This is part one of a two (or three) part series on a recent trip to Northern Italy. Just some random snapshots of food, travel and experiences, along with some aspects of personal finance and investment thrown in.
Lago di Como
Earlier this month, my boss and I had to go for a week of meetings with our new subsidiary in Northern Italy. We traveled on a Saturday, arriving later in the afternoon, with a whole Sunday to kill before the start of our mission on Monday morning. We figured we’d drive around nearby Lago di Como (Lago = lake) on a Sunday, eat somewhere, eat some more, drive some more, perhaps to Lugano in Switzerland, and retire early.
Suicidal Drivers
Since we had 4 people to drive around for the week, we requested a larger car, which turned out to be a sleek Volvo sedan, an S80 I think. I forget what size engine it had, but it was turbo-charged and powerful. What I do remember was the intoxicating feeling of stomping the gas and zooming up the fast lane, the needle topping a 160 kms/hour. Top gear, baby.
Yep, real fun on the freeway, but not so much on the narrow lake-front road that winds around Lago di Como. The road width ranges from a spacious two-lane to what seems a pedestrian alley, complete with pedestrians.
A nice, sexy, zippy-zip-zip kinda ride.
Driving in North America is an altogether civil affair. People stop for pedestrians, obey the speed limit laws, and are generally well-behaved.
In Italy, drivers can appear completely psychotic. Unpredictable. Pedestrians are more wary, careful. They absolutely know that it is every driver’s sworn duty to chase them back up on the sidewalk where they belong.
Maniacs in souped-up mini-cars careening through little towns and around blind corners. Ubiquitous scooters. Pelotons of Bicycle riders out for a Sunday ride in their best bicycle jerseys. You read about it, but nothing really prepares you for the heart-stopping cluster-f*ck reality.
Is it any wonder that some of the latest cutting edge research on neutrino particles which is challenging Einstein’s theories is being partly done in Italy? Italian drivers suspend standard laws of physics every single day.
( Blind corners, anyone? )
On that Sunday drive around the lake, as pretty as the scenery was, there were times when I would have dearly loved to be somewhere else. Times when the road narrowed down to one lane, a portly nonna slowly and obliviously ambling along the right side of the road with the day’s groceries, and one of those afore-mentioned maniacs rocketing towards us from the opposite direction in a 135-hp go-kart.
A couple times I actually closed my eyes and trusted in fate, sphincter tightly clenched. I think I navigated just by panic thought waves, mentally wishing the Volvo one inch from the grandma’s wide hip on the right, and three inches from the side mirror of the Fiat 500 on the left. And how did that damn scooter fit in between us anyway?
After the squeeze-through, I’d be breathing heavily, mentally exhausted, perhaps even with one eyebrow now twitching spasmodically.
I’d open my eyes, glance to the right to see my boss just sitting calmly as can be. Serenely unconcerned, just enjoying the scenery with a karmic acceptance of our near-term fate as either relaxed tourists or gory details on live-at-10-news roadkill. Must be nice when you’re getting squired around.
Gluttony Rules
Man, what a cavalcade of eateries. Sauteed mussels and clams and fritto misto for appetizers, cheese salads, and incredible desserts like panna cotta, apple torte with fresh cream, and of course, some great tiramisu, made with real mascarpone.
[ what are we having for lunch?
At every lunchtime, someone would invariably suggest pizza. Hey, let’s go for a quick pizza. By the third or fourth day, I think we’d had enough of pizza. Just like there are no short answers in Italy, there are also no quick meals. Business lunches would drag on for an hour, evening dinners for two hours or more. But seriously, would you rather be meeting in an austere conference room, or dining al fresco with nice espresso and an affogato?
( Literal translation of Affogato: drowned. A scoop of ice cream dunked in a shot of espresso, topped with whipped cream. Heaven. )
I’ve picked up an extra 10 pounds or so this past year, no doubt from all the traveling. That’s the thing about having 2 and 3 hour meals. You’re sitting at the table, the meal is done, you’re visiting on topics that need to be visited, and eventually you’re going to get around to calling for another course. You’re already at the table, might as well eat. Ya gotta eat. One evening we had two rounds of dessert and coffee. Another time we had a guy that ordered another plate of pasta, after the coffee and dessert. We’d been there so long, he got hungry again.
How To Have a Bad Meal In Italy
Go to an American-style steak house. Seriously.
We were tired and didn’t want to drive too far. The “Roadhouse Grill” was close and convenient to the hotel. We knew we might be in trouble when in walking up, we noticed the life-sized fiberglass steer in front of the restaurant was actually a dairy cow, with full-sized udders. Oops.
