Things just got 100 times better! I’m pimpin it in a miniature minivan. Now I’m able to drive to and from the office when it gets below zero. So far, the weather has been great and unseasonably warm around 20 degrees… Celsius that is! Ok, so here are 5 lessons learned the first 15 minutes of driving;
1. Speed limit signs are optional
2. Blinkers are never used
3. Green means go with caution, yellow means nothing, red means speed up
4. Gas is ~4.50/gallon (everything is in liters over here)
5. No body stops for pedestrians in cross walks
Also, when I ask someone which direction North is, they haven’t a clue because the roads are laid out like a big bowl of spaghetti. Everyone either just follows street signs or takes the bus. Unfortunately for me, I can’t read street signs yet, so instead of losing my bearings, I never driving more than 15 minutes from my apartment. 
Haha, another funny story is American’s ability to parallel park. So I’ve been driving for about 8 years now, and I feel pretty confident when I parallel park down on Sixth Street; However, parking in Italy is a whole new ball game. I have actually seen cars use each others bumper to squeeze into some of the most unbelievable spots. This is definitely something I will need to work on. It seems that the car of choice over here is the Fiat 500 or a Mini Cooper.
Here is one of my favorites…
One of the managers over here jokes that if we had Fiat 500’s in Texas, then they could replace our spare tire… just mount them to the back door! ha
