Piedmont region? (Italy)

[Freedom56]

My Italian colleagues used to say that if you had 10E or less, buy Italian, Spanish or Portuguese wines. If you had 60E, buy French. Their point being that the quality of Italian wines in the lower price ranges is quite good. Barolo is made with Nebbiolo and that is produces a type of wine that isn't tuned towards where American palates have drifted. I find fine Brunellos and super Tuscans like Tignanello much more distinct -- they are wines that you instantly recognize as being good. Or a distinctly made wine like a good Amarone.

I've just found that buying DOP Parmigiano-Reggiano is always preferable because the alternatives can be downright nasty (especially in the US). The regulations are more than marketing -- they do provide a measure of consistency.

I picked up two bottles of Brunello Di Montalcino at a large supermarket in Domodossola for $12 Euros per bottle. They cost $45-$50 per bottle here.

 

[NW-Bound]

Agree about Bergamo but love Verona. I don't consider the Juliet house even that great a draw. Shakespeare set a couple of other plays in Verona because he was using old Italian tales and adapting them for stage.

But it has architecture across millennia. There if of course the famous Arena where they still have operas and other concerts in the summer. But there is are also the remains of a Roman theater north of the center, just across the river, that many people don't get to. Above it is a park and a museum, which can be reached by a modern funicular...

OK, I concede that Verona has more than just the central Piazza Erbe with the imaginary Juliet house (which we did not stand in line to enter). Verona has a lot more than Trento, whose central downtown we truly enjoyed. And we certainly did not explore all that Verona has to offer.

 

[Freedom56]

Well, I checked once more with Google Maps.

It says "1 hr 12 min, 82.8 km" to drive from Simplon Pass to Stresa.

That's 69 km/hr or 43 mph. I did not go to Stresa, but took the same E 62 road to Domodossola, then turned east towards Locarno. I believe I drove slower than 43 mph.

If you do it in 20 minutes, that's 248 km/hr. That's 2x the speed limit on Italian and French freeways (130 km/hr).

Sorry from the peak of Simplon pass (restaurant stop) to the border it's 20 minutes. It's another 15-20 minutes to Stresa from the border. It' no typical mountain road. It's a fast moving highway. Domodossola to Stesa by train is 22 minutes with the EC train and 29 minutes with regional express train.

 

[NW-Bound]

Yes, Google says 20 min from Simplon Pass to the border. From the border to Domodossola, the road was still mountainous as I recall.

The highway opens up from Domodossola to Stresa. This section, I did not drive. It's a divided highway, so you can certainly go much faster. Google says "33 min for 42.5 km", and I believe that (77 km/hr).

By the way, Italy, or at least the northern part, now has tons of speed radars. They are usually little square boxes painted orange by the roadside (1 ft x 1 ft x 4 ft high). Every little town has a couple.

In 2017, driving through Tuscany and the Liguria regions, I did not see any of that. I wonder if these speed radars are now all over Italy due to technology, or just in the northern part.

 

[Freedom56]

Yes, Google says 20 min from Simplon Pass to the border. From the border to Domodossola, the road was still mountainous as I recall.

The highway opens up from Domodossola to Stresa. This section, I did not drive. It's a divided highway, so you can certainly go much faster. Google says "33 min for 42.5 km", and I believe that (77 km/hr).

By the way, Italy, or at least the northern part, now has tons of speed radars. They are usually little square boxes painted orange by the roadside (1 ft x 1 ft x 4 ft high). Every little town has a couple.

In 2017, driving through Tuscany and the Liguria regions, I did not see any of that. I wonder if these speed radars are now all over Italy due to technology, or just in the northern part.

I found some pictures from videos I shot back then. The third photo is from Switzerland and the fourth one is towards the Italian border. As you can see the roads are pretty nice and as I recall you can do 140 km/hr without any issues. There were very few cars on the road at that time. It was August 2008 during the height of the financial crisis and we had the roads pretty much to ourselves. Even the hotels were empty. We stayed in Stresa for 2 nights and then drove to Sienna in Tuscany to attend a wedding. We drove back and stopped in Aosta and took the St Bernard Pass in France and then to Geneva and back to Lausanne. In over 40 years of driving in Europe I never got caught speeding. You can go 160 km/hr on a lot of toll expressways in Italy without anyone bothering you. In Switzerland you can go 140 km/hr without issues.

 

[audreyh1]

Barolo is made with Nebbiolo and that is produces a type of wine that isn't tuned towards where American palates have drifted. I find fine Brunellos and super Tuscans like Tignanello much more distinct -- they are wines that you instantly recognize as being good. Or a distinctly made wine like a good Amarone.

