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Vicolo Wars

August 5, 2013 by orvietoorbust

I live on a quiet little vicolo (alley) just off the main square in town. It’s very private – the entrance to my apartment is the only one on the lane. No cars are allowed to drive down this street, however, foot traffic, motorcycles and scooters are permitted. The motorcycle riders love to park their bikes here (rather than in the designated parking spaces just a few steps around the corner). Italian motorcycles are the iconic epitome of power and sex appeal: Ducati, Aprilia, Vespa. Motorbikes and their owners are immediately deemed “cool” in my book, so I figured living on a street where they congregate makes me cool by association.

I came home last week to find a motorcycle parked directly beneath my kitchen window making it impossible for me to water my geraniums. I left the guy a note on his windshield.

Yesterday I discovered two girls sitting and smoking on my stoop – their scooter helmets lying in the street. Okay fine, young girls need a secluded place to commiserate about boys, but did they have to leave behind their plastic orange juice containers and a bunch of cigarette butts on the ground? Who do they think I am, their mother?

The cigarette butts are starting to pile up. Do you have any idea know how long it takes to sweep up a month’s worth of discarded butts between the cobblestones? Forty-five minutes. That’s right, forty-five minutes! And the thin, hand-rolled ones are the worst!

Is it really necessary to rev your engine for what seems like FOREVER, before driving away?

Today was the final straw…

This is war!

by Toni DeBella

Posted in Italy, Living in Italy, Orvieto, Travel, Travel to Italy | Tagged Ducati, italian motorcycles, motorcycles, scooters in Italy, Vespa, Vicolo | 31 Comments

31 Responses

on August 5, 2013 at 1:55 pm | Reply Margaret Leon

If you can’t fight them..join them..but not smoking with them..how about leaving a clay pot there filled with sand..maybe they will get the hint? and if the guy doesn’t move his bike from under the plants..water them anyway..in this heat the water will probably dry before he gets back..a little bit of ‘rain’ won’t hurt.
- on August 6, 2013 at 5:55 am | Reply orvietoorbust
  
  M,
  Yeah, problem is I can only water the plants from the outside of my window. Hey, I could take a bucket and fling it at my pots….t
on August 5, 2013 at 2:18 pm | Reply deniseblackman

Great suggestions Margaret. Can’t wait to see how this plays out!
- on August 6, 2013 at 5:53 am | Reply orvietoorbust
  
  …something is going to play out? 🙂
  - on August 6, 2013 at 10:54 am denise
    
    This would just keep eating at me till I did something. I think putting a flower pot with sand in it would be a good thing to do. You would get rid of the cigarette butts in the street with out pissing them off!
  - on August 6, 2013 at 11:47 pm orvietoorbust
    
    Denise,
    That sounds like an interesting anthropological study: Will teenagers put their cigarettes in the proper receptacle or throw them on the ground? Hummmmm. t
on August 5, 2013 at 3:23 pm | Reply Margaret

I will enjoy hearing the conclusion of this! We will be in Orvieto the week of Thanksgiving, so stat out of trouble so we can buy you a drink!
- on August 6, 2013 at 5:53 am | Reply orvietoorbust
  
  Margaret,
  By November I may need a drink…or two! As for staying out of trouble: doubtful. hugs. toni
  - on August 6, 2013 at 6:42 am Margaret
    
    We can do two drinks!
on August 5, 2013 at 3:59 pm | Reply Sherry Cartwright

Ohhh…..I cannot wait until the next chapter!!
- on August 6, 2013 at 5:52 am | Reply orvietoorbust
  
  Chapter Two: Crazy American Lady Looses Her Mind! t
on August 5, 2013 at 5:44 pm | Reply Beth Green

Ha! A girl after my own heart! We used to live across the street from an Irish pub’s back door. All the employees hung out there on smoke breaks and after closing. I could hear every word they said from my bedroom window. One night a car pulled up and parked, waiting to pick up someone who’s shift had not yet ended. The bass from their car was SO loud, it rattled my headboard! I marched out there, barefoot and pajama clad, and banged on the driver’s car window. A sheepish teenage boy rolled down the window and seemed rather startled that I was yelling at him. His reply? “Uh, sorry, lady”.
- on August 6, 2013 at 5:51 am | Reply orvietoorbust
  
  Beth,
  Well, one day I sat out on my stoop and smiled as the ragazzi drove up and parked thinking if they saw that an actual person lived inside their behavior would change. No such luck. Ha! toni
on August 5, 2013 at 6:25 pm | Reply janinevasta

Can’t help but smile and sort of frown with you at the same time Toni. Margaret has got some great ideas. I hope, at least, it’s a summer thing and that soon enough the weather will take care of things for a while. Next instalment please! Cannot wait. It already sounds like fodder for your very own youtube telenovella. xx
- on August 6, 2013 at 5:49 am | Reply orvietoorbust
  
  Janine. You know I have a propensity to overdramatize a situation, right? A telenovella of my life….that’s something people can watch when they are suffering from insomnia! I remember how I used to laugh at my Dad when he would be preoccupied with where neighbors parked on our street….oh, lord, I’m my Dad! xxo toni
on August 13, 2013 at 7:39 am | Reply Caroline