The ribeye steak was thin and tough, the fries soggy, and the dessert completely forgettable. Ghastly stuff. And yet, the place was packed with Italians just chowing it down. It was a successful franchise, too. We saw several of these in the area. All packed with diners. Like going to an Olive Garden in the United States. Weird.
Traveling Cheaply?
Not quite. Although we’re very careful with the company’s money, we make decisions that make sense only in a business context. We needed a larger car, so we didn’t quibble with the model. Just get us one. We may choose a lesser quality hotel, as long as it has laundry service. The two and three hour meals described above don’t cost any more than a heavy business dinner back in the US. We always fly economy class, but when I needed to change my ticket, the extra fee was what it was. Nobody blinked. Not exactly advice for the budget family traveler.
That’s it for this installment. Tune in soon for part two, with mini-topics like Defensive Eating, Hating on French Airports, House Prices, The Piazza Lifestyle, and Closed Churches. I can definitely recommend tooling around Lago di Como in a rented Volvo cruiser. If and when the Mrs. and I will be coming for a visit, we’ll probably be driving one of those rocket go-karts 
. Thanks for reading and stopping by. If you subscribe via RSS Feed, Email or follow on Twitter, you won’t miss a beat. Grazie mille!
Did you run into George Clooney?
Beautiful pic of the lake – is that gazebo-like structure a cafe? I think I had a lunch in Greece once that ran all the way to dinner. Nothing better than leisurely meals.
Jacq recently posted..Work. The 4 letter word.
Hey Jacq – George was an unsociable boor. We called ahead, but nothing.
The gazebo was part a restaurant that was was closed, in between lunch and dinner. Yeah, hard to believe, I know.
Oh yeah baby.. that pizza looks good!
I’m excited to read the entire series!
Financial Samurai recently posted..How To Fight Burn Out Of Any Kind
I’d bet the pizza has about as many calories and less food additives than a standard Subway foot-long.
Your post brought back some great memories (and fears, re: driving) when we went to Italy a couple of years ago. We had an amazing trip. It was vacation though, all play for us
I look forward to more details of your trip, even if it is work-related!
Will put this one in my (Canadian) Thanksgiving roundup for next weekend.
My Own Advisor recently posted..Weekend Reading – Dividend Growth Index edition
Well, you and I survived
I’ve never been to Italy
Looks amazing and I’d be OK with pizza everyday for a week!
Molly recently posted..Round-em Up- 9/30 Freaky Tomato
I’m OK w/ pizza too, but my waistline protesteth…
I agree with Sam. The pizza looks delicious. Looks like you are having a great time.
Miss T @ Prairie EcoThrifter recently posted..Losing Weight Again
Meh, it was passable. Away from home, but traveling in Italy. A damn sight better than going on a shop audit tour in back-country China. That gets assigned to minions…
Those are wonderful pictures 101c! From cooking to gardening to blogging with awesome pictures, you are a man of many talents!
Moneycone recently posted..Bank Of America To Start Charging Debit Card Fees
Hi MC – thanks for the kind words. I’ve been slacking on the gardening posts, though…
Nice pictures–thank you for sharing.
Glad to see you opted for a nice, safe car instead of tooling around on one of those mopeds that are so popular there. If you live (and work) frugally most of the time, you can splurge when it matters:)
Will be watching for more…
Denise Gabbard@WriteandGetPaid recently posted..Want to be a good writer? Read, read, read!
Hi Denise – thanks for stopping by.
I think I could have hit at least 130 mph in the Volvo. But I had to be considerate of my traveling companions.
My mouth salivating, and I just ate. That’s how good that pizza looks! Thanks so much for sharing the pictures and your story.
Roshawn @ Watson Inc recently posted..‘The Rich’ Are an Ever-Changing Group… Get Yours!
Hi Roshawn – pizza “alle verdure”. I was sorry that was on the last day!
How fun to go to Italy for work. You gotta love it!
Barb Friedberg recently posted..BEST MONEY TIPS FROM PEOPLE LIVING THEIR DREAMS (Part 1)
I’d say you came out of that experience like a pro seeing that you neither hit or got hit by pedestrian or vehicle. This is one of the reasons why, after 8 years, I still do not hold a valid driving license in Italy – my road rage impulses are still too strong. Instead, I express annoyance to my husband when he fails to see pedestrians and scream pirata della strada at the maniac behind the wheel that drives like no one else is on the road.
And what do you mean by real mascarpone? They don’t have that across the pond either???
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