This morning I drove to Cassino. At the first major intersection, the lights on the Via Casalina, I was on a red light. Across the intersection where I could see it clearly was a huge, shiny, black truck... with a stylised Maori design on the cab. I did a double take. Was I really seeing this? Where was it from? It was a huge transporter, and the bulk of the truck was white, with a limited amount of advertising on it. The cab, however, looked all Kiwi to me.
It was a little moment of culture shock. I spent quite some time looking at it, wishing I hadn't put my camera in the back seat out of reach. The design was stylised to fit the contours of the truck, and while we can't claim that every similar design has Maori origin, this one certainly seemed to be a Maori design. The fact that the cab of the truck was black and the design painted in silver added to this.
Somehow, though, unlike the haka advertisement that caused an uproar some time ago, this seemed quite OK. I wonder if the owner of the truck had kiwi connections? (It was an Italian truck from south of Rome).
**********
Further along the journey I found myself behind a police car. Not unusual, but this was one I hadn't seen before, Polizia Penitenziaria. Just how many different types of police are there?
Aware that my insurance sticker is still with my lawyer and not on my car windscreen I cruised along happily, tucked in behind the official BMW with the penitenziaria number plates. I have learned not to stress too much about these things. The road widened, we were almost in Cassino, and it was rush hour. Cars from behind pulled out on either side of me, and they overtook, one on the inside and one on the outside - no, it was not a three lane road - and then they saw the police car. The policeman, driving along in relaxed mode, threw up his hand outside the window as if to say "Are you crazy? What are you doing?" and the two startled drivers quickly got out of his way weaving their way through the traffic.
I love Italy.
It was a little moment of culture shock. I spent quite some time looking at it, wishing I hadn't put my camera in the back seat out of reach. The design was stylised to fit the contours of the truck, and while we can't claim that every similar design has Maori origin, this one certainly seemed to be a Maori design. The fact that the cab of the truck was black and the design painted in silver added to this.
Somehow, though, unlike the haka advertisement that caused an uproar some time ago, this seemed quite OK. I wonder if the owner of the truck had kiwi connections? (It was an Italian truck from south of Rome).
**********
Further along the journey I found myself behind a police car. Not unusual, but this was one I hadn't seen before, Polizia Penitenziaria. Just how many different types of police are there?
Aware that my insurance sticker is still with my lawyer and not on my car windscreen I cruised along happily, tucked in behind the official BMW with the penitenziaria number plates. I have learned not to stress too much about these things. The road widened, we were almost in Cassino, and it was rush hour. Cars from behind pulled out on either side of me, and they overtook, one on the inside and one on the outside - no, it was not a three lane road - and then they saw the police car. The policeman, driving along in relaxed mode, threw up his hand outside the window as if to say "Are you crazy? What are you doing?" and the two startled drivers quickly got out of his way weaving their way through the traffic.
I love Italy.
No comments:
Post a Comment