thisweekinitaly.com

h3. New Photo on Web Site

In response to cries of outrage from some readers ( “photo hardly a babe magnet”, “photo does not reflect your fashion style” and “it looks like you might be sitting on a toilet” ), my webmaster has put a new photo on my site www.bob.it.tt. I can’t say the new one is incredibly handsome-you can only do so much with the basic raw material.

h3. I Hate to Say “I Told You So” but

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When new rules were proposed to control soccer violence (identification of ticket holders, video surveillance, new barriers to control crowd flow), I noted (newsletter 137) that these were expensive to install. I thought maybe only a few major stadiums would fully implement them. Well this week, as the soccer season is about to open, the newspaper noted that no stadiums
have been fully retrofitted yet to implement the new rules. My guess is that, if for some reason violence is less this season, the reforms will never take place. If violence continues unabated, it will be interesting to see what it the response.

When the new law came into effect that police could seize motor scooters of those without helmets, I wondered (newsletter 144) how this would ever be enforced in Naples when helmetless riders are common. The law also allows seizure for other offenses such as two people on a single person scooter or riding no hands. Well, as is typical in Italy, there was item on news showing the police seizing a few motor scooters in Naples so it appears the law will be being strictly enforced. Few are fooled by this one time demonstration. But forget about Naples. In Tuscany (where almost all wear helmets) local police nevertheless say that the penalties of new law are too severe. (Also it is inconvenient for police to have to seize and store scooters.) A local police chief told his officers to apply this law with intelligence and fairness. In short, don’t seize the scooter. Very typical of Italy. A law is not obeyed. Penalties are increased. Penalties are not enforced as too severe.

h3. Traffic

At end of the Holiday Season in Italy a favorite news story is where are the longer traffic jams. Stationary lines of over 10 miles in length are common coming into the big cities. As I’ve noted before, Italy simply does not have an adequate road system for the volume of cars in the nation.

h3. The Film “Kinsey”

I saw this movie in the USA and thought it was very good. At first I did not notice any release of this film in an Italian version. Then I discovered that it was shown only in a few large cities. In the USA there are films that get a limited release in New York, LA and perhaps a few other places. But to pay the costs of fully dubbing a film into Italian and then having only a limited release in Italy was surprising to me.

h3. Comic Strip in USA

A friend sent me the following “comic strip”:http://www.comics.com/webmail/ViewStrip?key=38731295-1266854b78-FF from the USA. In case you cannot download it, it concerns the Character Frazz discussing his favorite biking roads. The list includes “Tuscany between Pistoia and Lucca.” I’ve ridden part of this road. As in most of Tuscany, it is very lovely, but it is not one of best Tuscan biking roads. Also on the list is the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia. I did that in a car, not a bike, because in
addition to the taxing uphills, the downhills struck me as very dangerous with sharp descents and little shoulder. So Frazz and I aren’t totally in agreement.

h3. Whom Do You Trust?

The latest controversy about Lance Armstrong and performance-enhancing drugs is, of course, in the news in Italy. I have not followed it closely. The cynical Italians would not be surprised that any athlete took such substances. On the other hand, this story has played out as a vendetta of the French against Lance. I think if you asked the average Italian. “Whom do you trust more: Lance Armstrong or the French”?, Lance would be the winner.

h3. A Strange Story

The newspaper “24 Hours” is the Italian “Wall Street Journal.” Like the Journal, it has regular news as well as financial news. Recently it published a long letter from a man who is a well known Italian journalist. The letter told a story that the journalist admitted he had a hard time getting people to believe. On the Autostrade there is a booth where you can pay the toll with a special credit card. A voice at the booth says a few phrases such as “good-by” and “drive safely.” Of course the writer thought
this was a prerecorded voice. But he noted one time that the voice seemed a little different than the last time. Then his riding partner let him in on a secret. There is no prerecorded voice. Inside the little booth is a dwarf lady. The author claims to have seen such a woman exit from the booth at a 4 am shift change. Now the improbabilities in this story are numerous; one
could simply see it as “tongue-in-cheek.” But “24 Hours” is a serious newspaper not given to humor articles.

h3. A Meal

I was invited to dinner with some Italians. As you know, I never refuse an opportunity to eat in an Italian home. Here was the menu:

