These cars are everywhere in Italy. I really did count 34 of them one day while I was driving around between Bagni di Lucca and Lucca…….and I was only counting green ones.
The first Fiat Panda was introduced in 1980 and produced until 2003 with few changes. It was designed as a “peasant car”, cheap, no frills, easy to use and maintain. A new model “Nuova Panda” was launched in 2003 and was revamped again in 2011.
Fiat has sold over 6.5 million Pandas, which would explain why I see so many of them. Fiat must have got a good deal on green paint as this is the most common colour I see.
Green Fiats have featured in my blog before. I can’t tell you how many of them cause problems on the road. Click here to see more.
Snails every one. You can be sure you’ll be late for your appointment if you’re behind one.
By: Heather Jarman on August 25, 2012
at 12:49 pm
Exactly! What is it with green Pandas?
By: Debra Kolkka on August 25, 2012
at 12:50 pm
Yes, but these little guys are amazing. When we have to put chains on our snow tires to get out of our road, inevitably I see a little green Panda climbing the icy roads with no problem. I don’t get it!
By: umbriascribe on August 25, 2012
at 1:11 pm
These cars just seem to keep going. Some of them are 4 wheel drives and can go almost everywhere.
By: Debra Kolkka on August 25, 2012
at 1:18 pm
After recently driving from Lucca to Paris through Austria and Germany and back, I have to agree that driving Italy has some very special challenges. However, although the Italian drivers may be reckless, they are skilled. Just watching them do parallel parking in a piece of art.
I just kept telling myself that “a near miss is a good miss”…”a near miss is a good miss”!!!
But I must admit I am more scared when crossing the zebra crossing here than of driving. One of my Lucchese friends described the experience of an italian zebra crossing as like entering the lottery
By: Paul on August 25, 2012
at 1:20 pm
I agree with you completely on Italian drivers. They are extremely skilled and I see near misses every time I am on the road. As long as they keep missing me I will be happy. Perhaps they are born with parallel parking skills…and with the zebra crossings, I always step out beside an Italian and don’t look sideways.
By: Debra Kolkka on August 25, 2012
at 1:25 pm
We have lots of them here too … white, red and green all over! 😉
By: Jennifer Avventura on August 25, 2012
at 2:01 pm
Once you start noticing them, you see them everywhere.
By: Debra Kolkka on August 25, 2012
at 9:48 pm
[…] cars are everywhere in Italy. I really did count 34 of them one day while I was driving aroundsource This entry was posted in europe by poster. Bookmark the […]
By: 34 green Pandas before 3.00 pm | Home Far Away From Home on August 25, 2012
at 2:12 pm
The new Fiats are gorgeous. Our youngest daughter bought herself the latest 500 in San Francisco, a black one. They even have a Gucci model! They are selling like hot cakes!
By: mulino dominillo on August 25, 2012
at 3:45 pm
We have a baby blue Fiat 500 in Australia, and we love it.
By: Debra Kolkka on August 25, 2012
at 9:49 pm
Bwahahaha! Just the green ones … 🙂
By: rommel on August 25, 2012
at 4:33 pm
I see more green ones than the others, but occasionally I get stuck behind a white one or a dark blue.
By: Debra Kolkka on August 25, 2012
at 9:54 pm
I’m sure we saw them when we were in Italy last year, but I was too taken with the 3 wheeled trucks to remember. Our rental was a Fiat Panda, great on fuel but not so good on the hills 🙂
By: twoblackdoggies on August 26, 2012
at 6:41 am
The tiny 3 wheel truck, the quaintly named Ape, is very popular in our mountain area where many of the roads are too small for much else.
By: Debra Kolkka on August 26, 2012
at 12:54 pm
This is a riot! There is a man in my apartment building in Milan that drives a green Panda and, I hate to say it, but he is RUDE. I have a theory about green car drivers, but I’ll save it for later. Actually, it’s not original, I got it from Click ‘n’ Clack The Tappet Brothers (used to have a weekly radio show on NPR, out of Boston)…
By: The Daily Cure on August 26, 2012
at 1:31 pm
Green is my favourite colour, but I have never had a green car.
By: Debra Kolkka on August 27, 2012
at 12:10 pm
Would you believe that I have no recollection of ever seeing a green in Panda in Ireland – I wonder do certain colours sell better in different countries.
By: Just Add Attitude on August 26, 2012
at 6:26 pm
Practically every second car in Italy is silver, which makes the green Panda stand out more.
By: Debra Kolkka on August 27, 2012
at 12:10 pm
These little cars are so easy to park, just 4 guys can pick it up and put it in to a tight spot. Easy peasy. They are great little working cars, not built for comfort but oh o practical.
By: aussiegirl0905 on August 26, 2012
at 9:14 pm
Our little Fiat is easy to park, we love it.
By: Debra Kolkka on August 27, 2012
at 12:11 pm
How funny that there are so many green ones. Wonder why?
Hope you’ve had a lovely weekend, Deb!
Hugs,
Kathy
By: Kathryn McCullough on August 26, 2012
at 11:17 pm
There had to have been a special on green paint.
By: Debra Kolkka on August 27, 2012
at 12:12 pm
[…] more on lovely Fiats click here and here . Share this:ShareEmailPrintFacebookLike this:Like2 bloggers like […]
By: I love my baby blue Fiat Bambino « Bagni di Lucca and Beyond on August 30, 2012
at 9:54 pm
I think the new Panda may have a little more zip, but I’m not sure. I never particularly noticed green ones – I’ll sure keep my eyes open for them now. (!) Heard a great joke recently, Genovese (read cheap-skate), that featured a white Panda…
By: farfalle1 on September 1, 2012
at 1:30 pm
I know a good cheap skate joke about Ligurians too….in Italian.
By: Debra Kolkka on September 1, 2012
at 8:06 pm
[…] more on lovely Fiats click here and here […]
By: I love my baby blue Fiat Bambino | Bagni di Lucca and Beyond on December 18, 2022
at 8:58 pm