thisweekinitaly.com

Further Comments on Visit to Berlin

In two days in Berlin I did not see the inside of many museums. Berlin has
museums and historic buildings as does any major European city. But since
Berlin was rebuild after WW II (although I should note that the city was
not totally destroyed in the war and it appears to have been in some
photographs taken in 1945). Then after the wall came down, East Berlin was
largely rebuilt. As a result, the city itself, rather than individual
buildings and museums, is the major attraction shown to visitors.

My Son’s Car

Chris and I rented a car to go from his house to Berlin. A few of the
gauges did not work on his car (an electrical problem), and he was reluctant
to take it to Berlin. I concurred, although I thought he was being overly
cautious. If I can start a car, I’m willing to take it anywhere. Well soon
after I arrived in Germany, the battery went dead on Chris’ car. I have do
teach him how you jump start a car — something I know well from the junk
cars I have driven. This was one of those RARE OCCASIONS when Chris, not
his dad, was correct.

If you want to take immediate European delivery on a used Peugeot, I think I
know where you can get one at a good price.

Developing Film

The last day my friend Carolyn was visiting we took a roll of film to the
local shop to see if it could be developed that same day so Carolyn could
have the prints to take home with her. The shop, however, does not offer
same day developing. I then asked if there was a one-hour developing place
in town. From the look on the face of the two men who are the proprietors
of the shop one would have thought I said “let’s go out to the cemetery and
spit on your mother’s grave. One quickly opened a drawer and showed me some
poorly developed prints (primarily of little children)from a one-hour
developing shop. I am wondering “does every non one-hour developing shop in
Italy have a similar set of horror prints?” Or, ever further, “does every
non one-hour developing shop in Italy have this same set of prints (provided
by their trade association)?” Despite my wondering, I was sufficiently
cowed simply to leave the roll with these two men and to mail the prints to
Carolyn after they were developed.

Two Concerts in One Night

At 5 pm on Wednesday I attended a concert by the Spelman College (Atlanta,
Georgia) Glee Club in Florence. It was a concert featuring Gospel music.
Such music seems to be somewhat popular in Italy. I hear it from time to
time in stores. Then at 9 pm that same night I attended a concert in Pistoia
by the Choir of the Frances Bardsley School, a girl’s school near London.
It was sponsored, as are many such events by touring groups from other
countries, by the local branch of an organization called the Club of Europe.
The girls were 13-18 years of age. It appears that the school prohibits
body piercing other than for earrings. In Italy many girls 13-18 (as well
as older woman) have a small “diamond” stud in the side of one nostril.
Multiple piercings do seem more common here than in the USA.

Italians on the Telephone

I once heard that a study of Italians who had lost one or two hands in
accidents showed that they were inhibited in their ability to communicate.
I believe it. When people talk on the telephone, they gesticulate in the
same way as talking face to face even though the hand movements obviously
have no effect on the person at the other end of the phone.

Advertisement for Home Pressing Machine on TV

I was watching an extended advertisement on TV for a portable home clothes
pressing machine. The brand is Elna made in Switzerland. I was surprised
to see that the woman demonstrating the machine looked like a normal middle
aged woman. In Italy, even when domestic products are advertised, the woman
making the sales pitch looks like a model who doesn’t't know which end of an
iron to plug into the wall or how to open a washing machine. Then I
suddenly noticed that the words the lady was saying in Italian did not match
her lip movements. It was a dubbed commercial from another country,
probably Germany. My faith in the pervasive sexism of Italy was restored.

Your Place of Birth ?

In USA I recall having to put my place of birth on a few official forms such
as passport application and application for Social Security benefits. In
Italy, you have to put it on all kinds of forms including the form to get a
card a local video rental shop. I am at a total loss to understand how this
is useful information to a video rental shop. In general place of birth is
considered a more important fact about a person in Italy than in USA. I
think there are stronger stereotypes about people from particular regions.

