Italy, lovely country, shame about no respect for it

FarmJames · 12-09-2014 07:26AM

Fozzie Bear wrote: »

Italy is like any other country, good mixed with the bad. I got married over there, been on countless holidays there and seen and driven an awful lot of it, both Autostrada and Strada Regionale or worse!.

By and large it is a clean enough country but there are just random spots where it looks like a back street from Mogadishu. For example we were in Sicily last year and driving down from Mount Etna from the Eastern side round to the Western side we drove past tipping sites at the side of the road. There were literally just random spots where people came and dumped their rubbish on the side of a country road. And there were mountains of it and nobody seems to bothered about it or cleaning it up. Empty or abandoned houses were also like a magnet for rubbish dumping (much the same as here in Ireland).

We have been to Naples too (shudder) and driven around it and my holy good God there is a place that needs to be completely bulldozed. Apparently the Mafia turned the entire city and its surrounds into a dump. They ran refuse scams in the North of Italy for years and took the rubbish from there and just dumped it around Naples and the countryside. The lands around the city are actually so toxic now that farmers can no longer grow crops there. You can google this, but its absolutely mind boggling the amounts of stuff that was dumped over the decades. Naples itself is just a kip. We walked out of the train station into down town Mogadishu. Its was filthy and there seemed to be more Africans than Italians selling crap and eyeing you up. Streets covered in rubbish, badly paved and just run down looking.

But overall Italy never struck me as a dirty country. I don't consider Ireland a dirty country and I could take you to several spots where there is illegal dumping going on along quiet country roads right now.

For a lot of my journey through Italy this time, I found the autostrada perfectly clean and Florence (for the most part) spotless and beautiful. I was on this road however heading for Tranni (yes it's a real town

) and it was literally a cess pool of litter. The roads had worse potholes than Ireland's worst and I'm including that big mama a few years ago that swallowed cars. This was against a backdrop of olive trees and vineyards that local farmers owned.
Not only that but it felt like I was in GTA5 with all the really ugly prostitutes that were on busy parts of that road! Kinda ironic considering it was a road to a religious visitor centre. Perhaps Italians like to have sex and confess their sins after.

Teyla Emmagan · 12-09-2014 07:35AM

I have never thought that Italy was dirty. Though I've never done a road trip there either, have only really been to a few big cities. Glad to hear we're not the only litter bugs in Europe though.

Love the padre pio's grave thing OP :-)

the_syco · 12-09-2014 08:00AM

FarmJames wrote: »

I know

My dad's a typical mayo culchie farmer. If he actually travelled to Italy he wouldn't survive a day. No Barry's tea and they like their tea flavoured, like lemons . My dad likes his tea strong like Greek gods.

And the lemon tea ain't caffeinated! Was over there last weekend. If I ever go again, I'll be bringing some Barrys tea with me! Also, I hate coffee.

Were you up north or down south? Found up north to be grand, but down south is meant to be the poor part. And then there's the fact that ebay doesn't ship stuff there anymore, as anything of value coming in by the post gets taken by the mafia!

FarmJames wrote: »

Perhaps Italians like to have sex and confess their sins after.

Damn kiddie fiddlers!

Micky Dolenz · 12-09-2014 08:02AM

I've lived in Roma for just over a year. The things that struck me the most was the absolute poverty and mess of the place. Every availible wall space is tagged with spray paint.

I do love the driving though. You have to be 100% focused 100% of the time.

The Italians are a fickle bunch in my opinion, they believe that they are superior in everything, food, wine, culture and football. I love that they seem very relaxed about the use of their language. You can murder it and they get a good laugh from it.

Aglomerado · 12-09-2014 08:17AM

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

I do love the driving though. You have to be 100% focused 100% of the time.

The first time I ever drove a car abroad was in Italy. Assisi to be exact, winding through medieval streets trying not to knock down nuns. The Autostrada is crazy, Italian drivers seem to love flashing their lights at you to get out of their way. I enjoyed it! I wouldn't even tackle the Annulario (ring road) outside Rome though. I handed the car over to my more experienced friend just before we joined it!

Micky Dolenz · 12-09-2014 08:33AM

Aglomerado wrote: »

The first time I ever drove a car abroad was in Italy. Assisi to be exact, winding through medieval streets trying not to knock down nuns. The Autostrada is crazy, Italian drivers seem to love flashing their lights at you to get out of their way. I enjoyed it! I wouldn't even tackle the Annulario (ring road) outside Rome though. I handed the car over to my more experienced friend just before we joined it!

