Carspotting in Italy

A friend just came back from Italy and shared the following photos and insight (at the end):

• Pisa is a waste of time. 
• The hill towns are amazing. We stayed in Orvieto and visited Civita Bagnaregio. Both awe inspiring. 
• Pedestrians do not have the right of way. 
• Italian drivers take lane markings very casually. 
• Cars are tiny so they can drive down small alley ways that you don't think should really be streets. 
• If you get just a little bit outside the tourist areas you are more likely to encounter people who speak no English. 
• Trains work pretty well, buses are ok. We almost got stranded by a bus strike though. 
• There's a 50/50 chance that anyone is going to check your train ticket. There seems to be a zero percent chance that your bus ticket will be checked. 
• Sienna is pretty awesome. 
• The train station with the name that's the most fun to say is Firenze Santa Maria Novella. 
• Italians basically don't believe in washcloths. 
• Do not use the small towels hanging above the bidet as washcloths. They are for your butt. 
• Children spend a lot of time trying to kick pigeons. 
• Restaurants do not server olive oil and vinegar with bread. 
• The bread really isn't that good. The Italians could learn a thing or two from the French on appreciating good bread. 
• Some words don't have an exact translation but are more of a general use like allora and prego. 
• Many public restrooms don't have toilet seats. 
• Wiener dogs are very popular. 
• I met a lot of cats that seem to be just hanging out living their life in amazing settings. The cats (like the cars) are pretty small. 
• Capri is beautiful but a total tourist trap. 
• We had a nice kosher meal in the historically Jewish district with some fried Jerusalem artichokes. 
• Romans will go out of their way to tell you that they're Roman. They consider that additive to being Italian. 
• We had a tour guide that spoke Italian, English, Spanish, French, a little bit of German and could speak passably in Japanese.