thisweekinitaly.com

(Sent early because tomorrow is a holiday in
Italy)

A New Wrinkle in a Church

In Italy in churches that have nice art works it is common to find a machine
where you insert 50 cents in order to activate a system of lights so you
can actually see the art works. Most churches are quite dark. But in
Florence
recently I saw something different. There were portable heaters near various
art works. You inserted 50 cents to turn on the heat so you could view the
art works in comfort.

American Beef

Italians in general do not have a high opinion of the quality of American
food, but I discovered that they think American beef is better than Italian
beef– and in the USA more economical too. I had a friend visit once who
is in the meat business in the USA and he too noted that the beef is better
in the USA. For pork, chicken, lamb, etc. the meat in Italy is certainly
as good as in the USA. Also the wild boar is better here.

Cuba–Tropical Paradise with an Additional Advantage

Italians can travel freely to Cuba. I discovered that for Italian men Cuba
has an advantage besides the climate and scenery. If you go to Cuba, they
don’t stamp your passport there. So you tell your wife you are off to
Germany
on business, and go to Cuba instead (with no evidence on the passport that
you
were ever there). It is easy for an Italian to be understood in a country
that speaks Spanish, and an Italian man doesn’t need an extensive Spanish
vocabulary to find what he is seeking in Cuba.

Art Exhibit in Montalcino

On my bike trip in Tuscany we visited Montalcino where the local museum was
hosting an exhibit of painted wooden sculptures by a contemporary artist
from Pistoia. What I found especially interesting was that these modern
works were integrated with the permanent collection throughout the museum.
So a sculpture of a modern woman was next to a medieval sculpture of the
Virgin Mary. A modern sculpture of an beautifully dressed angel was placed
in the room of elaborate ecclesiastical vestments. As so often in Italy,
things are done with a special nice touch.

Talking about Art Exhibits

I went to see the large exhibition in Florence of the works of Sandro
Bottecelli
and Filippo Lippi. An excellent show. At the exhibit were groups of Italian
school children not over 8 years of age. The teachers were explaining the
art works to them in a simplified format. Each child had a little pad of
writing paper; I assume to jot down impressions. I can see the 8 year old
now writing “In his middle period Lippi used more distinct delineation of
the underlying bone structure in his portraits, but, at the same time, his
color palette became more subdued.” This was just another example of how
Italian students are constantly inculcated with the importance of art.

Friday Night Concerts

I go to a series of Friday night concerts that take place in a small hall
that holds maybe 100 people. The director of the concert series serves as
the master of ceremonies. About a month ago, when he got up to introduce
that night’s artist, he first read a review of a recent concert in the
series that had appeared in the local newspaper. It seemed to be a
favorable review, but the writer characterized the recital room as “cold and
inhospitable.” This enraged the director. He asked folks to write the
newspaper in protest. The room is “cold” in the sense that, because the
heating system makes noise, it is turned off during the concerts. The
chairs are not particularly comfortable. But the room is intimate and the
acoustics are good. So I wouldn’t call it cold and inhospitable.

The next week the director at the start of the concert again referred to the
newspaper article. Last Monday there was a special concert in the series
featuring the Austrian pianist, Peter Lang. He is apparently more famous
than the typical performer in this series. So on the program was a special
note from the director titled “Thank You Maestro.” It gave special thanks
to Mr. Lang for honoring our series with his presence and playing in this
small room “that the local press has defined as cold and inhospitable.” I’m
wondering when, if ever, we will hear the end of the director’s anger at
this phrase in the local newspaper.

Bar and Pub

I’ve mentioned before that the Italian bar is something different than a
bar in the USA. There are, however, pubs in Italy which essentially are
like a bar in the USA. These appear to be popular with young people. They
stay open late while the bars close at 8.

Liberation Day

It is April 26 and celebrates the liberation of Italy from the Germans in
April 1945. It is unclear to me how important the Partisan movement (which
fought the Germans and the Italian fascists from 1943-45) was in hastening
the liberation of Italy by Americans and British forces. What is clear
is that Liberation Day is largely a holiday of the left in Italy. The left
in Italy still identifies with the Partisan movement in WWII in which the
communists had a big part. Berlusconi calls his opponents on the left (of
all parties) communists. The left in Italy frequently calls the right
“fascists.” In fact, the left uses the work “fascist” to describe almost
anything it
does not like–such as the American intervention in Iraq. It is a constant
surprise to me how this legacy from WWII perservers in Italian internal
politics
in a way that is not true in the rest of Europe. Greece had a bitter civil
war in 1946-48 between the government and the communists; it would be
interesting
to know if the legacy of that civil war continues in Greece as the legacy
of the Italian civil war endures here.

