Italian Driving License Part 2 - 6 maggio, 2015

So I passed the scary Patente (Driver's License) written theory test but then one more obstacle loomed in front of me....I needed to pass the road test. Before I was allowed to take it, I needed to take a series of driving lessons with an auto school instructor. I have never seen that requirement written anywhere, but it seems virtually impossible to register for the road test without being accompanied by one's instructor. The schools all require that you pay for and complete a minimum of six hours of driving.

I spent two hours once a week for three weeks with Gianluca, my thirty-something hipster instructor driving around the narrow, curvy roads of Lombardia. We got off to a bit of a rough start as he spoke only Italian and he thought I drove a little too fast. I thought I was supposed to drive with the normal pace of traffic in town but apparently he was used to the timid teenagers starting out at a crawl. Later he admitted to me that I was the oldest student he had ever had (!) but we both adjusted and survived the process. I was at the mercy of their scheduling process so after my last lesson, I still had to wait three weeks to have a reservation to take the test. That is not easy for an impatient American.

I really had no idea of what to expect but I certainly did not realize that I would be tied up for 8 hours. I rode out to the motorizzione (license bureau) with my instructor and two other students but there we met up with three others making a total of six of us. And yes, the other five were teenagers so I could have actually been their grandmother. The exam had three parts - a verbal test on the engine and instruments, a maneuverability section, and a driving session including time on the autostrada (motorway). I was shocked to realize that for each section, the examiner tested one person at a time while the rest of us waited. He spent about 10 minutes with each person on the questions, then about 15 minutes at another location on maneuverability, including parking, backing up, u-turn, etc. Two hours had passed by then and even though one student had failed and left the group, I realized that this would be a very long day. 

The examiner asking technical questions about the car

Everyone waits while one person is tested on maneuverability

Once we started the actual "on-the-road" test, we all were squeezed into one of the auto school cars with an instructor while we followed the car with the student being tested. Oddly, the student's instructor sat in the right front seat and the examiner sat in the back seat. We were told we should not wear sunglasses so the examiner could see where our eyes were looking. As one can imagine, the quirkiness of the entire process made me more nervous than I should have been. Each student drove for about 30 - 40 minutes, on country roads, highways and through tiny, old villages with one way streets and unfamiliar configurations. Luckily, the remaining students all passed and came back to the "chase car" gleefully clutching their pink plastic cards. Since they were all 18 year olds, pop music was blaring and elated phone calls were being made to parents which actually made for an enjoyable but lengthy late afternoon.

For three hours, we followed the car with the student being tested.

I was the second to last and after all the drama of the past four months, my session seemed rather uneventful. Perhaps the examiner (who apparently has the reputation for being slow and obsessive with details) felt an affinity with me as an older adult or was finally ready for a nap because I also passed  and he handed me my shiny Patente. We took a moment for photos with Gianluca before dispersing and the kids seemed genuinely happy for me as well. I am now a legal driver in Italy!

My new best friends

Gianluca and his oldest student

Priceless

The Italian Lakes - 25 aprile, 2015

14,000 years ago the glaciers retreated northward and left this part of Italy with beautiful deep, blue lakes. There are four major lakes, (from east to west) Garda, Como, Lugano and Maggiore. I have had lots of time to explore Lakes Como and Lugano because of their proximity and we had a great day last spring visiting Lake Maggiore which is about an hour's drive west of here. But it wasn't until last weekend, that I was able to see the largest Italian lake, Lake Garda. 

Lago di Garda

Lago di Como

Lago di Lugano (on the border of Switzerland and Italy)

Lago di Maggiore

Lake Garda sits on the border of three Italian provinces - Trentino with its Austrian flavor to the north, Veneto (as in Venetian empire) to the east and Lombardia to the west, thus providing a rich blend of historical influences, traditions and cuisine. We made a spur of the moment decision to drive the 3 hours from Como to a a scenic village called Malcesine on the northeastern shore of the lake.  It is still early in the season so we found a deal on a hotel room with a great view of the lake and the mountains rising beyond. The town reminded us of the villages in the Cinque Terre, oriented to the water with a jumble of narrow stone streets. The number of cafes and restaurants let us know that this town must fill up as summer approaches.

A rotating funivia or cable car took us up Mt. Baldo mountain to a station at 1,760 meters (over 1 mile high) with a panoramic view of the lake and towns below. This is an area that produces fine olive oil and on the ride up, we saw many old groves that still actively produce an olive crop. We also watched people with parasails jumping off the hillside to soar in the wind currents above the lake. 

