For example, within two hours of our arrival in Italy, we had driven in circles for 30 minutes in search of the leaning tower of Pisa, barrelled down a one-way street headed the wrong direction, and virtually burned through the clutch of our rental Peugeot. When we finally screeched into a sliver of a parking place in the center of town, we rolled out of the car feeling like a cluster of baby birds newly ejected from the nest. We squinted in the sunlight, gave our ruffled feathers a good shake and wobbled off to see the Leaning Tower.
Well, apparently our brains were as muddled as a baby bird's too. Either that or we had somehow left our good sense behind in the states, because not one of us second guessed the fact that we were leaving a car full of luggage parked on the street in a city known for its high incidence of theft.
So of course when we returned to the Peugeot an hour later, we found the front passenger window shattered into a million tiny pieces. And, sure enough, virtually everything of value was gone: laptop, iPod, Kindle, Blackberry, sunglasses and cash. The lucky bandit might as well have graffitied Dumb American F--ks on the side of our car... because we sure felt like them.
Granville realizing that with his iPod and laptop, the Italian thief had made of with thousands of dollars worth of iTunes.
A slew of four-letter words and several phone calls later, we made our way to Pisa's Carabinieri, or police station, to report the crime. And I know you'll be shocked to learn that the officer on duty could not have cared less. After making us wait a while in the designated waiting room -- for no apparent reason, as we were the only ones there --he had us to fill out two identical copies of a claim form (I guess a Xerox machine would be far too indulgent for the Pisan police station) and sent us on our way.
Granville and Rob contemplating the Italian justice system at Pisa's Carabinieri
So we proceeded back to the rental car office and traded in our battered Peugeot for a trusty Volkswagon. "I guess that's why they require you to buy rental car insurance," said my dad in a moment of brilliant hindsight.
Fortunately, the trip was all up hill from there. But I don't think any of us will forgive ourselves for that initial display of stupidity any time soon.
Tuscan Tidbit No. 1 - Don't forget to pack your street smarts
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