Friday Notes #88 — Random Thoughts & Discoveries Collected During My Trip to Italy

It’s been a week since I returned from my summer vacation in Italy. It was a beautiful trip. Here is a list of observations and thoughts collected during my recent trip to Italy. Disclaimer: I’m not a travel blogger. My observations are related to the places I visited and are not a generalization in any way.

• Italy can be overwhelmingly charming and giving. Being contemplative is the key.
• I always felt secure everywhere, at any time.
• Italians are way more invested in waste recycling and waste management. That being said, I’m surprised by how much water in plastic bottles they seem to consume (maybe it’s a tourist thing).
• In many small towns or villages, you’ll find water fountains with drinkable water. No need to buy bottled water.
• I can’t count how often I saw people on bicycles on regional roads. Always felt it was a dangerous place for biking.
• Online restaurant reservations can be a challenge. The best way is to plan in advance, which can be a challenge too.
• We rarely get hassled to enter a place for dinner while calmly walking the streets during dinner hours.
• Starbucks coffee shops are non-existent (except one in Milan), and very few McDonalds. Good thing.
• If you see someone using iMessage on the iPhone, it’s a tourist (north American) because otherwise, most people there are using WhatsApp as their messaging application.
• Tesla cars are rare and electric cars are scarce. I failed to see one recharge station. Is the high costs of electricity production the cause?
• Lot’s of electric scooters in the streets, though.
• Italians are fast drivers. Bikers are even worse. They don’t seem to follow any rules.
• Don’t settle on highways to travel inland; small country roads reserve many wonderful views and surprises.
• Driving on Italy highways is an expansive pleasure. Highways are in top shape, but many are toll highways.
• I get the feeling that train usage is decreasing and car usage is increasing. I had to endure a few traffic jams.
• Didn’t see many Russians (are they too busy with their war with Ukraine?) but lots of Germans, and a few French people.
• For the most part, gas prices seem on par with those paid in Canada. I find this surprising. I was expecting much more expensive prices.
• I like the aperitif time where they serve some food with the drinks, which makes the experience even better.

• Eating in restaurants is not as expensive as I was expecting. The restaurant bill is paid inside even though we used the terrace outside.
• Using toilettes is a jack-in-the-box experience; we never know what to expect regarding toilet designs and how they work. I’ll stop here.
• Even at the very end of the tourist season, there were a lot of people at some places. Could this indicate a shift in travelling habits to cope with higher-than-normal temperatures?
• There are so many trails in Italy, it’s incredible. A paradise for walkers.
• We still have to pay to go to the public restroom. At least they are always clean.
• We probably crossed a thousand roundabouts.
• The more I visit this country, the more I feel there is so much more to discover.
• Europeans are tall and thin in general, Italian are no exceptions.
• Many churches look ordinary on the outside, but inside it’s quite another story. We were often pleasantly impressed many times.
• In most villages, it’s fascinating to see houses with closed shutters. You would think it’s because there is nobody living there, but, it’s a way of keeping the house temperature lower and more tolerable.

• I don’t remember seeing a 5G network in any place I visited.
• COVID-19-related restrictions are still in place in public transportation but are highly partially respected.
• Italians are smoking more than I would like and in more places.
• Italians are big coffee (espresso) drinkers. Taste varies quite a lot from one place to another.
• There are dogs everywhere. Italians seem to like pets a lot. Didn’t see a lot of cats, though.

• Graffitis are rare in a small village but are much more present in big cities like Milan.
• Very small cars are a thing in Italy.

• I had a chance to see a few museums, one had a collection of old marionettes used in a theatre. They look spooky and frightening.

• Some villages use dated interactive information kiosks running a version of Windows XP. Ouch.
• Italians love the iPhone, but Android phones too.

Don’t miss my Italy vacation photo diary.