I am married to an Italian, and still don’t quite understand how they think. I would post a cute sign, and add a pot of sand. It is easier to clean than the street. Try this site for a free download sign: http://www.nobutts.com.au/Free-Signage.html
on August 21, 2013 at 12:00 pm | Reply nicki

I know how you feel…I used to live in a condominio and hung my washing out the window, but the upstairs neighbour would empty her dustpan out of her window so all her rubbish would end up on my clean washing…che bello!
- on August 22, 2013 at 2:33 am | Reply orvietoorbust
  
  Che palle! 🙂 t
on September 3, 2013 at 10:50 am | Reply mickey mac

toni

thank you for the email and i wanted to let you know that i really appreciate your website.

i wanted to ask you a favor if you have the time. i watched your show on house hunters international and really enjoyed it. i had a couple of questions that i wanted to ask you about your experience thus far in orvieto and italy.

you mentioned in the show that you had been to italy before and you were unable to stay. you were then obtained the appropriate paperwork that allowed you to stay in italy. i was hoping that you could explain that process for someone that has not been through it and perhaps provide some advice.

as an american citizen that is considering relocating to italy, is it possible based on my american citizenship status to get a job italy?

lastly, i was hoping, based on your time thus far in italy if you might talk about any experiences that you’ve had that have been either positive or negative based on your expectations.

thank you very much for your time.

mickey

Date: Mon, 5 Aug 2013 20:22:03 +0000 To: mickeymacattack61@hotmail.com
- on September 4, 2013 at 5:00 am | Reply orvietoorbust
  
  Mickey…sent you an email with what I hope are answers to your questions. 🙂
  toni
on September 15, 2013 at 9:50 am | Reply Fred Oliver

Toni, I have exactly the same questions re process for extended stays in Italy as mickey mac. I noticed you responded to mickey by email and was wondering if you could post the info on your blog as I’m sure it’s a pretty common area of interest. Also anxious to hear how the “vicolo war” is progressing!
- on September 15, 2013 at 10:01 am | Reply orvietoorbust
  
  Hi Fred, Thanks, things have quieted down in the Vicolo. No drama to report. 🙂
  
  As far as information about extended stays…well, the questions and answers are pretty specific and depend on a lot of variables. I would be happy to answer any questions you have specifically (if I am able) by email or you can read my experience becoming an Italian citizen here on my blog “How to Become an Italian Citizen in Only 989 Days”. My blog, as you can tell is more stories that hard information, but Expats in Italy is an excellent website that has a lot of great info. Here is their link: http://www.expatsinitaly.com.
  
  Thanks for writing….I will keep you posted on the next battle (if there is one). hugs. toni
on October 10, 2013 at 10:35 am | Reply Fred Oliver

Thanks for the link, Toni. You’re right, a lot of good info. Immediate take away: 90 day stay best to hope for for starters.
on October 10, 2013 at 12:34 pm | Reply Margaret Wachenfeld

Toni,
If you will be in Orvieto 11/23- 11/29, we would love to take you out for wine. We have rented an apartment in Orvieto and want to spend Thanksgiving in the hill town we love.
Margaret and Steve
- on October 12, 2013 at 5:35 am | Reply orvietoorbust
  
  Margaret & Steve,
  
  That would be lovely. I will be here so keep me posted. toni
on March 24, 2014 at 3:35 pm | Reply Vicolo Wars: THE SEQUEL | Orvieto or Bust:

[…] THE SAGA CONTINUES… (Read Vicolo Wars here). […]
on October 21, 2014 at 2:00 am | Reply Dana @ Wanted Adventure

hahahaha 😀 Great read, but sorry you have to go through this for our entertainment! When I first moved to Europe, I rented an apartment at a prime location–right on a main square with access to several tram lines and from my window I could see this gorgeous old Gothic church! Never thought about the fact that those oh-so-convenient trams would chug-a-chug-chug all night long or that from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. the church bells would toll every 15 minutes… 😀
- on October 21, 2014 at 11:07 am | Reply orvietoorbust
  
  Dana…Glad you stopped by. Vicolo Wars is in it’s third stage…the battle rages on. Last night there was screaming and broken bottles. Everyone thinks I should just call the police, but I continue to believe there is a more clever (and diabolical) way to deal with these “hoodlums”. Ha, I sound like my mother! Am I getting old? Nah. xxo. toni
on December 1, 2014 at 9:49 am | Reply Vicolo World War III | Orvieto or Bust:

[…] never a dull moment on my little vicolo…. (Read Vicolo Wars and Vicolo Wars: The […]
on May 13, 2017 at 4:54 am | Reply Vicolo Wars: The Cease-Fire | Orvieto or Bust:

[…] is the final chapter in the continuing saga taking place in my little alley. (Read Vicolo Wars, Vicolo Wars: The Sequel and Vicolo World War […]
on December 10, 2018 at 11:09 am | Reply What would it be like to live in Orvieto, Italy? (An Interview with Toni DeBella)

[…] — Vicolo Wars […]

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