Romancing Italy

Mount Tovo, color photo, but thanks to the cloud cover it looks black and white.

It's been a week since I drove 16hrs from Borgosesia to Riace in Calabria. I left almost continuous thunderstorms and fog for sunshine and surf..oh, and mosquitoes. I waged war on one solitary soldier who left  considerable damage on the war-field before retreating to summon back-up for a future encounter.
Seeing the welts that quickly rise into burning red bumps from each attack, the question comes to mind....has anyone yet died from anaphalactic shock from these miserable creatures? I might be the first statistic.

Same isolated beach as last year. We usually have it to ourselves in the morning.

I have come to regard this beloved south as the lawless south, not because of crime but because so few people seem to pay any regard to the basic laws. No one would know there is a helmet law especially when riders on their scooters or motorbikes whiz past police officers with their hair playing happily about their faces.  

The traffic light on the corner is to be obeyed if there happens to be other traffic that might impend your turn, otherwise, go ahead, cross the intersection on red.

Who cares about oncoming traffic on a two lane road, especially if you can squeeze past the slow moving car in front of you, even if  the car approaching is level with you. I watched one driver overtake on a curve, then overtake the next car by driving completely in the opposite lane with the approaching car driving on his bicycle lane. No one seemed to mind except me. I was so astonished that I almost missed my turn, braked hard to take it and induced a certain amount of car honking from behind me. So it's okay to recklessly pass but not to slow down. But naturally I am at fault as he was riding my bumper. Isn't that how it works?

Years ago, I was told (by a northerner) the south is filled with sleepy, sluggish people, which I have found to be totally untrue. And if the driving is any indication, I am convinced then that one has to be the very opposite - extremely attentive, in order to not get into serious bodily harm.