An issue with Barolo for the American consumer is that it really requires aging to be ready to drink, like waiting 10 years from release.

 

[euro]

It's a highway and downhill all they way. We have done it before when we drove from Lausanne to Stresa and stopped at the Simplon pass to eat. Even Fred Flintstone could make it down in 20 minutes.

Of course! As I recall, Fred's car did not have any brakes, so sure, all downhill would be VERY fast wheeeeeeee! But yes, Simplon summit to Italy in 20 min sounds right.

 

[NW-Bound]

... In over 40 years of driving in Europe I never got caught speeding. You can go 160 km/hr on a lot of toll expressways in Italy without anyone bothering you. In Switzerland you can go 140 km/hr without issues.

Well, I have not been driving that much in Europe, and also not been so lucky.

Despite trying to obey speed limits at all times, in the 2017 trek of 6,000 km through France, Italy, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium, I got one ticket in Germany, and one in Switzerland.

In the 2019 trip of 4500 km through Spain, southern France, and Portugal, I got one ticket in Portugal. Again, one moment of lapse, and I got a ticket.

This time, I drove only 2600 km from Lyon to northern Italy, and was even more careful because I drove through a lot of small villages with a speed limit of 30 km/hr (19 mph) with countless speed radars. I am still waiting to see if I get any damn speeding ticket in the mail.

Perhaps they don't care when you are on toll roads. But on toll roads, I found that I did not even want to drive at the speed limit of 130 km/hr, let alone faster. No, I feel like a geezer, and drive like a geezer.

 

[braumeister]

Perhaps they don't care when you are on toll roads. But on toll roads, I found that I did not even want to drive at the speed limit of 130 km/hr, let alone faster. No, I feel like a geezer, and drive like a geezer.

Very understandable. I don't especially like driving in Europe, mainly because the roads are narrower and have minimal if any shoulders. DW is always terrified and buries her nose in her iPhone when we're on the road over there.

But in general, my impression is that nearly all drivers are cautious and follow the rules in Europe. Yes, the average person will go a bit faster than I do, simply because they are familiar with the roads where I'm not. The occasional speed demon is definitely an exception to the rule.

 

[Bamaman]

I picked up two bottles of Brunello Di Montalcino at a large supermarket in Domodossola for $12 Euros per bottle. They cost $45-$50 per bottle here.

I think you did very well. The reds from Montalcino are simply the best of the best. Too bad you couldn't bring back a few cases of it.

 

[tulak]

But on toll roads, I found that I did not even want to drive at the speed limit of 130 km/hr, let alone faster. No, I feel like a geezer, and drive like a geezer.

I've driven in Europe quite a bit and I'm more than happy to stick with 130km/hr tops. And I'm not even a geezer yet. I prefer to enjoy the scenery. Plus, I've seen enough nasty accidents while in Europe that I'm more than happy to take it slow.

 

[NW-Bound]

Very understandable. I don't especially like driving in Europe, mainly because the roads are narrower and have minimal if any shoulders. DW is always terrified and buries her nose in her iPhone when we're on the road over there.

But in general, my impression is that nearly all drivers are cautious and follow the rules in Europe. Yes, the average person will go a bit faster than I do, simply because they are familiar with the roads where I'm not. The occasional speed demon is definitely an exception to the rule.

Oh, the average European driver is way better and more courteous than the average American driver. And they are better drivers than I am.

I just don't like to drive as fast as they do. And they know where the speed traps are, to slow down when necessary.

 

[tulak]

If you went south from South Tyrol to Verona, you'd pass by the Valpolicella region, another prized wine.

Then down in Tuscany, there is Chianti Classico and Brunello di Montalcino.

These are all known well enough to be imported to the US.

Lesser known wines may not be.

In Switzerland, they grow wine on the eastern end of Lake Geneva, with vines grown on terraced hillsides overlooking the lake. Very scenic.

But these are not grown in volume and very little is exported. That and being Switzerland, they are expensive. There may also not be too much demand overseas. Pretty vineyards but maybe the best wine.

There is also wine grown on the Ligurian coast, over Cinque Terre villages. Again scenic but it's not a high volume operation. They actually have monorail carts to harvest the grapes and transport them up and down pretty steep slopes. They called it heroic viticulture when people were climbing up and down those slopes to tend to the vines.

I love trying local varietals and always opt for those when given the opportunity.

