. Even better if you knew there was nobody coming the other way on blind curves. Just don't get distracted by the  scenery and the vineyards.

Carnivale in Bologna

The oldest grandson is doing a semester in Europe in Bologna, Italy. They celebrate Mardi Gras a little differently over there. Here is a video typical of the parade he went to today. The floats are fantastic.....and some are towed by Lamborghini tractors.

Italy

I just got back from a long awaited trip to Italy. (Cashed in a few frequent flier miles) Here is a list of random thoughts about the trip.

• Florence and Rome could be cleaner. I was particularly disturbed by the amount of graffiti in Florence on the historic stone buildings.
• I ended up with a VW Golf diesel with a 6 speed standard for a rental car. I haven't driven a stick in a long time and I was surprised at how fast it came back to me. I had forgotten the satisfaction of snicking through the gears and the fact that shifting up and down became such an unconscious act.
• The Autostrada is a great highway but they installed a crash rail that is uncomfortably close to the left lane. In fact, it blocks your view in a tight left hand turn. I never got used to that rail flashing by me ear at 80 MPH.
• In two weeks we never had a bad meal. And we ate in everything from a hole in the wall local pizzeria to a 4 star restaurant in Rome. Everyone in Italy, it seems, has mad cooking skills.
• If you order a salad, you will get a bottle of balsamic vinegar and a bottle of locally made olive oil. Don't bother trying to get any other dressing.
• The Italians like to tailgate. And I mean so close you need K-Y.
• I had a GPS in the car. I programmed it to take the "shortest route". This led to some interesting trips down secondary roads. In one case, it took me down a dirt road through a vineyard after crossing the A1 on what I swear was an overpass still in construction. It will take you through all the small towns but its a great way to see the real Italy.
• When you miss a turn, a nice lady on the GPS will ask you to "When possible, make an authorized U-turn". I heard that many times.
• Pizzerias will serve things other than pizza. It's possible in some to get a regular meal. And they all have wood fired ovens. Thin crust only!
• Many businesses that we saw (restaurants and hotels) are family run affairs. It seems to be the norm that Mom, Dad and the kids all run the operation together.
• For the 2nd Amendment folks: I saw Puccini's birthplace. (The opera guy) He is buried in his summer home by a nearby lake. He is buried in the house between his music room and gun room. He called his rifle his "second most favorite instrument". So, opera guys can be gun guys, too.
• I don't know much about the history of WW II in this part of Italy. Most of the fighting here took place in the fall of 1944. However, it is easy to see that the terrain would favor the partisans. The hills are too steep for tanks to go cross country and it would be a bitch to assault a prepared defensive position. Our host at small hotel told me that his grandmother used to bring food to the partisans when she was a child.
• Most public toilets have no seats. This is no problem for the guys who only need to do No. 1 but it's a problem for the ladies. They have to "hover".

Dead Guys

If life can throw you a curve, death can do the same. On a recent vacation to Italy I visited the tombs of some famous artists and scientist and learned a little about how they ended up where they ended up.

Santa Croce in Florence is the largest Franciscan church in the world and the final resting place of some famous folks. For example, Michelangelo. Here's his tomb. But he didn't want to be buried in Florence. He wanted to be buried in Rome where he did all his work. However, the city fathers decided that because his family hailed from the area that he needed to be at home. It probably also provided a nice tourist attraction.

Here is Gallileo's tomb. Now, the Church had some "issues" with him as you might recall and he wasn't considered worthy of being buried in sacred ground. However, the Franciscans hid his body until such time as the Church changed their mind and then placed him in the tomb you see today.

Dante is next, except he's not there. He is really buried in Ravenna. The city fathers tried to get Ravenna to give him up but they refused. (There must be good money in dead guy tourism) Therefore, the tomb is empty.

Santa Croce seems to be the place where all famous Italians are honored. There are also memorial plaques for Enrico Fermi and Marconi, even though their bodies are no where near the church.

ANother famous guy buried at Santa Croce is Machiavelli. His tomb was undergoing some work and was covered by scaffolding. But he's really there.

Finally we have Rafael. He is buried in Rome in the Pantheon.