Coming into Palermo, I must admit that the Monday morning rush hour was very busy, with all sorts of vehicles and pedestrians weaving in and out of each other vying for position. But in all this chaos there was an amazing amount of give and take.
In the UK, I would have seen much more aggression and attempted intimidation. Here, a car will pull in front of you and take its own space, and you let it. People will walk in front of your car, expecting you to give way. In essence, I am seeing assertiveness in action, rather than aggression.
The Italian driver seems to have a much broader perception of the systemic nature of traffic rather than seeing themselves as an occupant of an inviolable steel box. I cannot say, however, that I have a huge desire to get in the car and drive around Palermo - it is quite a small city, and walking is the preferred way to get around. The same would apply in any city.
And the roads in southern Italy... miles of empty new autostrade - and all carved through mountainous terrain with hundreds of brand new tunnels.
They must have cost the EU about as much as the average HS2. And all leading from one sleepy seaside town to another. Quite staggering infrastructure after the frenetically crowded UK system. Once out of a city, driving is pleasurable.
