In Love with France, At Home In Italy

There's a reason that ours is mostly the road not taken. Actually there are two reasons. We live in a beautiful valley accessible only by two possible routes, each worse than the other. Further, with respect to our so-called roads, just when you think they couldn't get any worse, they do. This resigned attitude comes from living in this part of Italy for six years. How many times has there been a rumor that the roads would be fixed? The last one was a close call. The funds were found and the workers were about to come. But then it rained. And when it stopped, something happened to the window of opportunity, and the money for the project got diverted. Next there was a mayoral election which led to a promise: "Vote for me, and I will fix the road." He won, even without our vote, but still, no road improvements for us. So you can imagine our shock at finding one day that some of the worst parts of each of the two ways to approach our house--es...