Yeah. I'd rather city driving over dual carriage way journeys. The tailgating and weaving in and out of traffic,at speed, is something else. Nerves of steel needed.

I was home last week and had to remind myself to drive like a sane person

There are loads and loads if good things though. For example I'm typing this as I sip a cappuccino, sitting outside in the lovely warm morning sun

Aglomerado · 12-09-2014 08:36AM

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

Yeah. I'd rather city driving over dual carriage way journeys. The tailgating and weaving in and out of traffic,at speed, is something else. Nerves of steel needed.

I was home last week and had to remind myself to drive like a sane person

There are loads and loads if good things though. For example I'm typing this as I sip a cappuccino, sitting outside in the lovely warm morning sun

Jealous!

Italy is a wonderful country. The rural parts, like Tuscany and Umbria are beautiful. I was in Tuscany a few years ago, around Cortona/ Lake Trasimeno, it was spectacular. I know some people who moved over there when they retired, lucky things.

Micky Dolenz · 12-09-2014 08:42AM

Aglomerado wrote: »

Jealous! Italy is a wonderful country. The rural parts, like Tuscany and Umbria are beautiful. I was in Tuscany a few years ago, around Cortona/ Lake Trasimeno, it was spectacular. I know some people who moved over there when they retired, lucky things.

To my shame I haven't really seen a lot of the country yet, been to a few places both north and south of Roma but really should be off exploring every weekend. So my opinion is a bit off. Like asking someone who rarely leaves Dublin what they think of Ireland. The Romans are very different to the many other Italians out there. I think they have well over 50 dialects alone and some places have their own language all together.

TheBeardedLady · 12-09-2014 10:17AM

Banjo String wrote: »

Op were you in naples during the garbage strike in 2011?

Seriously, I had to attend a wedding in sorrento in July... It was a right tip.

Yeah that was the year I went travelling around for 3 weeks and arrived in Naples (my first port of call) Naples is something else. An essentially beautiful city with proper, down-to-earth Italians but dodgy as fook and it was ffffilthy during the strike.

I remember the directions to my hostel beside the bus station (possibly the worst and most dangerous part of the city) were to basically leg it from the station to the hostel. I was nervous as fook and I'd everything of value stuck down my underwear, so it looked like I'd a big willy. I've travelled in South America for a year and it was easily dodgier than anywhere there (except Quito).

Can't say I found Italy particularly dirty overall though but I was there in August when the Italians are all on their holiers. I was blown away by how stunning it was, in fact. Perhaps that distracted me from the graffiti and rubbish.

sadie06 · 12-09-2014 10:37AM

TheBeardedLady wrote: »

Yeah that was the year I went travelling around for 3 weeks and arrived in Naples (my first port of call) Naples is something else. An essentially beautiful city with proper, down-to-earth Italians but dodgy as fook and it was ffffilthy during the strike.

I've never been more scared than when we had to wait for a train in the train station in Naples. It was like being trapped in some freaky dystopian world for half an hour.

Wibbs · 12-09-2014 10:43AM

Esel wrote: »

So, "See Naples and die" is still good advice then?

By the sounds of it more a warning than advice.

TheBeardedLady · 12-09-2014 10:43AM

sadie06 wrote: »

I've never been more scared than when we had to wait for a train in the train station in Naples. It was like being trapped in some freaky dystopian world for half an hour.

Yeah I got the train a few times to various places from Naples and your description above is pretty accurate. I remember I'd problems even buying a ticket to go somewhere and had to queue for literally hours and machines were broken a lot of the time as well and there was never anyone there to help. Tbh, I think the only real danger is pick-pocketing (worst city in Europe for it, it's said). I didn't get the feeling I'd be attacked or anything during the day and I made sure I didn't carry anything bar the money I needed in a money belt down my skirt/shorts.

Bummer1234 · 12-09-2014 10:47AM

Lived with a fella who's parents were italian decent...He wanted the house cleaned at all times..The house would be sparkling but still it wasn't 100%....He was always on about italy this and italy that and he couldn't wait to go back on a trip there.

I get on with almost everybody in this world...But this lad is an awful cnut!!

Italy, lovely country, shame about no respect for it

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