Driving In Umbria? YES!

  One of the questions people ask us about our Umbrian life is:

  "Do you drive in Italy?"

   Answer:

  "Yes, we always get a car…Johnny drives."

   Most common response:

  "Are you nuts?"

  The thing is, we enjoy our day trips around the countryside, and it's the best way for us to discover new little towns and places for Johnny to paint. We do use the train, too…we'll take the train to the bigger cities…Rome, Florence, even Orvieto. They make it so easy, and no way do we want to try to park in Rome!

And this is in a small town.
Parking can be….dicey.

But usually it's very civilized…
everyone in the "white lines", which also means "free parking".
If blue, you need to keep track of time and/or pay.

 The first thing we do upon arriving is pick up our car. We use a place just a few blocks from the train station near Panicale. Twenty minutes later, we are home. The moment Johnny gets behind that wheel, he's a very happy camper.

Drive, baby, drive!
He's a natural.

 It's a breeze driving around Lago Trasimeno, and most of the area we stay in. Small roads, sometimes gravel, mostly paved. Not much different than driving here on the central coast of California.
  We seem to always find a reason to take a drive…..listen to a little Italian Top 40, watch the trains speed by us, maybe go sit by the lake for a spell. It's all good.
  Oh, and the day we were driving, below? Yes, it was a Sunday…….

  A little further down the road, closer to town, and the place we love to visit near the lake:

Very typical "town" road…this one enters the biggest nearby town, Castiglione del Lago.
We drive this road several times a week.

  It's important to get a ways off the main roads for Johnny to paint. We try to find someplace with room to pull over to the side. This isn't as easy as it sounds…the roads don't have many turnouts, or shoulders even, like we have here. 

  Johnny has a few favorite spots…..

Close to the lake, but not much traffic.
Notice, no real shoulders to pull onto.

The favorite pull over spots are on the "white" roads…..gravel, really.
The car and Johnny, are way back there…...

  Mostly we enjoy a road like the one below. No cars, somewhat paved, and nothing but beautiful countryside to stare out at:

Who wouldn't enjoy driving around here? It's a breeze, man.
Watch out for large farm vehicles.

Mirror shot.

  We don't normally drive in the "centro storico"(old town) of Panicale. We park outside the walls, along with most everyone else. It's a short walk to our apartment, and to everything. Panicale is a small town. 

  

  One morning I heard the sound of a rather large engine coming our way. Early, too. I hopped out of bed in time to lean out the window and catch some shots of this truck inching it's way down our little street:

Whoa. Better pull in your mirrors, signore.

There it goes…..I think it was a heating oil truck, making a delivery.
That's a tight little jog, there. These guys are used to it, I'm sure.

  The truck drivers know what they're doing, no doubt about it. But us? Hahahaha.
  One day we decided it would be a real drag to unload and haul all our firewood from our regular parking space outside the walls.
  Sooooooo………why not drive right up to the apartment? Why not, indeed.

  Success!
  Look, Ma, no scratches on the rental car!
  Whew.

Hard enough taking it all up those steps, and then more inside!

  I say, go for the car if you plan on staying awhile. You can get into all types of trouble, which always leads to a new adventure.

  Just make sure you have plenty of moxie and insurance coverage.