* Spaghetti with clams in light pesto sauce
* Lentil and bean soup served over bread
* Roasted rabbit and sausage in an herbed olive oil sauce
* Polenta (which I don’t care for plain, but which is good with meat sauce over it)
* Fried peppers
* Green salad with exquisite balsamic vinegar (the well aged variety)
* Lemon Tart
* Homemade raspberry sorbet with raspberries and blackberries on top
* Fresh figs
* White and red wine
* Dessert wine
* Water
* Coffee

As so often in Italy, as you are eating, the thought flashes through your mind “This is really wonderful!”

h3. Moving Art Works Inside

Recently a prominent outdoor statue was harmed in Florence when a photographer climbing on it broke off a hand. This led to a call by one art historian to move Cellini’s statue of Perseus inside from the Loggia dei Lanzi and to replace it with a copy outside. This has already been done with many art works including the “Doors of Paradise” on the Baptistery in Florence. Moving works inside not only protects them from vandals (although vandals can strike inside) but more importantly protects them from the effects of the weather. One thing you learn quickly in Italy is that marble is not a very hard stone.

h3. Preservatives in Italian Food

There is clearly less of them. Things spoil faster even in the refrigerator. Of course things also generally taste better. If you buy a fruit soda, it must have at least 12% real fruit juice. I don’t know if the real fruit juice is the reason, but the soda in fact turns sour after a few weeks.

h3. Granitè -Between a Snow Cone and a Slurpy

In the USA a snow cone comes in a paper cone in which thick syrup is poured over crushed ice. The syrup however quickly migrates to the bottom of the cone. So after you suck out the syrup, you are left with a half-filled cone of unflavored ice. Now in a slurpy (from a machine) the crushed ice and flavoring are uniformly mixed, but the flavor is less intense than that of a snow cone. A granitè in Italy has the uniformly mixed flavoring of a slurpy, but the intense thick syrup taste of a snow cone. It is one of those 1001 things (most often with food) that are done just a little better in Italy.

h3. Corrections about the Marital Life of European Politicians

First a correction from a reader of my item last week about those multiple marrying Krauts. “Bob you totally messed up on the German facts : Our Chancellor is on his fourth wife. And our state secretary has had 4 marriages, all divorced and now has a girlfriend (a Persian university student) that is 28 years younger than him. Well not quite imaginable in the US or Italy.”

Concerning Silvio Berlusconi about whom I admitted ignorance concerning his marital life, this clarification arrived: “Silvio Berlusconi has divorced once. The woman whom he lives with is his second wife. (Yes, he does live with her). She is an uncommonly good-looking lady, apparently much younger than him. She is also said to be a witty and nice person. In Italy it is a tradition for Prime Ministers to appear in public without their wives (or companions, anyway), especially during official ceremonies.”

Having watched Silvio in action, if I were Mrs.. B., I would not trust him any farther than I could throw him — and he is not a light load to toss.

h3. Museum Costs

On the TV I heard a claim that entrance fees to Italian museums are the lowest in Europe – no museum costs more than 6 Euro. In the USA in contrast, the story said, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (or perhaps it was the Museum of Modern Art), has a ticket price of $20. I think this reflects the fact that museums receive more government support in Italy. As I have noted before, government support for the arts is much more accepted and expected here than in the USA.

h3. Engagements in Italy

Young people often get engaged at 18 or 19 with the expectation that marriage will not take place until after 26. This is different than in the USA where engagement is usually the prelude to marriage within a year or so. During these long Italian engagements apparently it is not uncommon for one or both of the couple to have relationships “on the side.” Here is an area where I prefer the American system of open dating during the early 20s rather than a premature engagement.

h3. When an Engagement Goes Sour

August is a slow month for news in Italy. Recently the local headline in the newspaper told of an argument between a couple that were formerly engaged. It led to one of them bopping the other over the head with a chair. He is 80 years old and she is 72.

h3. On a Clear Day You Can’t See Forever

I took a tour to the top of the bell tower in Pistoia. It was a very clear day. The guide pointed out the Duomo in Florence of which I could barely perceive a faint outline in the distance. In the past this could be seen clearly on such a day, but now there is too much pollution. There was probably less pollution on this day because there is less traffic in the cities in August when so many Italians are on vacation.

h3. The Tale of Two T Shirts

I received two T shirts as gifts this week. The first from my son Chris had on the front “Sarcasm–Just one more free service I offer.” Nobody who knows me can understand why anyone would deem this T shirt appropriate for me, but I graciously accepted the gift. The second was a shirt with the name of a local company on it that the company distributes as a promotional item.

