Tonight we went in macchina (car) to Esselunga to buy groceries. Usually the supermercato (supermarket) closes at 9pm. We arrived just before 8:30pm and the doors were already closed and the security guard wouldn't let us in. He said on Saturday they close at 8:30pm. We said we can shop really fast, but the guard was adamant. At that point one of us stated something the equivalent of 'Fine, then because of you we won't eat for two days!'. To which he replied 'Not my fault.'. What my friend is referring to is the fact that almost everything is closed on Sundays. Most noticeably supermarkets and anything outside of restaurants and tourist shops in il centro (the city center). And for whatever reason, none of us have any food in the house. Save pasta, oil and seasonings.
So we took Buskapé for a run in the nearby park, where he found a spaniel girlfriend who chased and bullied him around. Then he found two labs who he wanted to befriend, that growled at him repeatedly. During this dog park experience, we decided one night we'll make pasta with oil, garlic and pepperoncini (dried red pepper flakes). But we can't do that for two nights in a row, so we decided tonight we'd go for pizza. Jean Claude had mentioned a take out place near Piazza alle Cure that's affordable and not so bad. So we arrived at the pizzeria and placed our order. We decided to wait outside as it was cooler than in the pizzeria with the wood-burning ovens.
Then it appeared, as if out of nowhere, the new Fiat 500 (aka the Fiat Nuovo 500 or the Fiat Cinquecento). It was black, both exterior and interior. The cooks in the pizzeria came out from behind the counters to view it parked across the street. There was a debate as if it's being sold for 10k or 12k in euro. More people walked by to stop and peek in at the interior. We crossed the street to also check out the interior. As we walked back someone yelled asking if it was ours, we laughed and said 'Magari!' (I wish!). Then everyone pointed to their own cars explaining how much they paid and the debate continued, if you had 10 or 12k would you buy this car? It's small, which could either be considered ideal for a city or too compact for the price. The design is a new take on the old Fiat 500 which was manufactured between the years of 1957 and 1975. The market is similar to that of the Mini Cooper.
I found these pictures online, as I was enjoying myself too much during the impromptu car show tonight to break out the camera.
2008 Fiat 500:
1973 Fiat 500:
Related links:
> Build your own Fiat 500