The Controversy About the Possible War in Middle East

I live in an area that is largely leftist in political orientation. So
there are frequent demonstrations here against Bush’s stance. Also in Italy
the left wing takes to the street much more than the right wing. The
governing coalition in Italy is Central/Right. The opposition is
Center/Left. The opposition is uniform in its opposition to the war — this
is an issue to mobilize opposition to the government. Among the supporters
of the ruling Center/Right coalition, views are split. The support for this
coalition derives mainly from its internal economic policies. So it
includes some people who support these economic policies, but do not favor
Italy’s support for USA in matter of Iraq. As a result, I think a majority
of Italians oppose our policy.

To many Europeans our Middle East Policy is the result of two opposing
tendencies. We have to support Arabs somewhat because of our voracious need
for imported oil. We refuse to conserve energy to the same extent as
European countries do. We have to support Israel because there are more
Jews in USA giving money to politicians than there are Arabs. You may
recall that immediately after 9/11 in USA there was a lot of discussion of
our support of Israel being a key factor in the hatred of terrorists toward
USA, but this quickly disappeared from media and political discussion (a
conspiracy?)and was replaced by the “they hate our way of life” explanation.
I don’t think that we should change our stance of Israel because of
terrorist attacks, but it was clear to me that powerful forces in USA worked
hard to quickly remove this question from the table.

Also in Italy the history of terrorism is mainly of internal terrorism by
Italians. I doubt that Italians see themselves as a prime target of
external terrorists.

There is a multi-color peace flag that you see often here. Recently the
government tried to forbid its display on public buildings. When I was at a
play today, which had only two actresses, at the curtain call the two
actresses bought out and displayed the peace flag. Just another example of
the strong feelings here.

All this is not to say that the majority of Italians are right or wrong, but
simply to explain their position.

A Hot Chocolate

Recently when my friend Carolyn was visiting, we stopped to get a Hot
Chocolate at a local bar. I don’t care for Hot Chocolate made with water.
I do like it made with milk. Well this stuff was like liquefied chocolate.
You could eat it with a spoon. Just another delight discovered in Italy.

Monday, Monday

Monday is really a “slow” day in Italy. The stores are closed in the
morning. Many restaurants are closed. The other side of the coin is that
Saturday, although part of the weekend, is a more busy day. Many Italians
work on Saturday, and businesses in USA that might be closed on Saturday are
quite often open here.

Gypsy at the Vatican

At the Vatican recently, a gypsy tried to steal my friend’s purse. The Gypsy
had a child wrapped to her, and one thinks that she was supporting the
child with one hand. In fact both hands are free. One hand gets waived in
your face as she is begging while the other reaches into the purse.
Fortunately she was not successful. At the Vatican we did walk around the
walls so now I can say there is at least one country in the world where I
have walked completely around its borders (Well, maybe the borders of the
Vatican extent a little beyond the walls, but let‘s not be picky.).

Vendors on the Street

They are usually (but not always)blacks from Africa. They are selling socks,
Kleenex (in 10 pack packages), etc. They come into the stores and solicit
the customers. Nobody kicks them out. They may even persist in badgering
you on the street when you say “no” to them. Nobody seems to get excited.
Italians seem very tolerant of this kind of “direct sales.” Vendors even
come into restaurants. In USA the owner would throw them out immediately,
but not in Italy.

Leonard’s Horse

I saw the horse in Vinci. I said it was cast in PA, and a friend wrote to
tell me that the horse was cast in NY at Tallix Art Foundry. After a
little research we discovered that there are four of these horses. The
REALLY BIG (It is 24 feet high — that was the size Leonardo proposed to
Ludovico Sforza) one in Italy is in Milan (I should have noted that the
horse I saw in Vinci was not as big as the one in the news stories I
remembered from the USA). There is another big one in Grand Rapids
Michigan. The one in Vinci is 8 feet high. The final one in Allentown, PA
is 12 feet high. Well Vinci is still worth visiting even if its horse is
the runt of the litter.

An International Train Ticket –Discount??

