Gas stations and Toilets

Italian gas stations along the superstrada were a revelation to us. In the States, you can stop at a gas station along the freeway and purchase a bag of potato chips, an ice cream bar or a cup of extremely bad coffee, but that's about it.

In Italy, the gas stations had snack bars, full-service restaurants and grocery stores. It was simply astonishing. Homemade sandwiches of lush chunks of lobster with aioli slathered inside fresh, crusty bread rolls, or fresh buffala mozzarella, tomatoes and basil sandwiches. Would you rather have a rich, creamy-centered canolli or a croissant stuffed with marmalade? It's your choice. Or perhaps you're longing to buy some wild boar proscuitto, or a venison salami to take with you. It's available, along with a quick pick-me-up shot of espresso or a nice cappucino.


Even the outside of the gas stations had their charming appointments. This terra cotta dragon decorated a grassy strip at a gas station along the superstrada.


Dogs got their own toilet facilities at this superstrada gas station. Inside, the women's restroom had two dozen fresh roses resting in a vase perched atop the counter above the sinks.


Not all toilet facilities were as swank as those I encountered along the major highways, however. Hole-in-the-floor toilets were fairly common. This example was one of the cleaner ones I encountered. And while peeing in a porcelain hole in the ground might not be a hardship for men, women face different challenges. Imagine straddling this in a squatting position while trying to keep your pant cuffs from touching the floor, which was almost always damp with ... with ... well, you can imagine.

Though you only need to click once, not three times, it's true that "There's no place like Home."

Back to "Chapters"
Home Page