When we left Parma after that fantastic lunch, we thought we had probably had our last Parmesian experience. That turned out not to be the case.
It wouldn’t happen for quite a while, but there was one more close encounter of the Parmesian kind in store for us. We didn’t know it at the time, but we had some bad karma in Parma.
We’d been home from our trip for five months when a letter arrived from Italy. Actually, there were four letters, each of them from the autonoleggio, (rental car company), we had used during the trip.
Look! A Letter from Italy!
My first thought was that they liked us so much, they wanted us to come back soon, but they wouldn’t need four letters to say that. Nope. These letters couldn’t be about anything good.
Each letter informed us that they, the autonoleggio, had been contacted by the “Commune di Parma Polizia Municipale” regarding the use of their car in Parma about five months ago. The only Italian word you need to understand in that sentence is “Polizia.”
They informed us that they had given our names to the Polizia di Parma. Oh, and also that anything that may have been done with their car in Parma was our problem, not theirs. So far, not so good.
The letters were in english, sort of, so they weren’t difficult to understand. On the other hand, they didn’t say much. There was some gobbledygook about restricted zones. They didn’t say we did anything wrong, and we weren’t asked to take any action. Really, all they said was that they’d given our names to the Italian Police.
I thought back to when we were driving around Parma, trying not to hit any pedestrians or bicyclists, trying to avoid any restricted areas. We had done our homework. We knew what signs to look for. They’re called “ZTL” signs, which stands for “Zona a Traffico Limitato”, or “Limited Traffic Zone.”
So Far, Not So Good
ZTL signs were usually easy enough to spot, but sometimes they were clumped in with a bunch of other signs. Sometimes they had so many codes and symbols on them, we had no idea whether we could enter or not. In those cases, we always assumed “not” was the right answer. We didn’t think we went into any restricted zones, but we didn’t know for certain.
Weeks passed, and we forgot about the letters from the autonoleggio. Then one day, four more letters arrived from Italy. This time they seemed to be from some kind of an Italian bank. These letters were more official-looking than the previous four. More informative, too.
The letters explained in english, sort of, that while driving in Parma, someone in the car we had rented had violated traffic laws. Not just once, but four times. Without so much as a trial, we had been found guilty and sentenced to pay fines in accordance with the Parmesian traffic code.
This assertion was obviously preposterous! Even if it were true, they’d have to have some kind of evidence. We had been so careful about looking for ZTL signs. There was also some gobbledygook about “Varco Attivo,” but I had no clue what that meant.
Bad Karma in Parma
Each letter contained a link to the Parma Police website, where one could insert the citation number and learn more about the nature of the purported infraction. From that website and through further research, I discovered that we were about to join a large number of other contributors who’ve been saving the Parmesian municipal government from insolvency.
The local Parmesian authorities had instituted, in addition to ZTL areas, certain stretches of road that may be open or closed to various forms of transport at various times, as indicated by electronic signs. Wherever the electronic signs are placed, cameras are also installed to catch unsuspecting violators in the act.
The signs say either “Varco Attivo”, (Gate Active), or “Varco Non Attivo” at various times on various days. When the “gate” is active, only certain kinds of vehicles or vehicles with certain types of approvals are allowed to pass through without paying a penalty.
It had been a controversial program. It was more or less common knowledge that the scheme had more to do with raising cash than controlling traffic.
Unsuspecting tourists like us have almost no chance when it comes to these things. But the system is so confusing, the locals get caught up in it, too. The vast majority of offenders are Parma residents. They see it as just another way for the government to reach a little further down into their pockets.
Remember when we were circling around, trying to find our way to the restaurant? That’s when we got nabbed four times by “Varco Attivo” signs. We got our picture taken each time. We were practically famous! Fifteen minutes of fame we could have done without.
To be continued…
