yscoot 

My very first encounter with an Italian on a scooter was in Italy in 1997.  I was 16 and completely naive to the different subcultures of motorists at that point of my life.  What an awakening.  This particular scooterson was minding his own business, riding along on his moped with the innocence and joy that comes with being free to ride in Italy on a gorgeous summer day.  You can imagine, he had not a care in the world.  Until an oversized coach tour bus full of picture-taking, obnoxious Americans came baracading through his intersection in a tight right turn (all turns in Italy are tight) which clobbered this motorist with the broad side of it's frame, and simply, with no effort at all, knocked him completely off his little black moped, which in turn promptly toppled over him. 

Let me clear a couple things up before I continue.  First: the bus was my tour's bus and I was sitting wide-eyed with my face smashed against the back window.  Second: the bus driver did not in fact see this scooterson.  And lastly: The Italian didn't get hurt as far as I could tell.

Okay.  So, the Italian wriggles out from underneath his moped and stands up in a daze.  The bus, still trying to make this right turn, is oblivious.  The Italian does only what his cutlure has taught him to do; fly off the handle.  He makes a round fist and starts beating the side of the bus with all his might and screaming what could only have been obscenities in Italian.  When the bus is straightening out, and speeding up, he looks as if he might explode.  Picks up his moped and runs with it in one arm while continuing to beat the bus with his other hand. 

This, my friends, can only teach us one thing.  When traveling in Europe, don't get on a coach tour bus and be one of those Americans.  OKAY, kidding... When riding your scooter, act as if no one on the road sees you, because they usually don't!

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