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When you arrive in Italy you should change some money or access your bank account from home to get some EUROS - 50 EURO should do (about $75CDN). One purchase you should make is a "scheda telefono" (SKAYDA), what we know as a pre-paid telephone card. You can get these at the cash desk of any of the service centres. Get a 5 or 10 EURO phone card - it should cover all of your needs. Don't forget to snap off the corner before you put it into a telephone for the first time.
Always follow the green road signs - they are used exclusively for the Autostrada. You are on the Autostrada all the way to the outskirts of Lanciano.
The speed limit on the Autostrada is supposed to be 140 km/h but you will see exceptions to this! Staying in the right-hand lane except to pass is sound advice! As soon as you pass a vehicle get back into the right-hand lane ASAP or you find someone right behind you, flashing his/her lights in a most aggressive fashion.
The service centres along all stretches of the Autostrada, especially those equipped with a restaurant, are most impressive. If you want a coffee at any of these you pay in advance at the cash desk and they will give you a "scontrino" or receipt, which you then give to the person behind the counter.
There are four options to consider. Find the one that applies to you.
Option A: Coming from Rome airport. Start at #1
Option B: Coming from the city of Rome or points north such as Firenze (Florence). You need to get to A24, which takes you to Pescara and L'Aquila. Start at #4.
Option C: Coming from the north of Lanciano along the Adriatic coast on A14. Once you pass Pescara you should Start at #7.
Option D: Coming from the south of Lanciano on the Adriatic coast: Start at #8
- From the airport, take the Autostrada towards Roma (that's the only way it goes). It connects to the Ring Road (known as the G.R.A.- Grand Raccordo Annular). At the GRA junction, you will see Green signs pointing to Napoli and L'Aquila. Follow those.
- Follow only green signs. Ignore all white signs.
- Continue on the ring road for maybe 20 minutes to EXIT 14, marked L'AQUILA and PESCARA. This is A24
- Shortly you will come to a tollbooth. Stay out of the tollbooths marked TELEPASS. Look for one with a sign which says "biglietto" (ticket). Pull a ticket out of the machine.
- Continue along this Autostrada (A24) for about an hour to the junction of A24 and A25 - A25 is marked PESCARA. Take A25. The scenery along here is spectacular.
- Continue until you get to the turnoff for Pescara and Chieti: IGNORE it, and follow the road towards BARI. Take the turn off for BARI and continue on. You are now heading south on Autostrada A14, which is the section of the Autostrada that runs along the east coast of Italy.
- You will pass some exits after Pescara. Look for the exit to Ortona. The exit to Lanciano is the next one and you will be going up a hill as you approach the exit.
- Take the Lanciano exit. Pay your toll and then exit the toll plaza, TURNING LEFT. There is a phone booth just after you exit the tollbooth in the event that you find the following instructions a tad too hairy.
- After turning left as you exit the tollbooth plaza follow this road for a little over 6 km. You will pass through four intersections with traffic lights, which may be operating normally or merely flashing, depending on the time of day. As you come to the end of the 6-km run you should see a large sign on your right with POKER CENTER on it.
- The road will then curve right, down to a major intersection equipped with traffic lights. Go through the intersection and keep on going straight. About 100 m along the road it curves to the right. Follow this road, which will gradually curve left and then straighten up. Keep on going until you come up on a major intersection with traffic lights. Go straight through this intersection.
- Keep on going straight and start looking for the hospital (OSPIDALE), which will be on your right. You will see a three-sided vertical sign with the standard "large blue letter H" and OSPEDALE on it.
- As you are approaching the corner where the hospital is located you will see overhead signs with a right turn indicated for San Vito. Slide into the right turn lane and just past the hospital entrance TURN RIGHT and then move over immediately to the left-turn lane, which is clearly marked.
- About 50 m along you want to TURN LEFT. On the left you will see a clutch of signs, among them one for the MERCATO COPERTO that also points you in the proper direction. At the bottom is a blue sign with white letters that says FRISA. As you make the turn glance at your odometer. The next stage is about 1.3 km. This road will take you down to the bottom of a ravine, and has lots of "switch-back" turns. Continue along and you will start to climb again.
- As the road climbs it curves to the left. Keep your eyes peeled for a sign for a "right curve" symbol just below it. This should come up just after you have gone 1.3 km. Just past the sign the road starts to curve to the right - at this point you want to TURN LEFT which will take you between a deserted gas station on your left and the Mercato Coperto (covered market) on your right. They have just fiddled with the parking in Piazza Garibaldi and have erected a traffic barrier with a blue error which means keep to the right.
NOTE: On Wednesday mornings there is an outdoor market in Piazza Garibaldi. You won't be able to park in the piazza until after 1:00 p.m. so if at all possible delay your arrival. If you arrive before 1:00 p.m., park where you can and go into the Piazza Garibaldi on foot.
- Follow this road and you will now be in Piazza Garibaldi. Once into the piazza you will have to keep to the right. Grab the first parking spot you can find but ensure that you do NOT go past the traffic light.
NOTE: Occasionally Piazza Garibaldi is closed for special events. Special signs are posted on portable stands; on the signs is a picture of a car being towed. If the piazza seems too empty then check for one of these signs. You can probably get away with parking for 5 minutes while you run up to the school but if you see tow trucks in the area then watch out!
- You now want to look for a coffee bar called the Picadilly, "Pick's" for short, which has a covered patio out in front of it and a large MOKAMBO coffee sign over the front door.
- The little alleys that lead away from the piazza are called "vici" - the singular is "vico". Not quite all vici lead to CCI but a lot do. The easiest route is to go to the second vico to the left past Picadilly as you face it, between the shops at #11 and #12 - look for the new ceramic number signs. This vico is called Vico 2o Valera - look for the sign high up on the right hand side just where the vico starts. Start up the steps.
- As you climb up the steps you will hit a road that has vehicular traffic - look to the right before you cross it. Straight ahead of you is the front door of a lawyer's office (AVVOCAT) with #23 on the ceramic sign. Veer ever so slightly to the right and continue your climb - you will find yourself at the front door of CCI. Or you can into "Pick's" and say "DO VAY LA SQUAWLA CANADAYSEE?" (where is the Canadian school?), and they will point the way.
- Telephone number if you get lost:
CCI: 0872.714969
However there may not be anyone answering much after 17.00 Monday - Friday
and not at all during the weekend.
Happy Motoring!
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