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Rome: Traffic & Directions

Fri., August 25, 2006

A Roman street with arch.

All roads lead to Rome, they say. I don’t know about that, but I can tell you that Roman traffic is comprised of gnatlike swarms of motorcycles and scooters, although not as many Vespas as I’d have thought. At rush hour, you see men in handsomely trim suits and women in dresses and heels incongruously wearing helmets as they motor to or from work.

For drivers favoring four wheels, a roof, and not much else, Smart cars are all the rage. As small and cubelike as a two-seater can get, they take up as much space parked parallel or perpendicular to the curb. With customized trim and upholstery jobs, and as curved, shiny and vividly colored as fingernails freshly manicured and polished, I would not be surprised to learn Smart cars were actually manufactured by Apple.

At least the Romans know where they’re going. For tourists, especially now during vacation season, the way is crowded and confusing. Streets end abruptly and turn into different streets while others seem to have more than one name at the same point. For the orderly and appreciative of city plans resembling grids, Rome maddens. Everything curves. Maps resemble a pile of spaghetti. At most every corner and intersection, visitors consult a map or guidebook and squint up at the sides of the buildings. There on the walls, the names of Rome’s tortuous vias are chiseled, headstones marking the death of carefully plotted directions.

Dana plotting directions.

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