I get a 20% discount on train tickets in Italy because I am an old man.
When I first bought a ticket to go to Germany to see my son, I asked if I
could get a discount on the Italian portion of the trip. I was told no;
discounts don’t apply on international trips. But I went to get a ticket
last week, the lady did write it up in two portions — a ticket to last stop
in Italy (on which I got a discount) and a ticket for the rest of the trip
to Munich. I was so excited that I forget to buy my return ticket
immediately — big mistake. When I went to buy a return ticket, the man said
no discount. I tried the ticket counter in nearby Prato, but still no
discount.

Now as a true Italian, for my next trip to Germany I need to try one of
following ploys:

1. But two tickets at two different times. First the one for the Italian
portion of trip and later the one for non Italian portion.

2. The train stops for about 15 minutes at the last stop in Italy as they
change crews. Buy a ticket in Pistoia to that stop, and then go into the
station at last stop while train is stopped and buy the ticket to Munich.

3. Have Chris buy the German portion of my ticket in Germany and send it to
me. I then buy the Italian portion in Pistoia with a discount.

Learning to “beat the system” is an absolute necessity for living in Italy.

German Supermarket

There is a small one close to Chris’ house. I stopped into to get a few
things. What was immediately noticeable was the quiet. In Italy many
people are talking to each other in the Supermarket; not so in Germany.

The Famous German Autobahn

I drove for first time on Autobahn this week. You feel fine driving 100
mph. But it was not a fast trip. Twice we ran into accidents which stopped
traffic. There is no median strip and little shoulder. So it probably
takes longer to clear an accident. We had one detour that was not marked
once you had to exit from the Autobahn. Luckily we had a map and figured
out what to do. The trucks have governors on them which prevent them from
going over 80 kph. This means when one truck passes another it takes a long
time. Meanwhile they block both lanes of the road. All in all, I was not
impressed.

A Ceremonial Head of the Nation vs. The Political Leader

When Royalty ruled by Divine Right, the King was head of the country in all
ways. As Constitutional Monarchies developed, the King became the
ceremonial head of the nation and the Prime Minister (or some similar title)
became the political head of the country. Where Monarchy was abolished (as
in Italy and Germany) you often ended up with a President who is the
ceremonial head of the nation and a prime minister who is the head of the
government.

Saturday I went to a benefit concert under the sponsorship of the German
President. He is beloved as is the President of Italy. They do the ribbon
cutting, the ceremonies honoring famous citizens, the funerals, etc.
Meanwhile the Prime Minister heads the government. There is never any
argument that it is “unpatriotic” to criticize the Prime Minister. He is
not a symbol for the country in any way. He is simply the head of the
political party or coalition that happens to be in power at this time.

I like this system better than the American one.

Number 20

Weather Reports

Many Italian Radio Stations Cover part or all of the country. As a result
they give weather reports for various regions. The reports thus become
quite general because they have to give a separate report for each region.
Temperatures are going to get warmer or colder (no exact predictions), it
going to be cloudy or fair, and its going to rain or not. None of that
wind/chill talk in winter or humidity index talk in summer.

Discount Airlines in Europe

I’ve never flown one but the prices are ridiculous. Some flights are free.
Others for a long distance are $30. The best known of these airlines, Ryan
Air, is making money. Others are reputedly in trouble financially. I have
no idea how an airline can make money with these prices.

Driving in Italy

I rarely do it, only when a friend is visiting with a car. I don’t notice
that the Italian drivers are at all bad, but that may be more of a comment
on my driving than on theirs. My son Chris, who drives down to see me from
Germany, says that when you cross the Italian border, the turn signals on
the cars suddenly stop working.

St. James (American) Church in Florence

It is a lovely building, paid for by J. P. Morgan in the late 1800s. At
church today one parishioner said there were 25,000 American living in
Florence area. This seems quite inflated to me although it might be closer
to true for the number of people from USA and Great Britain. There are at
least a few thousand students from USA in Florence each year.

The Lady on the Train

The other day I saw a young woman on the train in the morning who did not
seem to be wearing much make-up. Now the “natural” (no cosmetics) look is
not seen in Italy much. So I was a bit surprised. She was engaged in an
animated conversation with a young man. When he got off, however, she took
out her make-up kit and for 20 minutes worked on her lips, eyebrows, and
eyelashes. Obviously she got up a little late and had to do on the train
what she usually did at home. The Italian cosmetics industry has nothing to
fear.

