The traffic is bumper-to-bumper during rush hour.
Ciao a tutti,
My Italian friend says they don’t have a “bumper to bumper” phrase in Italian and that they would say:
Il traffico è intenso durante l’ora di punta
Il traffico è pesante durante l’ora di punta
Il traffico è congestionato durante l’ora di punta.
I’m kinda sad about that, I think “bumper to bumper” is a lovely descriptive phrase. Does anyone have any insights?
Sì sì that is a shame. My translator suggests “paraurti a paraurti” 
and I rather like it as it almost has a sense of paura/fear in it, lol.
Having seen an Italian rush hour in beloved Sicilia, I think a little “paura” is warranted! All the traffic was at a standstill, and someone told me that the noise of the car horns all honking at once was called “il concerto” by the locals. I hope I’ve remembered that correctly… And I hope it’s true 
So do I! La Sicilia, ah ho capito la tua passione! One year when I was there I visited the lovely village of Savoca where “Godfather ll” was filmed. An elderly lady heard my stumbling Italian, took my hand and said she would give me a private tour as she had been in the film with Al Pacino. So Vicenza took me everywhere to see the old cars, Bar Vitelli, the church etc etc. If you watch, she is the lady in purple colour dress with white collar standing behind “Michael Corleone” when he married Apollonia. "Now you’ve held the hand that held the hand of Al Pacino! " she announced. A lovely lady, I just had to share this with you.
Great story! I have the Godfather trilogy recorded on my DVR. I will look for the ‘lady in purple color dress with white collar’!
She is part of the group of ladies who escort Michele and Apollonia during their courtship; and note that they don’t actually go in the church for the wedding, filming had to be restricted to the front step. It was strangely dark inside Bar Vitelli and a barman in country clothes n cap mixed us a powerful local drink each. I too have the trilogia, big fan. Of interest, the cat that Marlon Brando stroked in one scene was a stray that just ran onto set, Marlon loved it so much he kept it, and the scene was kept in. Nice eh!
Wow Floria that’s amazing 
Thank you! Fab story 
A phrase that Italians like to describe traffic jams is code chilometriche.
Ciao Anxos, grazie mille, it will come in very useful.