In our little town, there are fairly consistent closures in the alley where I park. The issue is that it is the only cut through to the main way out of town if the Piazza is closed. And it is used for processions.
The police will place a sign in front of the alleyway (generally a few days in advance) to let you know that it will be closed and strictly no parking; mind you, this is an alley that isn't marked as legitimate parking to begin with, but it's a pragmatic response to the tight parking situation for residents.
The week before last, I had noted that there was a sign that the alley would be closed on Corpus Domini, which was completely unexpected. The day before, though (a Saturday), Eleanor, Michael, and I went out of town on an excursion in the Panda. I deliberately left the Fiat 500 in the alley, since tourists love seeing it and taking photos of it and with it.
Sure enough, as we were settled nicely into lunch, I got a call from Jeremy. "The police rang the doorbell and told me that we have to move the 500. They said the sign had been there for several days. What should we do?"
Panic. I was an hour away, and I don't know offhand how many people still know how to drive a 500.
"Okay, J, give Fabrizio the keys and ask him to move the 500 up to San Fortunato."
Then I realized to my horror that Fabrizio was probably working (he is maitre d' for the family's restaurant). I called him directly to apologize and to ask if he was working...obviously, if he was we would find another solution. "No, no, I'm not working right now," he responded quite cheerfully.
Problem solved.
I arrived home (with a bottle for Fabrizio) only to see the police outside the door. (The town was SWARMING with carabinieri, police, and other peacekeepers. Whoa! Turned out later that our Fascist friends are opening a campaign office here.) I told them that I was sorry for the delay in moving the car, and that I had misread that the sign was for the next day. Their smiling response? "No problem, we actually had to change the date of the road closure at the last minute!"
Love,
Alexandra
p.s. Fabrizio had told the literal truth: when I called him, he wasn't working, but only because he was walking towards my car...
The police will place a sign in front of the alleyway (generally a few days in advance) to let you know that it will be closed and strictly no parking; mind you, this is an alley that isn't marked as legitimate parking to begin with, but it's a pragmatic response to the tight parking situation for residents.
The week before last, I had noted that there was a sign that the alley would be closed on Corpus Domini, which was completely unexpected. The day before, though (a Saturday), Eleanor, Michael, and I went out of town on an excursion in the Panda. I deliberately left the Fiat 500 in the alley, since tourists love seeing it and taking photos of it and with it.
Sure enough, as we were settled nicely into lunch, I got a call from Jeremy. "The police rang the doorbell and told me that we have to move the 500. They said the sign had been there for several days. What should we do?"
Panic. I was an hour away, and I don't know offhand how many people still know how to drive a 500.
"Okay, J, give Fabrizio the keys and ask him to move the 500 up to San Fortunato."
Then I realized to my horror that Fabrizio was probably working (he is maitre d' for the family's restaurant). I called him directly to apologize and to ask if he was working...obviously, if he was we would find another solution. "No, no, I'm not working right now," he responded quite cheerfully.
Problem solved.
I arrived home (with a bottle for Fabrizio) only to see the police outside the door. (The town was SWARMING with carabinieri, police, and other peacekeepers. Whoa! Turned out later that our Fascist friends are opening a campaign office here.) I told them that I was sorry for the delay in moving the car, and that I had misread that the sign was for the next day. Their smiling response? "No problem, we actually had to change the date of the road closure at the last minute!"
Love,
Alexandra
p.s. Fabrizio had told the literal truth: when I called him, he wasn't working, but only because he was walking towards my car...
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