From the cable car

Above Lake Garda, Monte Baldo

Malcesine

After a hike high above the lake, we rode back down on the funivia and celebrated the appearance of the sun. The northern part of the lake resembles a Norwegian fjord with steep rock walls and forests rising above the water. The lake here is extremely deep, in places it is over 1000 feet down. Windsurfers and sail boats were taking full advantage of the windy conditions and in the sunshine, the lake took on the deep blue the Italian lakes are known for. We drove up and around the north shore of the lake, by the resort towns of Riva di Garda and Limone sul Garda and found a pizzeria near Pieve with a million dollar view The road on the western coast has been used for filming James Bond movies so Dave got a workout maneuvering the car on the narrow and twisting road. The view is scary but breathtaking. The lake gets wide and calmer at its southern end and one care barely see across to the other shore. Before we knew it, the road straightened out and we were back on the motorway headed home to what we still consider to be the most beautiful lake in Italy...Lago di Como.

Lake Garda looking north.

Lake Garda - west coast road

Lake Garda - Piovere

"The name is Bond...James Bond

Lake Garda - harbor at Gargnano

Lago di Como....still my favorite.

Italian Driving License Part 1 - 12 aprile, 2015

Some people ask me where I have been recently and why I havn't written much on my blog the past two months. Well if truth be told, I have been working at a full-time job....getting my Italian driver's license. I have discovered that there is no better metaphor for what life is really like living here in Italy than what I have gone through in this process. It is important to point out, I do not yet have my actual license (called a patente) because I still have to take the practical driving test....after I complete the six hours of driving lessons with an Italian driving instructor! But for now I am celebrating that I passed the all important theory test.

I have been driving in the United States for 45 years and now besides my Ohio Driver's License, I also have an "International Driver's License" which I got by providing a photo and $15 to the American Automobile Association. We were under the mistaken impression that as long as we renewed that in the U.S. annually, we were legal to drive in Italy. Unfortunately, we and some of our other expat friends have found that that is not true - once one has a permesso di soggiorno (similar to a green card in the U.S.) one must obtain an Italian Driver's License within one year. Now for our European friends, that isn't an issue because Italy allows them to trade their license in for an Italian one. Or if you are from a country like Tunisia or the Philippines that grants reciprocity to Italians, same deal. But for us, because the individual states in the U.S. require foreigners to take their test, we are required to take the Italian test ... in Italian. 

The Italian test, which apparently even evokes fear and panic in Italians covers very detailed information on topics such as engine maintenance, road design and grip coefficients, and five different categories of speed limits which also vary depending on the type of vehicle. Our friend Paolo took on the task of researching local auto schools and was able to order a bilingual manual (404 pages worth) for me so I could begin studying.

Test preparation manual and study materials

Immediately, it became obvious to me that the test was going to be as much a language literacy exam as it was a test of technical knowledge. Up until several years ago, Italy offered the test in English but that is no longer an option. I checked the Ohio website and currently the exam in my home state is offered in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, French, Somalian, and Japanese. It can also be given orally if a person is unable to read although it is emphasized for both the audio and foreign language versions, the road signs must be understood in English. But for Americans in Italy, there is no option; not even a bilingual dictionary is allowed during the test.

There are commercial "autoscuolas" everywhere in Italy. These small storefront businesses are intimately connected with the process. Because the average Italian young person will spend approximately 1000 euro to be tutored for the theory test, registered and accompanied to the testing site and taught to drive for the practical test, there appears to be strong economic pressure to keep the process complicated and mysterious.  With Paolo's help, I chose to register to take the theory test as a "privatista" since I was unable to find any auto schools that offered bilingual support. It made more sense for me to study at home and use the computerized tests to practice and review. So I may have saved 350 euros on this phase but it required six separate trips to the Motorizzazione (license bureau) which is located in a desolate spot several miles from the center of town and hours of time struggling to understand which documents I needed, how to get the required hearing and vision tests, where to buy the tax stamp (tobacco shop), and where to pay the test fee ( Post Office). I stood in numerous lines waiting for my number to be called while the auto school representatives went to the speedy window reserved for them.  Where else but Italy would there actually be a bar attached to the driver license bureau!

