Ci spiace, ma questo articolo è disponibile soltanto in English.
Nel 2003 Rebecca ha iniziato a scrivere dei saggi per il sito Slow Travel, raccontando la sua esperienza di ragazza di città che dagli Stati Uiniti si è trasferita nella campagna umbra.
Le sue riflessioni sono riprodotte qui.
Umbria Slow:
[...] Brigolante – Driving in Italy [...]
Hello Rebecca! Oh yooouuuuu!!! So you are a professional lyer (or lying when your profession requires it?..;-) and left the “Oasi delle Vespe” without knowing how to drive???… I was calm though, as you told me you had some (old) experience.., normally this is enough.. – I’m happy that after some time you enjoyed driving my yellow vespa duck all the same! – You know, I always include Panicale and Paciano in the tour around the Lake as the streets leading to them are small and quiet and as they both are (together with Castiglione del Lago) part of the “borghi più belli d’Italia” (= the nicest villages of Italy).
Next time you should take one of my vespas with the windshield (most of them have it), so that you can drive with an “open decolleté”.. ;-) – Some drivers prefere with and some without windshield. I decided to give them the choice as long as both types are free..
When you want to gain more experience by driving a vespa (to get professional also in that ;-) just give me a call or pass by.. :-) Me and my ducks are waiting for you.. – if we are not out.. – for a duck! :-)
[...] Rebecca (Brigolante) – Driving in Italy [...]
[...] Rebecca’s Ruminations on driving [...]
[...] Italy Roundtable: Driving in Italy [...]
ok, this was super. you really put me there in the drivers seat so to speak. Our house is in Panicale so we think its the center of the known universe. we’re only there a few times a year. so we have to do what we can to have Italian moments when we are in Maine. check this out: http://www.seeyouinitaly.com/blog/?p=1010
we are having an Italian festival in Portland. and you see my Vespa? ok, its an vespa based ape. we call it Bad Monkey, it is such a prima donna. and it does take both hands and one foot to drive. ah, but when the sun is out and the loudspeaker on and i’m tooling down the bricks of Commercial Street on Portland’s water front on a sunny day like today, its a rush. weird weird thing to drive but we’re bonding.
Thanks for your Trasimeno Tale.
ciao, ciao,
stew Vreeland
There are few experiences like driving in Italy. I happen to enjoy the chaos but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been moments of great fear.
Here’s a short piece on driving on the Amalfi Drive:
http://www.dreamofitaly.com/public/390.cfm
I’m very glad you can’t write a haiku either. Oh, I so want to go on this vespa ride now. It looks like much fun, senza the insects :-)
Hi, this sounds like so much fun. I loved this aticle and I would love to do this one day. Thank you for sharing your experience and for writing this article. :)
Thanks, everyone for stopping by and commenting. I was very proud of myself for this idea until my brother said, “Well, it seems to me that you’ve never driven a Ferrari either…and that’s an icon of Italian design and culture. You need to think big next time.”
Damn.
As always, your eloquence satisfies! Such a rich story, told so well. I envy your easy access to the small towns you drove through. Thanks for the tour! I’m just getting used to driving a Twingo in the hills near Rome, and enjoy the adventure. I like being able to stop, or not, as Italians tend to do!
[...] me, and furthermore, I am here at table with people who will go to any length for a post, including faking the ability to ride a Vespa. So I had to take the theme of “learning” away from my immediate idea of the [...]