The Italian Dance

For Thanksgiving, my family took a trip to Rome, Italy! It was an awesome trip, and you should stay tuned for an entry on the trip with some pictures. Italy is a bit different than the US (although, I would imagine most countries are). I took a cab from the airport to meet up with my parents and brothers (sister had to work :( ). Driving out of the airport, no big deal, just realizing that lane lines are just suggestions and not rules, along with the speed limit.

In Rome, the roads can get pretty narrow, and parking can be, well... wherever there's space. I wish I had some pictures of the spots cars would get through and makeshift parking spots on the side of building. The drivers may appear reckless at first as they zoom past a poorly parked car with pedestrians hugging the walls as the car passes, but rest assured, the Italians have some skills driving. They certainly know the boundaries of their cars... something I would venture to say that a lot of people from the States are not so good at.

Along with knowing their boundaries, they adjust very well to changing conditions. Say for instance a person tries walking out into the street. The car has a few options. The car can A) run over the human, B) brake for the human, C) swerve around the human. Usually it'll be B, which is nice for the walkers because you can just walk in front of a car and not worry about A, but sometimes it's C. If the car brakes or swerves though (and it's not really a swerve, just a quick move around the person), the other cars have to react (if the person gets run over, everyone can carry on (except the late pedestrian of course)). Italians are very good at this. If one car shifts to the left, the next car will do so to avoid a collision and perhaps move into oncoming traffic. At this point the cars on the other side will shift or brake to avoid a collision as well... and then everyone is a happy camper. I feel that those of us here in the States stay in our lane a little better, so if a car comes into a driver's lane, typically there won't be as much movement.

It's show a big difference with the culture and the way drivers drive. I think for the average American, seeing the roads there is a little different and takes a bit of adjustment, especially when walking in front of a car and seeing cars cut each other off with no hard feelings. Either way, in the end, I left feeling very comfortable when the taxi driver would go on a narrow road where a mistake could end in a lost side-mirror or a flattened foot.