Digital Printing

The Italian Job

An 850-mile tour of Italy proves that all signs don’t necessarily lead to Rome.

Published

17 years ago

September 7, 2007

Gil Russ Signs of the Times September 2007 Issue

When I’m home in Loveland, OH, I usually spend my day running Gil’s Gallery of fine woodworking. I make wooden bowls and furniture, but sometimes I build signs and custom retail fixtures (see ST June 2006, page 96).

When I’m away, you can usually find me on a motorcycle. This spring, when my wife, Susan, and I took an 850-mile motorcycle tour of Rome and southern Italy, she took photos of the gorgeous sunsets and the wonderful people we met. I took pictures of signs.

Rome is a city of almost four million people, and the signage reflects its history and big-city atmosphere. Centuries before the days of the Medici family, the Italians had been creating architectural masterpieces, and that tradition continues today.

But get a bit off the beaten path, head south to the sea, and you’ll appreciate the smaller, more personal scale of the signs (and the streets) of rural italy.

This photo potpourri represents signage from Rome and out-of-the way places such as Cosenza and Reggio that hold many of Italy’s wonderful secrets.

In Italy, all roads really do lead to Rome, but the signs can take you anywhere. Lei capisce?

The Italian Job: Part 2

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