First Time Driving in Europe

We get to sleep in as we are scheduled to pick up our rental car at 1100. We have a leisurely breakfast at the hotel and pack up our things. The Hertz office is right around the corner and when I get there, the guy asks if I need an automatic which I say yes to. He says no problem and gets on the phone so I am hoping that does not mean they need to get one here from somewhere else. My worry is unfounded as another guy takes over checking us out and the car is outside.

Fiat 500

It is a Fiat 500 and actually bigger than we thought it would be. This could be good or bad depending on the tight squeezes we may get into on the streets. The transmission is both manual and automatic which is pretty interesting. You have to start in neutral and then go into first and one to the left which puts it into automatic transmission. The good news is that I was able to score a GPS which should definitely make things easier. They wanted to charge me but I had a copy of my reservation which stated that it included one. They were surprised to see that but with some firm resolve on my part they finally accepted it.
We pull out into the mean streets of Salerno and head towards the autostrada. One hundred percent awareness needs to be maintained here as lanes shift like the tide and you must dodge pedestrians, scooters, and motorcycles who all follow their own rules.
We make it to the autostrada and the driving becomes easier. What doesn’t become easier is trying to follow the speed limits. Supposedly 130 kilometers per hour on the autostrada, yet signs are always changing. 110, 90, 60, then signs that say 60 with a line through it which means no longer 60, but there is no indication what speed it has become. It may not have been such a big deal except that they have speed cameras everywhere which they announce mostly in advance but tend to leave the current speed limit, out of the warning sign. I hope for the best as in many places, the Italian drivers are still blowing by me. The terrain changes as we climb away from the sea and into the hills of Italy.

Italian Hills

We are heading south into Calabria which is in the boot part of Italy. It is also the region that my grandfather on my mothers side traveled to America from. Finding his town is the main reason we broke down and rented a car.
We continue to climb higher into the mountains and then start to hit some construction areas. They are building tunnels like crazy here. The speed limit slows down to 60 in the construction areas and it is one lane at times. This is where we seem to annoy the other drivers as they flash their lights or honk at us apparently not understanding the concerns of an American driving here for the first time. To them I am sure the speed limit signs are a suggestion, me I just don’t want to get a ticket. I let them pass when I can and we also learn that a no passing zone or solid white lines are also just suggestions as they find ways to pass us whenever they think they can. This is probably the first time in my life when I am the slowest person on the road!
After a few hours we arrive in Calabria and stop at a rest area for a bathroom break and a tourist information office.

We Are There

The office is locked up and I figure it is because it is one o’clock and siesta time. As I am walking away a lady there starts to yell at me, Signore, signore. She apparently was on a bathroom break and they are open. This does me very little good as she speaks no English and does not seem to grasp the fact that I am looking for free info and a map of the area. When I say mappa, she leads me outside to the map on the wall and says dove, which is where? I say Bocchigliero the town my grandfather came from and she does not get it, but I see it on the map,and point to it. She corrects my mispronunciation of his town, it is pronounced like boki yero, so at least I now know that. We continue through the mountains and then start to descend as we are staying in a town that is near the Thyrrenian Sea. We reach Rossano and drive to the outskirts of town and up a small side road to our BNB.

Our BNB

We are staying in an Agriturismo BNB which is a rural type place. We reach the gate for Tenuta Ciminata Greco and turn up to the house. We are greeted by the two resident dogs and Mario. He tells us that we have been upgraded and shows us to our room. It is a great upgrade. We had booked a double room and we end up with a three room apartment, not a bad switch. The place we are in has been in his family since 1700 and is an olive and clementine plantation. We get settled in our room and check the grounds out. There is a beautiful terrace and even a pool. We are overlooking the Calabrian hills and and can also see down to the sea. This combined with the fact that we have a kitchen makes us decide to just eat in tonight. We drive down to town to find the market and buy some fresh tortellini and items for a salad and antipasto. It should come as no surprise that we add a bottle of wine to the mix.
Back to the BNB where we prepare the antipasto and take it to eat out

My New Friend

on the terrace. The dogs join us and watch for signs that we might share with them before they settle and lay down near us. We enjoy the peaceful surroundings with our antipasto di Carol and wine. As we finish, it starts to sprinkle some rain so we retreat to our room for dinner. We have not been eating enough greens so the salad is a welcome change. I had picked what I thought was a lime from a tree outside to add to the dressing but when I cut it open, it is orange inside. That is when we realize that it is a clementine not a lime. We add the juice into the salad and it is very good. Our pasta is good as well and we then relax a little before bed. Tomorrow we have a Calabrian adventure planned.
Expenses
Rental Car 90.3E
Gas 22E
Antipasto, salad, dinner, and wine from market 28E
Tenuta Ciminata Greco BNB 80E
Walked .5 Miles