There are many things about Italy that make us stop and think. One thing is that the Carabinieri, a military unit charged with maintaining public security and order as well as assisting local police or national police force, frequently stop vehicles and check the drivers’ and vehicles’ documents. In Italy, it is law to have one’s vehicle inspected by a licensed mechanic after four years for a new vehicle, and then every two years. It’s also the law to carry your driver’s license, the certificate of insurance, and the vehicle’s registration document. So it’s not unusual to be stopped. I was yesterday.
Being fresh off of studying for my patente – i.e., driver’s license – I immediately recognized the “lollipop” and pulled over. The office asked for my patente, which I proudly handed over. I watched in my rear-view mirror as he and another officer searched their databases. I smugly grinned because the car is in my name, the patente is brand new, and the tires were already changed to winter. Ah – yes, another quirk in Italy is that cars are required to have summer tires between April and November and winter tires from November to April. It took them just about five minutes, and the officer stepped back, handed me my patente, and said “Buongiorno!” I happily drove away.
Yes, I now have my Italian driver’s license. After the nightmare first try, my autoscuola assured me that the second examiner would be nice. In fact, the second one was happy to see me because he wanted to practice his English! Image that. The first examiner refused to give me a license because I didn’t speak Italian well enough, and now this one wants to only speak English! It was a pretty easy test. I made a couple of dumb mistakes, but overall, he was satisfied that I was capable of driving in Italy. He gave me my patente right then and there! Now, I am 100 percent Italian – citizenship, passport, residency, and a driver’s license. Can you see the smile on my face?
Another thing to stop and think about: Coffee. Italians love, love their coffee. And their coffee habits are admirable. There’s nothing like a quick break to pop in to a café, stand by the counter, devour an expresso, and continue on your way. Or, they may sit at a table with friends, have a coffee and something sweet like a cornetto or pastry, and relax for a few minutes. It’s a custom we’ve adapted to quite easily. But we need to be careful.
In fact, the other day we went to Citta Sant Angelo to look at an apartment and had a few minutes before our agent, Nadine, arrived, so we found a café and had an espresso and something sweet. After the showing we asked Nadine if she’d like a coffee, and of course she said yes. So we went back to the café, and each of us ordered café Americano. This means Mike and I had an espresso at 2:30 p.m. and another at 3:30 p.m. And we both were wired. Neither of us could sleep! At 2:00 a.m., we gave up and started playing cards. And then both us were a wreck the next day. So, now, STOP to us also means “No caffeine after 3:00 p.m.”
Regarding another Italian quirk, last week we went to the Questura in Lanciano to check on the status of Mike’s Carta di Soggiorno. We waited in line for almost an hour. The officer was very nice, he said everything looked good. It was just taking time.
So, we again throw our hands up in the air and exclaim: “It’s Italy!”
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