Language Lesson

I saw a sign in Italian and English. The Italian read “Si prega
cortesemente
di non toccare.” This translates “we beg you most courteously not to touch.”
The English
said “Please don’t touch.” It almost always takes more words in Italy
because
the thought has to be wrapped in a lot of polite language.

Political Talk

I’ve mentioned before that, unlike most Italian politicians, Berlusconi
speaks in a direct, understandable manner. This may be in part because he
has a strong coalition. In the past the governing coalitions in Italy were
often fragile. So I assume the leader had to be very circumspect in his
language lest he offend some party in the coalition that would then withdraw
from the coalition causing the government to fall.

The most successful politician in forging a coalition in Italy in the post
war years was Aldo Morrow. He actually put together a government that
included both right wing and left wing parties. He was a master of
obfuscation.
He once spoke of a policy proceeding on “converging parallel lines.”
Parallel
lines do meet in infinity, but that is rather a long timetable for political
action.

Three Card Monte

This confidence game (using either 3 cards or three match boxes and a pea)
is common in Italy. There was a recent headline about some practitioners
of this game being arrested in Florence. Anyone with half a brain should
know that this is a scam at which you can’t win. Maybe there is a good
supply of ignorant people who don’t know that this is a confidence game.
Or maybe there is a good supply of people who, even though they know this
is a confidence game, think that they are smart enough to win nevertheless.

Crime in Italy

Major crime is up 10%. I don’t have comparative statistics for the USA,
but in general I know (from teaching Criminal Justice for 20 years) that
the violent crime rate in the USA is much higher than that of any European
country. On my bikes I have front and rear flasher lights. These screw
into a mount. When I went to buy new ones at the bike shop, I could not
get the screw-in kind; the store only had those that easily detached from
the mount. This is so you can remove the light quickly and take it with
you when you get off the bike to prevent theft. In the USA flashing bike
lights (a cheap item) are not an something for which you worry about theft.

How Sweet it Is

In the USA artificial sweeteners tend to have zero calories. That’s the
good
news; the bad news is that they don’t taste anything like sugar. You
tolerate
the less pleasant taste to avoid the calories. In Italy these sweeteners
often have some sugar. They don’t have zero calories but 1/4 the calories.
The taste is much closer to that of sugar. The Italians are not willing
to make a complete compromise on the matter of taste to obtain zero
calories.

Inflation

To recharge you cell phone in Italy, you buy a card for let’s say 40 Euros.
It has a code number on the back. You call the cell phone provider and
enter this code to get a credit of 40 Euros on your phone. I’ve never done
this because at the cell phone shop they will do the recharging process
for you. I’ve simply taken the phone to the shop when I needed to add a
credit. But now there is a 5 Euro charge at the shop for this service.
So I’ll have to learn to do is myself. I hope that the phone company has
an English language number that you can call!!

Newspaper Headline

“Fake designer clothes; over 800 sweaters seized–two businessmen in
trouble.”
This is not the first time I have seen an item on the war against fake
designer
items. Italians seem to like designer clothes; I, on the other hand, am
not attracted by clothes with the designer’s name on them. I prefer not
to be a walking billboard for some company. Although if the price is very
good (which it rarely is), I will buy such an item. Italian friends, on
the other hand, often take pride in telling you that their shirt or their
watch is X designer brand.

Hint Number 63 That I am Not Italian

If I go to the supermarket dressed exactly as in Italian, I would still not
be seen as a native. The reason — I take a shopping list to the market.
Italians don’t use shopping lists. First, they look at the produce, the
type meat, etc. that seems to look the most fresh or be the best buy, and
purchase it. Second, as they survey the shelves, the items that catch their
eye become the basis of a meal that week. Shopping (like many other things)
is much less of a rational process in Italy and more a matter of inspiration
and emotion.

Under the Tuscan Sun

This week the American film opens in Italy. I wondered if it would be
released
here. The lovely Tuscan landscape is well know in Italy so people might
be less likely to go to a film to experience it. I guess the love story
(not at all part of the book from which the film takes its title) is seen
as one Italians would enjoy.

