Italy: Car sex making a comeback

GlobalPost

In Italy, the automobile has been associated with romance for at least as long as the “'bamboccione“ (or “mama’s boy”) has been recognized as a cultural phenomenon.

While car sex isn’t an solely Italian invention, it was the Italians — southern Italians to be precise — who perfected the craft, The Independent reports.

It really is quite logical. More than one half of Italians aged 18 to 34 still live at home with their parents. In Naples, it’s more than two-thirds. For a lot of these folks, the only place to enjoy a bit of privacy is to seal oneself in a car.

The epicenter street of vehicular nookie in Naples has always been just one: Via Manzoni.

Via Manzoni was the place to be since the brothels were shut down in Italy in 1958. If you could find a parking spot, that is.

The old timers recall that the whole city used to be parked there, making love under the stars, typically in a compact Fiat, cursing the gear stick always getting in the way. This amorous pastime even sparked a thriving retail business along the road.

Makeshift stands sold Scotch tape and old newspapers (to cover the windows), contraband Marlboro, pirated music cassettes and coffee liqueur to help set the right mood.

Of course, the people who remember what car sex was like decades ago, think the modern version of it is a complete abomination.

Seats that recline flat? Dark windows? Stereos playing and heat on while the engine is off?

That's for sissies.

But according to 30-year-old Lino, who knows Via Manzoni well, contemporary car sex still isn’t exactly commodious.

“The gear stick is still a pain in the neck,” he told The Independent.

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