Fast Cars and Not-So Fast Women

We're two weeks further along in my language course, and I think it's high time for another brief hiatus. A couple of weeks ago I dealt with amusing things, now I'm going to look at something quintessentially Italian: the motor car. After being in Italy for seven weeks I had begun to notice the art of the motor car and the Italian obsession with it. I appreciate everything with an engine and therefore seeing some of these vehicles in their native environment was quite special. So if I saw something of interest, my coursemates would be taking pictures of pretty buildings and spectacular views, I would be looking the other way, taking a picture of the interesting car that was parked up a side road somewhere.

This first example was seen in Sanremo at the hotel that boasted, amongst other things, the laughing seagull. You can't tell from that picture, but it's actually a British Italian car, that is a Lamborghini with British plates. On the other side of the makeshift turning circle is a Porsche, also with British plates. It's sights like that one that make me proud to be British, knowing that my countrymen have such a good taste in cars...

This was seen just outside the Frassassi Caves. My coursemates were still walking round with beautiful stalagmites and stalagtites seared into their brains, but I was attracted by something of a much different nature. I confess to not knowing a great deal about bikes other than if they look pretty or not. I'm not a great lover of Harleys, but this one (which I believe is a Yamaha) was a pretty special specimen.

If I were able, this would be my car: an old style Fiat 500 Arbarth, souped up with silly additions almost everywhere. The boot doesn't close and there are scorpion badges painted everywhere. Italy is really the only place you can get away with driving a car like that, or else I'd have one over here. I saw it on our tour of Camerino and while my coursemates were admiring the view, my attention was taken hook, line and sinker by this extraordinary motor.

I found this ostentatious motorbike at Porto Recanati on the Rimini coast. I have no idea what it is, but I fell in love with it. It was big and orange and shouty and in-your-face - it was everything I had wanted to be in life (well nearly). I felt I had a certain connection with it, so convinced my friends to take my photo together with it. There's even a Vespa in the background to make things 1. even more Italian and 2. even better.

A little while later, we found another Fiat 500 - maybe the beach is where all the cool people with cool motors end up (ignore the Fiat Multipla in the background). As you can see I like people to think that it's my car, so I pretended I was snapped nonchalantly getting into my retro but classic wheels. Smooth.

My last picture also comes from the day I had at the beach - what can I say, it wasn't that great architecturally so I decided to take lots of pictures of other things of interest. This was particularly interesting to me. As a person who is challenged when it comes to parking, this was impressive. Very impressive.