Artisan

As I’ve mentioned before, this word has a much broader application in Italy
than in the USA. There is candy made by artisans. At Easter you can buy
an ordinary Colomba (easter cake) for 3 or 4 Euros or an artisan one for
10 Euros. I’ve never done a taste test of artisan vs. non artisan items.
I’m always a bit suspicious that the artisan label may simply be a way
to charge a higher price — sort of like what is done with “natural” foods
in the USA.

Duck Soup

I got a copy of this 1933 Marx Brothers film. When I watched a little of
it (in English with English subtitles) with my Italian friend Sam and my
German friend Max, I discovered that much of the film was incomprehensible
to them. The reason is that Groucho’s dialog is (as was often the case)
a series of puns, and puns don’t translate into another language and are
the hardest thing for a non native speaker of English to decode. I was
stopping the film every 30 seconds to explain the dialog. Sample

Margaret Dumont to Groucho “You are the greatest statesmen in the land.”

Groucho in reply “That statement covers a lot of ground. Looking at you,
you cover a lot of ground too. If you ever collapsed , they could build
an office building in the space.”

The DVD of this film comes with subtitles in numerous languages, but it
is a bit amazing that such a film ever became popular abroad where neither
subtitles nor dubbing can convey the comedy of the dialog.

Correction

A Italian friend has presented to me a technical explanation on why paving
stones in some instances need to have a hand cut design on their surfaces
rather than a machine cut one. I confess that I don’t fully understand
the explanation, but this may be because (1) I don’t comprehend fully what
my friend is trying to tell me in English because of language differences
or (2) because I have no understanding of engineering problems. Rather
than debate the matter further, I accept his explanation.

New Location for Store

Near my house there was a very elegant store selling plates, crystal,
high-end
kitchen items, etc. The shop closed, and I was able to buy some very lovely
items at a good price at the inventory sale. It has now moved to a smaller
location, and I went to the opening. The owners are two sisters around
the age of 30. They are simply adorable– attractive with very pleasant
smiles and the gentile Italian manner. It may be dangerous for me to
go to the shop; if one of them smiles at me, I might end up buying a 200
Euro set of dishes. I am surprised that they are not married. Of course,
they may simply choose to remain single for any one of a number of good
reasons. Since Italian men who marry later in life tend to marry much
younger
women, many of the potential suitors of these two are probably in their
40s or 50s. Even if the sisters are disposed to get married, I don’t think
a bald,
slightly overweight, non wealthy American in his mid 60s, who speaks Italian
like a 12 year
old is in the running!!

Paving Stones

A street nearby me was repaved using cut rectangular stones. After the stones are put
in place a man comes with a chisel on a air-powered tool and roughs up the
surface on each stone so it provides better traction for pedestrians and
cars. This hand work of preparing the surface of the stones takes several
days. It seems to be something that could be done much quicker and
economically by a machine at the factory that cuts the stones. When I asked
my friend Sam about it, he said there was a technical reason for doing it by
hand, but he could not remember what it is. When I asked the workman doing
the task why it had to be done by hand, he simply repeated that it required
the personal touch. Last week in another city I saw similar stones where
the lines on the surface had obviously been cut by a machine.Until
someone can give me a better reason, I still think this is another example
of how some jobs are done in a slow, antiquated manner here simply to
provide jobs.

The Economic Effect of Tourism

The Florence newspaper had an article saying that 20% of the economic
output of the city is derived from tourism. I asked a hotel owner in San
Gimignano (a small town even more dependent on tourism) what the similar
figure is for his town. He said 30%. These figures seem low, but I am no
economist. It may be hard to exactly estimate the effect of tourism. For
example, if a person visits Florence and likes the leather products there or
hears from a visitor to Florence that Florentine leather goods are
wonderful, if this person then buys a leather product from Florence, is the
sale an effect of tourism or not? In San Gimignano other major industries
are olive oil and wine. How much of the sale of these local products
derives all or in part from the city’s reputation build upon tourism?