It's also fun to drink wine made in untraditional wine making countries. Who knew that you can buy locally made wines in Mexico, India, and Thailand? I wouldn't say any of them were exceptional, but they were drinkable in a good way or at least I enjoyed them at the time.

There are so many wines that are never exported and made from varietals that are not common.

And a bit closer to home, when I visit Canada (BC), they have tons of locally made wines that aren't exported. Most are the standard varietals you find in the US, similar to Washington State wines, which makes sense, since their wine growing region is due north of Eastern Washington.

I have a trip coming up to Tuscany. I need to do a bit more research on Italian wines from that area, beyond the well known varietals you can get in the US. Can't wait to try all the good wine (and food)!

 

[NW-Bound]

By the way, the speed limit was displayed both on the dashboard of my rental car, as well as on the Android Auto screen at the center console.

The Android Auto screen number is driven by Google Map running on my smartphone. So, Google Map knows the speed limit for each segment of the road, and as you all know, the speed limit through European country and village roads changes every few hundred feet. How does Google Map know all this? It has to be programmed into the map. I had wireless data service too, and don't know what data is preloaded, and what needs real-time update.

The rental Opel Grandland also had a navigation map, which I did not use. Did the dashboard speed limit value come from the onboard map memory of the car? I found out that it came from the forward-looking camera on the rearview mirror. The displayed speed limit always changed as I drove by a speed limit sign. Occasionally, when the sign was obstructed from view, the number on the dashboard did not get updated.

The speed limit numbers from the Google Map generally tracked the real data very well, except for temporary signs putting up by construction crews. Of course my smartphone does not have a forward-looking camera to see these signs. I am still impressed by the zillions of data points that Google embeds in their map.

Occasionally, Google Map would be aware of a construction site, and displayed the correct speed limit, and the presence of a temporary traffic light. How does it know this? Somewhere, I read that some municipalities worked with Google to provide them with up-to-date info for them to broadcast to Google Map users. I like it.

 

[Freedom56]

I think you did very well. The reds from Montalcino are simply the best of the best. Too bad you couldn't bring back a few cases of it.

The problem is the weight. We get two checked bags each included with our ticket. My wife buys heavy items such as Arborio rice and other food items that are not as common here. Brunello wines are great. I don't know why they mark them up so high over here.

 

[NW-Bound]

The only booze I ever brought back from abroad was 80-proof stuff. It needed to be condensed.

And even then, I don't do this anymore.

 

[Freedom56]

Oh, the average European driver is way better and more courteous than the average American driver. And they are better drivers than I am.

I just don't like to drive as fast as they do. And they know where the speed traps are, to slow down when necessary.

Go drive in Naples Italy and tell us how great they drive. Stop signs are a "suggestion". Red lights are like stop sign. If you wait at a red light, the car behind you will honk you and scream at you to go through. Side walks are an extra lane for driving unless a car is parked the sidewalk. It was horrific the first time driving there. On the second visit it wasn't any better. By the third time, I got use to it and started honking others who were holding up traffic at red lights.

 

[Freedom56]

The only booze I ever brought back from abroad was 80-proof stuff. It needed to be condensed.

And even then, I don't do this anymore.

I also bought a bottle on Limoncello and Grappa. I'm not a big drinker but we have many guests that are. I only drink wine and beer. My wife doesn't drink alcohol at all.

 

[braumeister]

Go drive in Naples Italy and tell us how great they drive.

Well, we were talking about Europe.

 

[NW-Bound]

Go drive in Naples Italy and tell us how great they drive. Stop signs are a "suggestion". Red lights are like stop sign. If you wait at a red light, the car behind you will honk you and scream at you to go through. Side walks are an extra lane for driving unless a car is parked the sidewalk. It was horrific the first time driving there. On the second visit it wasn't any better. By the third time, I got use to it and started honking others who were holding up traffic at red lights.

Sounds like a demolition derby.

This most recent trip, I bought full insurance with 0 deduction. Did not do that before, but this time decided to BTD. Still returned the car without a scratch.

My brother told me of a road trip with a group. One family needed a minivan. They scraped the side of the van against a column, right outside the rental car agency office. Yes, they bought full insurance too.

And people think car rentals overcharge for their insurance.

 

[Freedom56]

Sounds like a demolition derby.

This most recent trip, I bought full insurance with 0 deduction. Did not do that before, but this time decided to BTD. Still returned the car without a scratch.

My brother told me of a road trip with a group. One family needed a minivan. They scraped the side of the van against a column, right outside the rental car agency office. Yes, they bought full insurance too.

And people think car rentals overcharge for their insurance.