Although the first T shirt is of good quality, the cotton in the second one is clearly softer and finer. You would not think that a company would go to “the top of the line” for a simple promotional T Shirt, but in Italy such subtle improvements in quality (especially in food and clothes) are common.

h3. Wrecking the Family Car

I have mentioned that Italian parents are quite indulgent toward their children, especially sons. But it may be that there is one sin that is not easily forgiven. Within the past four months there have been two stories in the Pistoia paper about local lads who committed suicide on the same night that they had an accident in the family car. Although one can’t know for sure, I assume they were terrified of their father’s reaction to this bitof news.

h3. Vacation Plans

An Italian couple who had planned to go to Sharm al-Sheikh in Egypt for vacation (Egypt is a popular destination for Italians) cancelled their plans after the bombing there. Instead they went to Tunisia and were among the victims when the plane back from Tunisia crashed in a lake in Sicily. After the bombing, Sharm al-Sheikh was probably very safe because of heightened security and because terrorists were unlikely to strike at a place now devoid of tourists.

h3. Governor of the Bank of Italy

He is Italy’s Alan Greenspan, but unlike the head of the Federal Reserve, the Governor of the Bank of Italy has a lifetime appointment. This anomaly goes back to 1946. The head of the Treasury at that time was also the Governor of the Bank of Italy; it appeared that this post might go to a member of the Communist Party. This worried some non Communist members of Parliament who were able to split these two positions and appoint a non Communist to head the Bank of Italy for a life time appointment. Some Governors has resigned after 10 years, but they are not required to do so. Very typical of Italy – a short-term solution to a problem that has detrimental long-term implications. The current Governor of the Bank of Italy (who has tayed beyond 10 years) is involved in a controversy in which intercepted phone conversations (leaked to the press) show that he has acted improperly. Many are calling for his resignation,but it is unclear that anyone can make him resign.

h3. Web Site

My web site www.bob.it.tt has been redesigned with many new features. Take a look. Thanks as always to my web master, Max Hoffman[n]

h3. An Indisputatble Truth about Silvio Berlusconi

As in most nations, there is much debate in Italy about whether the head of the country is doing a good job. But whether or not he is doing “good”, it is clear that Silvio Berlusconi is looking good. Since coming to office he has undergone one face life and two hair transplants. He is a self-proclaimed “ladies man” ( always a dubious claim if made by the person himself), and he is rarely pictured with his wife. I don’t even know if they live together, but such things are not important in Italy. In fact, they may be less important in all of Europe. The German Chancellor is on his third wife, and the German Foreign Minister is on his fifth.

h3. Getting the Mail

A good friend of mine helps with the personal affairs of an elderly English woman who lives near here. For some reason the telephone company bills to this woman did not include the full street address. The postman (who knew very well where to deliver these bills) told the lady that he would stop delivering them unless they had the full address. So the lady called the phone company, and the next bill was properly addressed. But this correction lasted only one month. So the mailman stopped delivering the bills. After four months the phone company terminated her service. Now she has to pay a fine and wait a week to have service reinstituted. She should have become suspicious when the bills stopped coming. Nevertheless in the USA, I believe, the postman would not have stopped delivering them, and the phone company would have called before terminating service.

Meanwhile on the news was the story of a postman who had not delivered any mail to his route for five months. The mail was accumulated at his house. I am amazed that it took five months for the recipients of the mail to realize what was happening and for the post office to react. Welcome to the bureaucracy of Italy.

h3. Boat in Venice

When I was in Venice last week, a barge was trying to negotiate a tight corner between two canals. As always in Italy a by-stander weighed into the problem with unsolicited advice. The boat got part way through the corner and was stuck. The next thing I noticed was that the crew abandoned ship. Maybe a stop at a local bar would allow them to clear their heads and come up with a solution.

h3. Thoughts on Venice

Venice is probably the city in Italy most dependent on tourism. It was build as it is to resist the attacks of enemies. In this mode it was very successful, but today a city totally surrounded by water, with no cars, and constantly sinking is a difficult place to live. Everything must be delivered by boat and then by hand truck. Walking is the fastest way to get around. The main tourist thoroughfares are mobbed, but one can find quiet, empty streets elsewhere.