“Have a Nice Day”

When someone says this to you in the USA, you know it is an automatic
“polite” statement. The speaker in fact may care little about what kind of
a day you have. In Italy this statement is not used, but in everyday life
people may say certain polite things. They are likely to be more effusive
than “have a nice day.” Your new baby is not simply “cute” but is
“bellissima.” When foreigners find out that these more extreme type of
statements are not necessarily totally sincere, they sometimes see Italians
as two-faced or phony. To me such a response is simply a cultural
misunderstanding.

Don’t Eat Meat

As I’ve mentioned before, the campaign for folks not to eat meat is more
salient here than in the USA. A recent poster showed a close up of the
faces of a pig, rabbit, duck, and lamb. The writing said “look me in the
eye and then please, please, don’t eat me.” I guess a cow and a chicken are
considered too unattractive for use on this poster or perhaps for now too
far of a reach in the movement to stamp out meat eating.

Newspaper Headline of the Week

“Given ticket for parking while his motor is still running, motorist files
complaint against traffic policewoman.” Must have been a really slow news
day.

Road Signs

In Italy, as in the USA, road signs telling you how far to the next town are
not always consistent. I was taking a bike ride to Empoli to see an art
exhibit. Within 50 yards of each other I saw three signs for Empoli (at a
point where two roads joined). The distances on the three signs were 4km, 6
km, and 7 km.

Teaching Darwinian Evolution in the Schools

There was a brief item about this on TV news. The main point seemed to be
that this is a controversial issue in USA (and perhaps elsewhere). There is
no controversy in Italy. The Catholic Church accepts the theory of
evolution. Furthermore, Italians would pay no attention to religious groups
that tried to change the teaching of science for religious reasons.

The Cash Machine

When you get cash at a machine in Italy, you can choose to have instructions
in Italian, French, German, or English. After you get the money and the
card, the English screen tells you that the transaction is completed and the
machine will be ready for a new operation “in a few moment.” (In Italian it
is possible to express the idea of a “few moments” with a singular adjective
and noun.) Just a small example of the constant mistakes one sees in
translations. When I go to an art exhibit it is always immediately apparent
if the English descriptions have been done by a native speaker. When they
have been, I make it a point to complement the museum.

Train Mystery

Not infrequently you see on an Italian train a car on which neither of the
entrance doors work. There is a sign noting that the doors are broken. You
also cannot enter this car through the corridor from another car. In short,
the car is totally useless. I’ve wondered why the car is not simply removed
from the train. Maybe it is eventually. Or maybe the train system has an
agreement with the regions about the capacity it will offer on trains within
the region. So the empty car helps meet the agreed upon capacity in
“theory” if not in practice.

Vacation

I’m off to Sweden for two weeks to visit my cousin there. So there may be
an interruption in This Week in Italy. The middle of August is a lousy time
to stay in Italy –hot and many things are closed for vacation. Sweden
should be better.

Sky TV

Sky TV is the satellite program provider like Dish TV and Direct TV in USA.
The big item in their advertisements is major league soccer from all over
Europe. This service offers 14 different channels of soccer coverage. This
gives some idea of the importance of soccer here.

Speaking of Soccer

I’ve mentioned that I don’t understand the Byzantine regulations of the
profession soccer. There was a scandal about improper accounting practices
among many teams. The Naples squad this year (even if it did not have
improper accounting practices) had more debts than expenses. Under the
rules of the Soccer Federation, Naples had to drop from Series B (middle
level) to Series C (bottom level of major teams).

At this point, one does not need to know anything about the rules of the
Federation. One needs only know that (1) Naples is a large city for which
placement in Series C is a disgrace, and (2) the people of Naples are up in
arms about this development. If you know these two facts, you know that a
way will be found (regardless of the rules) to keep Naples in Series B.
Today’s headline said “Naples to remain in Series B.”

New Drivers

In Italy you see cars with a big “P” stuck on the back window. This is
tantamount to the Student Driver sign in USA. The P is the initial of
“Principiante” (Beginner) It’s compulsory when the person who is driving the
car is not yet licensed. Of course a driving instructor has to be in the car
and the vehicle must be a dual control one. (I’d swear that I have seen
this P on regular cars with only one driver.) In the past sometimes one
could also see the phrase “Excuse me please, I am learning” (unofficial,
sign) but now it has disappeared.

I’d prefer a sign for the USA that has an S and stands for Senior Citizen.
This would be mandatory on all cars driven by someone over 75. When someone
says to me something like “My grandfather is 86 and he still drives, ” I
always ask “Would you get in the car with him driving?” I don’t recall ever
getting a “yes” answer to this inquiry. The Italians, by the way, do a
better job than the Americans in getting incompetent old drivers off the
road.

