This week I are mostly bimbling around Sicily in a rented Lacia Ypsilon (I keep asking for Pandas and keep getting something else, meh) and have so far clocked (in the vaguely interesting department) loads of original 500s, three Autobianchis, two Maseratis, and *four* coupes including a moonie... The three wheel 'truck' Piaggios are quite fun, too, if you're not stuck behind one.

And today found a road which is my new favourite: the SS286 from Miranti down to the coast at Sant' Ambrogio. It's about 40km, dropping about a thousand meters in that time, and with only a few straights of more than two hundred meters (and none longer than four hundred). The road is officially restricted to 50kph(!) and you'll be lucky if you can average that... our little Lancia with its racing heritage and microscopic engine got up to 80kph on one or two stretches but not often

It's even more fun coming back, in the dark...

p.s. the local drivers have *no* idea about how to go around a corner quickly. That little Lancia won't pull the skin off a rice pudding but it sticks like glue.

4 coupes!

Are you going over Etna way? Taormina is beautiful with a fabulous amphitheatre, still in use for concerts and events with an amazing view from the upper stalls

Leaving for Etna as soon as I finish this: it's between two and three hours from here. Lots of wiggles and lots of drivers who don't seem to know how to get round them...

Enjoy! We've a place in NE Italy - driven it for 25 yrs.
Sicilia still on the bucket list...

As you near the lava flows some of the main highways have cut right across the solidified "rivers" leaving a hollow cross-section you can see inside as you pass....if you have three eyes!

Seven eyes at least... I may have mentioned the insane drivers.

And Taormina is a nice place, but I wouldn't want my daughter to marry one. Lord knows what it's like when it's busy, if yesterday was any indication.

Bloody ministry of antiquities won't let me use a tripod (both at the greek theatre in Taormina, and at the Valle Dei Templi) which makes using this large format camera, um, tricky... Might have got something useful but I won't know until I get home.

The Olympus electric camera decided to do all the focussing and exposure stuff, but is writing black pictures to the memory card, which is less than helpful.

Hmm. Found that the road I liked was part of the early Targa Florio races

Go get a Mamiya 7ii, you can handhold it down to 1/15 - its become like an extension of my arm. I get the large format thing, and I would really, really like to shoot on 10x8 but sometimes its just nice to see something, compose, shoot and move on. Especially on holiday.

My camera is a 5x4 press camera from the 1940s, weighs three kilos. Can't really hand hold that...

And one more coupe on the way back to the airport, total five. There is no excuse therefore for coupes never appearing in Montalbano, pah!

Hopefully something stuck to the film; I start developing over fifty sheets tonight, and I can only do six at a time...