I have been studying Italian with a teacher for 18 months but I was not prepared for the complicated vocabulary that I found on sample test questions. Verbs like ingombrare (to block, as in an intersection) and smozare (to muffle) as well as vocabulary words like sdrucciolevole (slippery) were words that I had never seen or heard before. 300 hundred flashcards, diagrams, charts, and detailed outlines later, I was ready to give it a try. I know I actually spent more hours preparing for this test than I did for my Nursing Boards when I finished college. Don't get me wrong, I value safe driving and respect Italy's right to require us to learn the laws here but do I really need to know which lane is part of the carreggiata and which is part of the strada? 

After I had all of my documents approved by the Motorizzazione (my third visit), I was told to return in 10 days and THEN I would be allowed to make a reservation to take the test. Finally my testing day arrived and I joined 15 other very nervous looking young people and a few other foreigners in the testing room. I somehow felt like I was in a Seinfeld episode as I struggled to even understand when and how I was to enter the testing room. I had 30 minutes to answer 40 questions on a computer screen and knowing that I could only miss 4 to achieve the mandatory 90% passing score made me so nervous that my damp fingertips could barely register the responses on the screen. But Sister Guilia's prayers must have helped because after the test, I was told by the examiner (and yes, he even seemed surprised) that I had passed. Sadly, I could tell by some of my fellow test-taker's expressions that they had not been so lucky.  I was ready to get my "folia rosa" (pink sheet) learner's permit but of course, was told that I would need to return yet again the next day to pick that up. 

My second home for the month of February

Some people really need a drink.

Foglia Rosa

I have shared the challenging parts but as in so many aspects of my life here, for every roadblock I encountered, I was helped along the way by kind people. This included the woman I met in the parking lot of the closed Motorizzazione who made arrangements for me to get my hearing and vision test and the 18 year old girl who I met in a line and offered to help me study for the test so she could practice her English. The guys behind the counter at the license bureau actually recognized me after my frequent visits and did their best to try to help me understand the next step as I prepare for Part 2, the on-the- road lessons and practical exam.  And of course, there are my friends who have cheered me on - how fitting that my hiking group would break open a bottle of champagne the day after I passed. They gave a new meaning to tail-gateing.

Celebration

Zurich - Don't let me be lonely tonight - 9 marzo, 2015

While I continue to see my life here as an adventure to be experienced, Dave reminds me that he is not on vacation. And it is true, expats are living in their adopted country because of their employment status and Dave's work commitments define our life here. Usually we can plan our excursions on weekends and his scheduled time off, but this week the concert that I purchased tickets for eight months ago unfortunately fell on on a Sunday night in Zurich, Switzerland, a four drive away from Como. When we realized that Dave would not be able to miss work on Monday, I looked for a friend who might want to go to the concert with me. No one seemed as excited as I was about the prospect of going to see James Taylor in another city so I realized this would be a solo journey.

The high speed trains reminds me of a reptile.

 I located a hotel in Zurich down the street from the concert venue and booked a train ticket. The three and half hour high speed train ride there was one of the most scenic train trips I have been on as the route crossed Lake Lugano and then traveled through the Alps and along Lake Lucerne and Lake Zug. I had contacted one of Dave's Swedish cousins who had recently relocated to Zurich to see if we could connect. She and her daughter met me at the Central train station and we spent the afternoon together. We joined the other city dwellers enjoying the early spring sunshine and ate outside at a Lebanese cafe. Her adorable daughter, Clara made me realize how I miss having children in my everyday life as she turned cartwheels on the sidewalk and drew pictures for us on the placemat. We had a lovely walk around the city center until they had to head home. I enjoyed looking at the architecture and streetscapes and walked to the lakefront. Zurich, even though it is the largest city in Switzerland, felt compact and safe.

Clara and Anna welcomed me to Zurich.

Lake Zurich

After checking into my hotel, I walked over to the Kongresshaus where the concert was. As I joined the others going in, I felt like I had found "my people". I could hear others talking of when and where they had first seen James Taylor play (yep, for me that was in Athens, Ohio in 1972) and as usual I felt dismayed to realize that "my people" are all looking decidedly more mature than at the last concert I attended. I asked at the ticket booth if I was allowed to try and sell Dave's unused ticket and was shocked when they offered to sell it for me. A few minutes after I sat down (in a great seat I might add, near the front), a Swiss man came and sat down in the empty seat next to me. He told me he had just bought the ticket and was told to let me know the money was waiting for me at the ticket booth.  I was impressed that they sold the ticket at full price and gave it all back to me. But the funniest part was my new seat partner introduced himself and his name was Dave!