Bike Ride on Italian Rail/Trail

I took a delightful ride on a path that was the route of a former narrow
gauge railway in the mountains that connected little towns to the main rail
line. After 1965 the narrow gauge railway was replaced by buses. There is
a brochure in English about this path. It describes the starting point as
“Square near the old train station of Limestre.” When I got to Limestre I
had to ask four different people before I found someone who knew where the
old train station was. If there was a square nearby, I did not see it. The
brochures said that the path is signed with “wooden signs which show a
little train.” I saw no such signs. Fortunately there were some large signs
at a few trail heads. The path was well maintained.

Abandoned Dogs

I’ve done some more research on why vacation time is the big time to abandon
dogs. Many Italians give a puppy as a Christmas gift. When it is August 8
months later, there are few kennels (very expensive) that board dogs and dog
sitters are very hard to find. Furthermore, a kennel will only take a dog
that has all its shots and its required tattoo. Italians usually don’t have
a yard where dog could stay with a dog house with a neighbor to bring food
and water. This is no excuse for what happens; just a little additional
explanation.

Smart Business

Last year I had some American friends who came to pick olives in Italy.
They paid to stay at the farm and then provided labor to the owner. I’ve
discovered that other olive grove owners too have used this method. Maybe
the orchard owners in my home county in the USA, Adams County (PA) are
missing a good bet here – replace migrant labor with vacationing Americans.

Death of a Killer

A few weeks ago a man wanted for murder shot a policeman. The killers
nickname was “The Wolf.” There was a one-week national manhunt; his photo
was everywhere.He was identified by a pedestrian in Rome who contacted
the police. The Wolf grabbed a hostage when confronted by the police. She
ducked her head, and a policeman shot him. The Wolf was rushed to the
hospital where he died. Same story could have happened in USA except in USA
the Wolf would have received about 20 bullets, and the trip to the hospital
would have been unnecessary.

Where Do Old Rock Stars Go

Simon and Garfunkle held a concert in Rome at which the papers said there
were 500,000 people. Of course some think the crowd figure was inflated.
Apparently the two singers do not get along with each other. So they sang
their old hits (each at a separate microphone) without any conversation
between them. I guess for that kind of money, one can get on the stage with
his greatest enemy. Of course in USA, old stars also do concerts of their
favorite songs form the past. (I do like the Ricky Nelson song “Garden
Party” in which he says he refuses to sing only the old songs.) In Italy,
however, these events are often featured on the evening news.

Headlines of the Week

Several Departments of Hospital Closed for Vacation. I doubt that this is
really news; it probably happens every year. In August many shops and
factories close in Italy—so why not parts of the Hospital too.

Lighting Strikes Three Persons in Religious Procession (I guess no place is
totally safe in a thunderstorm.)

Town Social club

In towns around here there are organizations called “Circle” that function
as social clubs. They were founded by left wing (or maybe in some cases
right wing) political parties, but they have evolved into social clubs with
little political content. The local town priest is even a volunteer barman
at the Circle. Recently a friend of mine asked her daughter’s boyfriend to
go down to the local Circle and buy a bottle of wine needed for dinner. He
refused because he is of the political right and thus would not set foot in
this Circle. Just a little hint about the severe political divisions in
Italy.

La Dolce Vita

There was a showing of this classic film at the town hall in conjunction
with the photo exhibit I mentioned in an earlier newsletter about Italy in
the 50s and 60s. It was raining at the time the film was shown. I think I
was the only viewer (among four) who was not on the staff of the office
showing the movie. Half way through the film, the tape malfunctioned, and
that was the end of the viewing. If you have any questions about the first
1/2 of La Dolce Vita, just ask me.

Doing Business by E Mail in Italy

Many Italian businesses have e mail and web sites. But in my experience with
hotels, tourists bureaus, and moving companies, the chance of your e mail
message being answered by the company is less than 50-50. The one exception
is Bed and Breakfast accommodations that do reply almost always. In Italy
the form is often modern,
but the reality is a bit more medieval.

