Escape to Italy!

The winter of 2012 - especially February - was particularly harsh in eastern Europe.  As the winter progressed, an enormous storm from Siberia came down into the European continent.  This storm was a major factor in our route around Europe that winter - it chased us all the way to central Italy.

For over a month we had been lucky to avoid excessive snowfall.  In the northern Czech Republic we dealt with a light dusting of snow.  In Poland we basically made it through our entire route without snow until we were leaving into Slovakia.  In Slovakia we started to get into snow that was much heavier. 

The truth is we were actually driving around most of these countries with illegal tires.  During winter months in central Europe they enforce changing over to winter tires.  We were traveling, so we obviously did not do this. (You can judge us however you like.) 

When we were in Slovakia the snow began to be a bit too much for our tires.  Since I am from Montana it wasn't a problem for me; I know how to drive in the snow.  But it did become apparent that we needed to buy some new front tires and head south.

We crossed Slovakia - at times going over passes that we maybe should not have crossed.  Once, we started going up a pass and there were police officers randomly stopping people to check that they were following the law in regards to their tires.  They did not stop us, but after we passed them they noticed our Spanish license plates.  I could see by the looks on their faces in my rear-view mirror that they knew they had missed an opportunity.

The pass was fine, and we made it safely to the other side.  We continued to Bratislava where the snow had not yet arrived.  Before we left Bratislava the snow caught up with us.  When we arrived in Vienna we were out of the snow again.  It was a game of cat and mouse.

We knew the storm was marching south from eastern Europe.  Headlines in the news featured the storm heavily, and it was clear we needed to get south as fast as possible.  We crossed the Austrian border - dealing with some of the worst snow we had seen along the way - and thought we would be safe.  The Dolomites were snowy, but the skies were clear and the roads were dry.

We continued with sunny skies to Verona, Pisa, and Lucca. But when we arrived in Siena, the snow had caught us again.  Italians are pretty funny when it snows.  They all immediately run to make snowmen and sled the hills with garbage sacks.  They become like children.

We kept moving south, all the time thinking that we would never see snow again.  Ultimately, the snow followed us all the way to Rome.  There is nothing so out of place as Romans in the snow.