Like a “brilliant” cut gem, Italy is a country of many facets. Not all brilliant however. Our very limited time here may be clouding our possibly unjustified opinions.
Undoubtedly Italy would receive many more likes than dislikes. But you get the feeling that the people don’t care about certain things. The country has so much going for it. Touring eyes (like ours) find it difficult to ignore the unfamiliar. When the non Autostrade roads that you drive on daily are beaten down to a piece of battered and not so flat pile of rubble, then perhaps you’re bound to just accept that this is the norm. We’ve driven on better roads in Iceland. It’s a wonder that half the population don’t drive an SUV. Perhaps the logic is why bother to repair if it’s only going to be destroyed in the next earthquake.
So, we’re bouncing along nicely on our way to Roma. Up the east coast to Bisceglie. We can almost see Dubrovnik on the other side. We turn west, like a couple of pigeons, in two foul swoops. Stopping midway. High up (again) in the Abruzzo National Parc at Opi. Temperature drops to 6C. No signs of any bears this time. Goose pimples competing with the summits. Today we dive down and down and down. Hit Roma’s equivalent of the M25. Just in time for tea-time rush hour. Joy O Joy it’s 25C. The slip roads over here are like static whirling dervishes. They spin you around and around like gymnastic ribbons. You start to wonder if you’ll ever actually join another road. Then suddenly they dump you with a forty metre “run up” (if you’re lucky), to slip into the main stream. Beastie, who is not capable of doing nought to sixty in less than a couple of hours, is not amused. He does his best. Puts his mass to good use. Rolls out like a bull elephant. Daring the zip-mongers to try him on for size.
On our travels we constantly come across another blemish on Italy’s complex complexion. It’s rubbish. They don’t care where it’s left. No pride. A lack of standard sees them “park” it where they fancy. Streams of litter run wild. Mingling with roadside verges, gutters, pavements, even shorelines.
Scenes like these a great pity. Tinge our sensibilities.