Proof Number 1001 that Satan Really Exists

Headline in local newspaper, “Snake in Holy Water, Fear Grips the Mass.”
This happened at the Basilica near my apartment. Some blame the Muslims
since a number of them live on the street by the church. If I were a Muslim
living in Pistoia, I would not think putting a snake in the Holy Water Font
was good idea. Perhaps it was a teenage prank. I also recall a friend
telling
me that there are many Satanic cults around Pistoia — another possible
suspect.

A Truly United Europe

I saw a sign in a shoe store that advertised Kowalski shoes. These are a
brand with a Polish name, made in Spain, and sold in Italy and I assume
elsewhere in Europe. If in fact this is a Polish company, with the entrance
of Poland into the ECC, I would not be surprised if the manufacturing of
these shoes moved from Spain to Poland. The new members of the ECC from
Eastern Europe are generally lower wage countries so a shift of some
manufacturing to these locations can be expected.

Johnny Stecchino

This is the name of a very funny film of about 10 years ago by Robert
Bergnini.
I recommend it highly. I saw it again (the third time) in my Italian class.
Part of the film takes place in Palermo, Sicily, and the Sicilian characters
speak with the Sicilian accent. Most Italian immigrants to the USA were
from Sicily and Southern Italy where the accent is somewhat similar to
that in Sicily. As I listened to the dialog, a dim light went on in the
far recesses of my brain. This dialog sounded like the Italian I heard
as a child when my relatives spoke Italian about matters that were deemed
too adult for the children to hear them. To a Tuscan the Italian spoken in
the south sounds mumbled and indistinct; I’m sure the Tuscan accent sounds
funny also to those from the south.

Cycling

The bicycle club to which I belong in Hanover, Pennsylvania has its rides
on Sunday afternoon. Sunday morning is for church. In Italy, large groups
of riders venture out on Sunday morning. Sunday afternoon is for the Sunday
dinner. Of course, many of these riders may have gone to Mass on Saturday
night — don’t
bet on it. I saw such a group last Sunday as I was going to the train
station
to take the train to my church in Florence. The next day there was a
headline
in the paper that a 57 year old cyclist had died of a heart attack while
riding. I wondered if he was in the group I saw. I’ve had three friends who
died the same way over the years. In one way it is not a bad death — dying
while you are doing something you
love. Think of Bing Crosby dying on the golf course or Nelson Rockefeller
dying in his apartment in the company of his young female “research
assistant.”

The Local Bar

I wrote a while back about a newspaper article concerning a local bar (in a
historic
building) that had been a meeting place over the years for writers and
artists.
The owner said he would have to close because of falling profits unless
the local government “did something.” I could not figure out what he wanted
the government to do; I suggested that perhaps he simply wanted a subsidy.
That is in fact what he got! In the United States you might get a tax
break for the costs of the rehabilitation a historic building, but you would
not get a subsidy for your business in that building. A friend of mine
doubts
that the bar was losing money. He thinks it all was a clever ploy
by the owner.

Child at Candy Store

I was in my favorite chocolate shop to buy some Easter candy. On the
counter
was a small plate of free samples. A lady was there with her husband and
two children. The children each took a sample, but then the 6 year old girl
wanted more. The mother offered her a little piece, but she wanted a bigger
piece. She kept reaching for the bigger piece. Her mother kept saying no
and pulling her hand away.

I said to myself, “the little girl will persist until she gets the piece.”
That is what happened. In the USA there is good chance the mother would
have slapped the girl’s hand with a sharp rebuke leading to a tearful
episode.
Now, of course, another Italian mother might have been more strict, and
a child who persisted in the United States also might have gotten the candy.
Nevertheless, children are more indulged in Italy — that was the basis
of my prediction that came true. I can’t determine that these indulgent
child-rearing practices result in adults who are more maladjusted.

The Passion of Christ

It has opened in Italy. There was a discussion on a TV show as to whether
the film is too violent. Not much controversy was sparked. Italians in
general would be very unlikely to censor films. Film is an art form, and
artists must be given great leeway. An article in the
Pistoia newspaper gave the conclusions of a local priest that the film
is authentic and not anti-semitic. In Italy, however, the controversial
line in the film about the blood of Jesus’ death being upon the Jews and
their descendents forever was not included in the Italian dialog. Having
been part of the perpetrators of the holocaust, however reluctantly, the
Italians are probably more sensitive than Americans about anti-semitic matters
(although, as
I have noted in the past, not to the same extent that the Germans are.