In Trastevere and a lot of Rome there are no lane markings on the road. Are there two lanes or three? Who knows, certainly no one cares. If someone doesn’t move the second the lights change horns will blare everywhere. If you are a driver and not happy you just lean on your horn until you are happy.
Trastevere, where we are staying, is very like Surry Hills NSW. The streets are narrow so cars park very close so close that they often touch getting in and out. Every single car we have seen so far has at least one (and generally two or three) dinged corners. Little smart cars are parked perpendicular to the curb. Sticking out too far? Let’s just back up onto the curb. The Italians park around the corner, sometimes three deep. There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of regulation around here.
The Carabinieri, the military police wear superb uniforms. But it is usually the Polizia (state police) who you see rushing around in their tiny cars with sirens blaring but no one takes any notice so one officer has to hang out the window waving a red dot on a stick to let people know he wants to get through.
Street vendors are everywhere and if they suddenly whip everything away you know the polizia are somewhere close. The polizia wait around the corner until all the vendors have gone then they walk down the street.
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Fabulous Italian bakery: Il Fornaretto di Trastevere panificio Valter Scacchi, 6 via luigi santini.
Bridge from 306 AD:
Bridge from 306 AD:
