Driving in Southern Italy...

In Florence, there wasn't much riding in cars going on. There was the occasional taxi ride when I was too far away from my house at a late hour to walk home (just wasn't safe..only happened a few times) or the ride in the car with my boss (which was scary...she was constantly on the phone and driving stick on the autostrade at the same time..eek). In San Giuseppe, I'm constantly getting in the car and going somewhere, and this has allowed me to become very observant on the driving habits of Italians down here. It's chaos. Slightly controlled chaos. Scary, ridiculous, nerve wracking chaos! I have been in the car with 7 different people in the last 2 weeks and there is similarity in their driving styles....you have to be quick. You have to anticipate someone cutting you off at all times. You really really have to have your eyes and ears wide open. Even if I knew how to drive stick (most drive stick around here...automatic is very rare) I wouldn't feel comfortable driving around here. I don't know how my dad does it. He drives auto at home but knows stick and the streets well enough to drive around here. Scary.
A big part of driving here is the horn. Good lord they use the horn a ton. It's how you let anyone who might possibly be coming up a street towards you that you're coming. Stop signs do exist but their presence is minimal and largely ignored. They took the California Roll and improved it to the Italian tap-of-the-breaks to slightly slow down just in case someone is coming. You use your horn more than you use your turning signal. And then there's the tapping of the horn to say hi to someone, which is just as frequent as tapping the horn to warn someone. Just now I went with my cousin Lina on a hunt for a gift for her boyfriend. We had tapped the horn about 5 times before we were off our street because you just have to say hi to everyone. Sometimes, you even stop to stay hello. I've been in a car trapped becuase two cars going opposite directions had stopped and the drivers were happily chatting away until all the honking and yelling has them saying "just come over later for some food and talk!!" or something to that extent.
The roads only add to the chaos of driving. They are largely unpaved in town and are therefore VERY bumpy and winding and there are switchbacks everywhere you go accompanied by hairpin turns. Scary as ever. My neck is actually sore from all the jostling I've experienced in the car. I can't wait to get back to the US where all roads that I go on are completely paved and smooth. Also, while lines for lanes exist, they are worn out and completely ignored. You can have a highway road that is meant to be 3 lanes become 5 lanes becuase people like to weave so much. Then there are the coastal roads, which are very very similar to the Pacific Coast Highway going through Big Sur. I'm not kidding. After driving around here, anyone could do that drive with ease. There are gorgeous views and if you're a passenger, it might be wise to keep your eyes on the ocean seeing as it's not moving. The driver on the other hand better pay 100% attention or there's most likely to be an accident. Becuase during the summer, it's not just cars and motorinos on the road: there's also big tour buses with tourists coming down to the coast for a looksie. I know because I was in one in late June. Oh that was scary. A big passenger bus winding along those roads. I like to think that a bit of Harry Potter-ish magic does exist here...in the damn cars. There is no other possible explanation to how no one crashes besides the explanation that all cars have the ability of the Knight Bus. It has to be that. Driving like this in the States would get you killed immediately.
In the States, men joke a lot that the worst drivers are women. Here not so much. I have noticed differences in drivers but that's based on personality and experience. Gianfranco drives with ease and on an open road likes to go all out and speed. He always has his thumb on the horn just in case and just seems completely calm. Antonella drives carefully but with a purpose. She's not shy about going but also isn't a crazy one. Francesco is a typical 21 year old male driver. He drives a little fast, turns a little sharp, uses his horn frequently, all the while grabbing his phone and talking to people. Michele would probably rather be on his motorcycle but he doesn't very much because he says it doesn't have a security system, so he's in the car. He's a good mix of Gianfranco and Francesco's driving styles. Always plays music. Enzo is a careful driver like Gianfranco but has to play referee with his two little girls in the back. That was a fun drive. They don't have car seats or really wear seatbelts here, so the little ones can be standing up and jumping around. Makes my nerves raw. Ooof. Giusy drives like Francesco but a little crazier. She's got a sweet little car that she likes to go fast in on the autostrade. But again never put us in danger. Lina is the most careful but I think that's only because she just recently got her license (March I think...she's 19 but the driving age around here is 18). She still stalls once in a while and shifts tentatively but knows how to use that horn. Oh and Angelo on his motorino is a different story but he's careful with me or with Anna because Anna is young and well I'm just not used to it. Uses the horn a lot and likes to go fast on straightaways. I like the motorinos. Makes me feel free =).
So there you have it. Driving in the States is NOTHING compared to here. And I can't wait to get back to the sane driving of the States. And a neck massage please.