Parallel Parking

Italian driving is something to marvel at--and the parking is no different. They'll manage to squeeze a Range Rover into a spot for a Honda Civic.

Of course, they do it with 25-point turns, mirrors pulled in and dings and scratches around the circumference of the car.....

Terme

We dipped into the Italian hot spring experience for the first time. Kid-friendly it's not: The 20 euro entry price was not included with the hotel, despite the name--Antico Albergo Terme. Jack was not allowed into the steamy grottos. And we were required to wear swimming caps.

Still, Bagni di Lucca was charming. Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning spent summers in

the town 150 years ago. We hiked up the 900-year-old Ponte Della Maddalena (otherwise known as "Ponte Del Diavolo"). We found a slow food devotee who makes incredible brown-corn-flecked polenta with pecorino cream sauce.

And Jack was perfectly happy swimming in the hotel pool--even with a swimming cap that "looks weird."

The Golden Years in Italy

Taking mammone to a whole new level: A 70-year-old Italian man has been ordered to pay his 36-year-old son child support.

On the other hand: A 70-year-old pensioner said his 500 euro/month state check is not enough to pay his bills. He was arrested outside a restaurant dealing drugs. According to The Florentine, he was sentenced to house arrest.

McItaly

The birthplace of slow food is clashing with fast food.

McDonald's has launched a new line of artigianale "all-Italian" sandwiches and salads with ingredients like Parmigiano Reggiano and Valtellina apples. The centerpiece of the menu is the "McItaly"--a burger slathered with artichoke spread and melted asiago and slipped into a ciabatta roll. (It's slightly bland--needs some mustard or a pickle.)

The line has been panned by a blogger for the Guardian as "a monstrous act of national betrayal." But in a rebuttal printed in the same paper, Italy's agriculture minister insists the McItaly will increase Italian farmers' income by 3.5 million euro each month and encourage healthy eating.

And, good news: the McItaly is an international trademark. Which means you, too, can try it very soon...

Tacos a la E.U.

On a whim, Brent snagged a taco dinner mix at Coop. "What the heck?" we thought. It's hard enough to come by Mexican food here. We figured we'd try it out last night.

The box has directions in English, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish and Greek. You get 10 hard taco shells, a taco seasoning mix and a jar of taco sauce for about six bucks. All of it is made in Sweden--Casa Fiesta, "Authentic Mexican Food Since 1928."

The seasoning was close, but a little too much barbecue flavor. Same with the sauce.

The Swedes definitely should stick to meatballs.

Industrial Chocolate

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Firenze's chocolatiers displayed their most creative confections at Santa Croce this weekend. The options included chocolate wrenches, door hinges, shaving brushes, railroad spikes and carabiners--all dusted with cocoa powder for the right "rust" effect...

New Year's Resolutions

Working out is a somewhat foreign concept to many Italians. If you wear Nikes and jogging clothes around town you're one of two things:

A) a slouchy teenager

or B) American

If you are so inclined, gyms and equipment stores are far-flung. And you need a note from your doctor if you're over 40 years old.

As a result, die-hards usually jog or bike along the river in la Cascine--far from the designer shops on Via Tournabuoni.

Train to Nowhere

Crews have been trouble- shooting Florence's new lightrail system, Tramvia, for more than a year. The rails and stations still are barricaded by six-foot fencing and orange tape, snarling traffic. Meanwhile, the streetcars go back and forth all day long on test runs.

Unions support the project (jobs) and so do environmentalists (air quality).

But the second stage includes a controversial line that would swing by the Duomo and Baptistry and an underground tunnel near Palazzo Vecchio. And Florentines seem fed up with the delays and cost overruns. In a nonbinding referendum election two years ago, 53 percent of voters were against the rails, while 47 percent were in favor.

City Hall decided to build it anyway--and could, because of low voter

turnout.

Many predict no one will ride the things once they are up and running. Sounds familiar...