Letters to the Editor

My little newsletter seems to need a letters to the editor column. Here are
three items I got this week.

One friend wrote to say that I was behind the times in the world of New
York newspapers. The range of taste does not run from the New York Times at
one end to the New York Daily News at the other. The New York Post has
supplanted the Daily News as the most trashy newspaper

Another friend took issue from my statement that the Times of London was a
delightful paper to read. His statement was: “I think in some way you may
have been misled in your newspaper reading. (Or we have different tastes.)
The Times of London under Murdoch has degenerated from its glory days into
a lousy newspaper. It is silly and sanctimonious, making big stories out of
non stories and missing the real stories. In the four months I read the
Times I never once saw anything we in the U.S. would call “enterprise”
reporting–unless you count a long article about whether ler was
homosexual. Lots of goofy focus on the royals, pop stars, and people who
are famous mostly for being famous. (Often twenty-something women who have
been sleeping around with famous people Tara Reid, I think, was one such
person.) The editorial page of the Times is pretty knee jerk conservative.
The most interesting paper in England is for my money the Independent,
though I found plenty of good stuff both in the Telegraph and the Guardian,
respectively. Of the four papers, I’d say the Times was the lowest quality.
One thing that I confess I enjoyed about the Times was its lifestyle
columnists, who wrote for the Saturday and Sunday papers. They were often
wickedly saucy. I also liked the obits in the Times–but then, they were
just as good in the other three papers I have mentioned. ”

A third friend wrote to amplify my praise of London Taxicabs: “The English
cabs are great. They are boxes which are designed for efficient packing
instead of tubes designed for efficient mailing. One can wheel 2 good size
suitcases right across the flat floor and still seat two persons
comfortably in the seat. Instead of the driver taking up the whole front
seat- one half of which he doesn’t use-he is lodged in just half of the
front seat. And yet they are as narrow as the smallest U.S. cars.”

One More Comment on My Observations from London

Last Week The story about Wallis Simpson running around with another man
while being wooed by the King of England apparently made the USA news too.
What may not have made all the accounts in USA was this item in the
International Herald Tribune. William Manchester in the second volume of
his biography of Winston Churchill said: “If the man existed with whom
Wallis enjoyed a platonic friendship, his name is lost to history.”

Temperatures in Tuscany

I actually saw ice on standing water in a field, but I’ve never seen this
in Pistoia. I was colder this week than I have ever been in Tuscany, but it
was INSIDE the Leonardo DaVinci Museum in his home of Vinci. By the way
Vinci is one of many “secondary” cities and towns in Tuscany that are
wonderful to visit. The town has the recently installed large horse statue
that DeVinci designed during his life but which was never build. Money for
it was raised primarily in USA, and it was cast in Fogelsville, PA.

January Sales

They are in full force in Italy. This has caused me to look at many store
windows. The Italians are better at arranging windows that the Americans
(remember Pistoia is a city of 90,000 not Rome). It is done with a style
and flair that is noticeable. Also many stores list in the window the sizes
that are still available on specific sales items. This is one of those
examples (not terribly common) where the Italians are very efficient.

Parade in Salerno

I turned on the TV to see a parade with large floats of flowers, bands,
majorettes, etc. It looked like the Rose Bowl parade. What was this?? It
was a parade in Salerno with the theme this year of Pinocchio. You would
never have know it was Italy, rather than Pasadena, until there was a 15
minute interlude in which the host reviewed with a local chef all types of
food specialties from Salerno while the parade simply passed by.

Amateur Musical Groups

I have not seen any amateur theatre groups here such as community theatre
groups at home, but amateur musical groups abound –both choral and
instrumental. As I mentioned in an earlier newsletter, such groups get
support from the local government. I get the impression that in most cases
an individual rounds up some of his or her friends and acquaintances to
start such a group and it grows from there. I recently went to a concert by
a town band of this sort. As is also typical, the program was quite varied
from operatic solos and symphonic excerpts to popular music pieces.