The concert was vintage James Taylor and exactly what I had hoped for. The Swiss audience was, as I had been warned by the new Dave, more subdued that I am used to but that paid off when near the intermission, the back-up singers encouraged people to come down front and only about 25 or 30 of us did. I got that front row view for the last few songs and then was able to be in the group of people that James greeted and took photos with during the break. It was one of those times, that being alone in a crowd was actually a pretty awesome place to be be.

This morning, I spent time walking along the lake and wandering around the old town before I caught the train back to Como.  I knew my Dave would have really enjoyed the city and my visit with Anna (and James) so I look forward to the next trip when I will have a traveling partner again.

James Taylor and his band

Ciaspolata sotto la luna piena - 5 marzo, 2015

Snowshoe hike under a full moon.

I had a dream last night that I was walking in the snow in the darkness through a beautiful forest ..... and then I realized I wasn't sleeping.  I was with six of my friends and a guide hiking above Alpe di Blessagno with the promise of a full moon and a late evening meal in a mountain agriturisimo. The experience started out a little shaky, I couldn't see anything, the trail was uneven and my one snowshoe kept coming unfastened. (Note to self: next time - practice putting a snowshoe back on when you can still see what you're doing and pack a headlamp.) But after about a half hour of hiking through some areas without snow cover and picking up leaves, sticks and other forest debris with my clown-size feet, we came up over a snowy hill just as the full moon was rising over the mountains. The combination of the reflective snow and the moonlight was magical as we could see for miles. 

Ciaspole - Italian word for snowshoes

Starting our hike at twilight

We hiked up a steep hill, then down a saddle area and up again to a promontory overlooking Lake Como. The wind was intense but we had a stunningly clear 360 degree panoramic view way past Bellagio to the north, over Lugano to the west and even to the glow of Milano to our south. The lake below us looked frozen in the reflection of the moonlight. In the chaos of trying to hold on to our belongings and not slide over the hill, I had my camera on the wrong settings so alas, I returned home with a bunch of out of focus photos. The clear picture will remain only in my memory.

This outing was Sigrun's idea.

Bettina, Sigrun, Christine, Karen and Jeanne  (photo by Tim Ogle)

Looking down on Lake Como

Heading down

Fixing snowshoes on the side of a mountain.

The hike down was steep but the snowshoes did their job and kept us on the surface of the snow crust. The moon was higher in the sky which made the return trip back easier and less spooky. Our guide was patient and my companions supportive so my three hour adventure had a happy ending.  And even though it was about 9:30 when we returned to Le Radici (the agriturisimo), we sat and enjoyed a leisurely dinner of their local products, including a big bowl of pizzocheri.  At midnight, all seven of us packed into the owner's little truck for a ride back down to the village. Goodnight moon!

Ahhh, we made it.

An ordinary yet extraordinary day - 6 febbraio, 2015

La cura per la noia è la curiosità 

(The cure for boredom is curiosity - Dorothy Parker)

It snowed last night, so this morning I decided to go exploring with my camera. I took the traghetto up the lake about 7 kilometers to a small village called Torno. I was the only passenger on  the outgoing ferry and when I disembarked a few minutes later, I realized that I was pretty much alone in Torno too. The man who helped me off the boat disappeared into his shed and other than a few people working around the village, it was very quiet. The snow was still visible on the hillsides but it had melted near the lake with the light drizzle of rain that was falling. I gave up on capturing a Lake Como snow scene.

But for me, this is when I remembered all over again what I love about my experience here. Most days, I have fallen into a routine of daily life in which I often forget that I am far from home and living in a foreign country. Life feels pretty normal to me again. But on this day, I had time to wander by myself and see this place through fresh eyes. I peered through gates at elegant villas and neglected formal gardens. I was walking on pathways and stone stairs that have been a part of the village for hundreds of years. I turned down a narrow lane, ducked my head under a low stone archway and came upon a small, deserted piazza. One stone staircase led directly into the water of the lake. The few people I encountered spoke to me in Italian and I was able to understand them and reply in turn.  The day was damp and dreary but I saw beauty and a history around every corner. 

I love to think about how this village comes back to life when the weather warms and the seasonal crowds of  summer residents and tourists return. During a previous visit, we watched a wedding party celebrate in the piazza by this harbor. I have brought friends here and we sat in the sun and enjoyed people-watching while we ate gelato.  I will have more visitors who I hope will love this place too. But today, I had all the time I wanted to see it close up and at my own pace. I had this beautiful old place to myself.

Approaching Torno on the ferry