Amusing Pictures from Italy

In the US, we have those signs on cars, "Baby on Board."
This was Sorrento's version of that.

You know I enjoy amusing things.

I especially enjoy them when they just 'show up' as I am going about my life, which is how most of them do.

The one thing that was consistently fun across Italy was toilets.

You know how amused I get by them.

Here are a couple of examples. (I thought I took more pictures...)

You would be surprised how often you can not see what is so obvious - and right in front of you.

Many times I hunted around the toilet looking for the flusher just to eventually find it on the floor or at the bottom of the cistern, like these pictures.

Apparently I was not the only one having this trouble - they had to put up signs. :)

I do not remember where I took this picture, but I thought it was funny.

It looks like something you would find in the bathroom helps aisle at Walmart... LOL

but I just looked it up and it means, "Do not get caught by remorse."
Now I really don't know where I saw it.

No, this is not a funny picture of Glenda, but rather a funny memory.

What I missed was getting the picture of Cristy on the other side of this door.

She had gone into the apartment building while Glenda and I went to the market. When we returned and rang the bell to be let in, Cristy was not able to figure out how to unlock the door. She pushed buttons and pulled on the door to no avail - all while we laughed and laughed ....because not only could we not get in.....but Cristy could not get out!

Speaking of Cristy...in our house in Rome, there was a statue with no arms or legs....so Cristy filled in the missing parts. LOL!
CARS:
Rome did not seem to have any (or few) road markings to indicate actual lanes to drive in. And we were told by our tourist guides to watch for a break in the traffic and then just cross. Hold your arm out to the oncoming cars, but don't look at the driver and don't hesitate. So, off we would go, cringing inside, just knowing we were going to be run over.

Another story without pictures - we hired a driver in Rome to pick us up at the airport and take us to our AirBnB. He spoke no English, did not attempt to make any conversation with us, and hurtled down the freeway with one hand on his phone while holding on to the steering wheel with the other. And by that I mean, he was gesturing with his other hand (because Italians talk with their hands) and then once in a while, actually texting while hurtling down the freeway!
In town, he continued to talk on his phone with animated voice while weaving in and out of traffic, barely missing vehicles that were stopped in front of him! Mike was freaking out a little bit. I, however, had taken notice that there was no damage on the outside of the car and just watched the sights as we passed, instead of the near-misses.

But in Sorrento, there was another issue. Parts of the streets just were not wide enough for 2 cars to pass. So these pictures are examples of some of what we saw. I think the drivers here could have learned a thing or two from the Scots, who have driving down 2-direction, single track roads down to not just an art but a courtesy.

Yes, both of these cars were moving! We saw a lot of motor bikes in this town. I figured out why.

Yes, the people on the left are actually on a pedestrian walking area, as indicated by the striped marks on the road!

This guy decided he was going to go down this alley.

He maneuvered slowly and then actually drove into it! Incredible!

It certainly explained why so many of the cars I saw in Sorrento had big ol' scratches and bangs down the sides and front corners of their cars.....

NAVIGATION:

Here, the guys are comparing compasses - apparently it was confusing which direction was 'north' (while on a train).

I also took a lot of pictures of the guys as they walked ahead of us -forging the trail to an event or to home in the evening - or to the next great gelateria.

You know, having 3 guys who are all very capable in their own rights - and who are the navigators of each of their own clans - suddenly trying to navigate a foreign city can create a little tension.

Mike ended up being the Lead Dog most of the time - and I will say he did quite a good job at it. But sometimes one or the other guys would take it on.

I just found it amusing that three Lead Dogs had to figure out who was going to be THE Lead Dog.

Steve

Steve saw an opportunity to just be goofy. LOL!

Steve is one of the funniest guys I know. He makes us laugh all the time.

Here is one of him making fun of the after-dinner coffee we got - about 2 swallows!

Glenda's reaction is just the one that got caught on film. We were all rolling on the floor!

Can you believe this car?

This car isn't really any bigger than this scooter ....but I guess it would keep you dry (unlike the Vespas we rode in the rain. and cold.)

And here are the guys checking out this one...

This picture is taken in a taxi in Monterrosso (Cinque Terre). There was not enough room to sit 6 adults, so someone had to sit in the back. With the luggage. Seriously! Now, we did not go far, but you would NEVER have gotten away with this in the US!

This was posted on the wall of the winery we visited in Umbria.

In Naples, our foodie tour guide showed us these posters.

They are announcements of who has died.

They are posted on the walls in the neighborhoods where these people lived.

Maybe this isn't actually funny, but it's interesting at least.
And surely different from seeing it in the newspaper.

These guys hopped on and off the trains playing lively music on their accordians and then, of course, passing the hat for donations. Sometimes there was one and sometimes there would be a small group of 3 or 4 musicians.

This is a series of goofy pictures of the guys waiting while the girls were shopping....

I just got tired of moving these pictures around, trying to get them where I want them, so I gave up.

But I thought Florence took the cake for subtle amusement.

We had just arrived in Florence and were pulling suitcases behind us as we walked the streets looking for our AirBnB flat. As we walked, I just happened to look up and see this first sign. I thought, "How fun is that? Someone added a little bit to that sign." click.
I just thought that was a one-off.

But then about an hour or so later, when we were walking around looking for a place to eat, I saw another, different sign.

One sign is coincidence.
One sign means a person had a little bit of fun.
But TWO signs is a sign.
It indicates a pattern and that there might be more.... So then I had to start looking for them.

I posted several of these pictures on Facebook that night and my friend, Kristianne, in Richland saw them and it made her curious. She she looked them up and found the story behind them.

Here is a link to that story, in case you are interested. There you will see several more and different ones than I saw, plus a little information.

Clet Abraham: Street Art

(click on the hyperlink or copy and paste into browser)

So, knowing that there were going to be quite a few, I then had to make it my mission to spot as many as possible in the couple of days we were there. And here is what I got.

(I'm sorry. I tried to put these pictures side by side, but they would not behave and stay where I put them. So, there will be about a dozen of them, probably all lined up. Either that, or in random places on the page)