A very close friend lives in Italy now and is married to a very nice Italian woman. I saw him last time in 2019 and his car was missing his front windshield which was on back-order. So he was driving with a motorcycle helmet in his car. This is the type of thing you won't see here. Granted he lives in a small village on the Adriatic coast and at 6'4" he towers over everyone in town so nobody will dare call him crazy.

 

[NW-Bound]

I also bought a bottle on Limoncello and Grappa. I'm not a big drinker but we have many guests that are. I only drink wine and beer. My wife doesn't drink alcohol at all.

Hah, now you get me to talk about spirits. In a thread a while ago about spirits, I went to count the number of bottles I had, not just in the liquor cabinet but overflowed to the wine rack and the kitchen cabinet. I don't remember the count, but perhaps it was 40 or 50?

Anyway, about grappa, yes, I have a bottle or two right now. But after we had a grilled fish dinner on the shore of Lake Lugano (on the Italian side) and I asked for a shot of grappa, the waiter brought me this. I had had only clear grappa, but this one spent some time in an oak cask. The flavor was just wonderful, nothing astringent like the clear grappa I had had. I asked the waiter if the distiller name on the glass was correct, and he said yes.

Just now remember to look up availability in the US. Francoli is a big name in grappa, and has several styles of grappa. I don't know what I had. Total Wine does not have any Francoli grappa. Bevmo has only the Francoli Grappa di Nebbiolo, and it's oaked. Out of stock at local store. Price: $40 for a 375-ml bottle.

I believe I paid only 4 euros for this shot.

Oh man, all this talk makes me want to travel again.

 

[explanade]

I've never been pulled over.

But I got ticket twice after the fact, some kind of photo radar.

Once on Corsica and once on mainland france.

Some rental cars have indicators of speed cameras.

 

[explanade]

By the way, the speed limit was displayed both on the dashboard of my rental car, as well as on the Android Auto screen at the center console.

The Android Auto screen number is driven by Google Map running on my smartphone. So, Google Map knows the speed limit for each segment of the road, and as you all know, the speed limit through European country and village roads changes every few hundred feet. How does Google Map know all this? It has to be programmed into the map. I had wireless data service too, and don't know what data is preloaded, and what needs real-time update.

The rental Opel Grandland also had a navigation map, which I did not use. Did the dashboard speed limit value come from the onboard map memory of the car? I found out that it came from the forward-looking camera on the rearview mirror. The displayed speed limit always changed as I drove by a speed limit sign. Occasionally, when the sign was obstructed from view, the number on the dashboard did not get updated.

The speed limit numbers from the Google Map generally tracked the real data very well, except for temporary signs putting up by construction crews. Of course my smartphone does not have a forward-looking camera to see these signs. I am still impressed by the zillions of data points that Google embeds in their map.

Occasionally, Google Map would be aware of a construction site, and displayed the correct speed limit, and the presence of a temporary traffic light. How does it know this? Somewhere, I read that some municipalities worked with Google to provide them with up-to-date info for them to broadcast to Google Map users. I like it.

I thought it was some kind of radio transceiver and they embedded little transmitters, including areas where they were doing construction.

Makes sense but I've seen the speed limit display in pretty modest cars. Hard to believe they could have a camera and some kind of logic to recognize the speed limit signs.

 

[NW-Bound]

I thought it was some kind of radio transceiver and they embedded little transmitters, including areas where they were doing construction.

Makes sense but I've seen the speed limit display in pretty modest cars. Hard to believe they would have a camera and some kind of logic to recognize the speed limit signs.

How does my smartphone receive this RF signal from construction crew?

My smartphone is the device driving the Android Auto screen. The car only provides the display, and my smartphone is the brain.


About the Opel car being able to display the speed limit on the odometer by using a look-forward camera to read street signs, my suspicion was correct.

From a Web forum:

Post by kristoferscoular93 » Tue Jun 29, 2021 8:21 am

Hi I'm new to this forum. I have recently purchased a Grandland X, I have 2019 Design line trim. I am hoping someone can help me with this,
The grandland x comes with road sign recognition/detection and is supposed to dectect road signs using the front camera and display the speed limit on the dash, my issue is it dose not pick up the signs all the time ...

Post by GRANDLANDX68 » Tue Jun 29, 2021 12:41 pm

Hi kristoferscoular93 and Welcome to the forum.

I have a 2018 68 plate car and my Speed sign recognition works fine. It sounds like your isn't functioning correctly. I would advise you take it back to the dealership as this shouldn't be happening it might just need a software update. Some dealerships are not as knowledgeable about the newer PSA cars compared to the older GM models.