What is Most Typically Italian

On my favorite quiz show there was a recent question in which the
contestants had to pick from a list of 10 choices the characteristic that a
recent survey had shown most distinguished the Italians from other groups.
I did not catch if the persons surveyed were Italians, or foreigners, or
both.

There were some obviously wrong choices — e.g. strong civic sense, and
strong military tradition. But there were many plausible choices on the
list; interest in film, Catholic tradition, art of cooking, individualism,
creativity, and importance of family. The answer, however, was none of
these. It was “the art of getting by.”

Time to Sleep

I sleep more in Italy than in the USA both at night and at nap time.
Recently I got some new bottles of the three prescription medicines I take
each day. These bottles have possible side effects printed on the labels.
All three say “may cause drowsiness.” Hey, it’s a miracle that I get out of
bed at all.

My Trip to London

My trip to London was a quick one. The ceremonies at which I accepted an
award for Pedals for Progress were sponsored by an organization called
Worldaware. This group promotes international understanding and development
through business ventures. What was clear from the program and speeches is
that in Great Britain much of the interest in international development has
its foundation in Britain’s former role as a colonial power. This is
different that the impetus in the USA for such ventures.

London Taxicabs

They are the wonderful vehicles made solely for this purpose. A little like
the old Checker cabs in USA but even better. What amazed me is that they
are a full sized vehicle with such a short turning radius that a cab can do
a U turn from the middle lane of the street to the curb lane. All the
drivers are still native British sorts. The pay must be better so that the
job has not migrated totally to immigrants as in USA. One driver I met was
about to go to USA for 10 days, primarily to Nashville, His wife had won
the trip in a radio contest last year based upon the 25th anniversary of the
death of Elvis. At the B&B where I stayed there was a large picture of
Elvis in the main hallway. Elvis is still the King in the UK.

Food in London

Much better than when I first went to England in 1956. It’s better every
time that I go there. I had a marvelous Indian meal –better than any I’ve
had at an Indian restaurant in USA. I also had another very nice meal. For
an appetizer I ordered roasted peppers with feta cheese. The restaurant had
prepared these in advance (no big deal) and then refrigerated them. They
were tasty,but were cold when served to me. In Italy they might prepare
them in advance, but they would always heat them at least a little so that
they did not arrive at temperature of the refrigerator. Just another little
example of the little “extra” things that are done better here.

The Big News in London

The government has released the secret files surrounding the abdication
crisis of 1936 when Edward VII abdicated the throne to marry “the woman I
love” –twice divorced American Wallis Simpson.

It turns out that while Edward was wooing Wallis (and giving her lavish
gifts), she had another lover on whom she was showering gifts. In the words
of the Times her lover was “in the motor trade.” In America this means he
sold cars. The article in the Times noted that Edward preferred married
women who were more sympathetic to his “sexual inadequacies.” As always,
wonderful English understatement. From what I’ve heard Edward could have
served as both King and Queen of England. Anyway apparently Mrs. Simpson
did not suffer from any inadequacies in this regard.

I’ve always thought the English should be thankful to Mrs. Simpson.
Edward’s brother George was a much better king (in the difficult times of
WWII) than Edward would have been. George’s wife (the recently deceased
Queen Mother) similarly was a much better model for the people than Mrs.
Simpson ever would have been. I think the English should think of Mrs.
Simpson the way my Republican friends would have thought about Monica had
Bill Clinton resigned or been removed from office.

English Newspapers

London has papers ranging from the Times of London (a delightful paper to
read) to absolutely tasteless tabloids. In New York City you have the New
York Times at one end of spectrum and the New York Daily News tabloid at the
other. The distance between the Times of London and the English tabloids is
probably twice as far in taste as that between the New York Times and the
New York Daily News.

In the abdication crisis of 1936, while foreign newspapers had a field day
with sensational coverage to the events, the English newspapers were very
restrained in their articles. Compare that to the coverage in England of
the Royal Family today.