I drive. She navigates.

I'm driving a 1986 model Fiat. A compact car. With a stick shift. Five gears in all. And I'm enjoying it. Living a little bit like a Spartan here in Carbonia in Sardinia. Back home, I have two cars. Both used. But newer than the Fiat. And both have automatic transmission. We Americans are spoiled. We have far bigger cars than most Italians. But I like it here. I heard that Italian drivers are erratic, compulsive and carefree and careless drivers. But so far, I haven't seen anything worse than I have seen in the USA. The streets in Carbonia have many, many marked pedestrian crossings. And drivers are supposed to yield the right of way. And most of 'em do. But just like in America, it's best to cross a road carefully. Very carefully. Anyway, the Fiat is blue. Looks a little like a box. And has 123,000 kilometers on the odometer. I have an international driver's license. And I haven't been picked up for any violations. I drive. And my Italian girlfriend is the navigator. We tend to share the workload. If she cooks dinner, I do the dishes. --Jim Broede