When asked about Venice, Italians tend to say it is unique rather than comparing it to other cities. It is truly unique. In nice weather, it is the most beautiful city I have ever visited. It is like living in a picture postcard. In fact to produce a book of lovely photos of Venice, one does not need to be an accomplished photographer. It’s narrow streets also give a glimpse of what life was like in a medieval city.

h3. Moderate Muslims?

A debate is taking place in Italy that is probably matched elsewhere. Some political leaders want to open a dialog with moderate Italian Muslims figuring that the best way to fight terrorism is to have allies within the Islamic community. Others say that the idea of “Moderate Muslims” is an illusion; the Islamic community is simply to be mistrusted.

h3. Cooking in the USA and Italy

There are clearly great cooks and poor ones in each country –although probably fewer poor ones in Italy. A close friend visited the USA and ate with an American family. He described the woman making spaghetti sauce while having a drink and also browsing through a magazine. He saw the whole process as quite casual. The sauce took maybe 30 minutes to prepare. He said the same process would take over three hours in Italy, and the result would be much better. I asked him how Italian women who worked outside the home could spend three hours making sauce. He said they would make it on Sunday afternoon and freeze it.

h3. What Do You Do on the Hottest Day of the Year in Pistoia ?

I and a friend took a bus up to the ski area of Abetone, 30 miles north of Pistoia. At Abetone we took the ski lift to the top of the mountain. At the top of the mountain it was comfortable. In the past there was a lot of summer tourism in mountain resorts like Abetone. There still is some, but very many Italians in Tuscany now have their own second home in the
mountains. So there is no need to rent a hotel room at a resort.

h3. New Helmet Law

There has been a required helmet law in Italy for a few years for motorcyclists and those on motor scooters. A new addition to this law allows police to seize the vehicle of someone not wearing a helmet. Now, as I mentioned before, in Naples helmets are the exception, not the rule. So what will happen:

# will the people in Naples change their ways and all wear helmets from now on (unlikely)
# will the police in Naples enforce this law permanently (unlikely)
# will the police in Naples end up with thousands of seized vehicles from scofflaw Neapolitans (unlikely)
# will the police in Naples enforce this law for a short time and then things will go back to as they were (possible), or will the law really never be enforced much in Naples (most likely)?

h3. Public Bathrooms in Italy

Although I’ve been in some BAD restrooms, especially in gas stations, in the USA, public bathrooms are generally better in the USA than in Italy. When you go to a public bathroom you want five things: a toilet that flushes, toilet paper, water to wash your hands, soap to wash your hands, and a way to dry your hands (towels or a hot air machine). The chances that an Italian public bathroom (other than one you pay for) has all five of these items are: less than 50% in a train station or on a train, about 50% in a bar, and maybe 60-70% in a restaurant. If you consider a seat on the toilet to be another essential of a decent public bathroom, the percentages above must be lowered.

h3. The Christian Family

This is the name (translated from the Italian) of a magazine published by or on behalf of the Catholic church in Italy. It is a news magazine, not a narrowly religious one. Recently the cover story was about the Tour de France with a picture of Lance Armstrong on the cover. I found this mildly ironic in that Armstrong is not religious and specifically has said that his “miraculous” recovery from cancer had nothing to do with religious faith on his part. (His case was tailor made for a “my faith brought me through the crisis” story.) Now of course, this magazine as a news magazine, has non Christian people on its cover, but nevertheless it is my suspicion that the editors of The Christian Family knew more about Lance’s bicycling achievements than about his lack fo religious belief, and had they know the latter, he would not have been on the cover.

h3. Party for Friends

I had a party for some of my friends at the pizzeria (where an American is one of the owners) near my house. It was not a party to mark any particular occasion, although I did invite, among others, all those people who came to visit me in the hospital in January. This type of event was so “Non Italian” that my Italian friends were perplexed why I was having a party. Despite their perplexity,we all had a very nice time.

h3. A Glimpse of “Modern” Venice

While in Venice recently I saw a Gondola cruising along a canal. In front was a singer and guitarist. The singer was singing the Spanish song “Besseme Mucho” (forgive the spelling). I’m not sure if he was singing in Spanish or Italian, but it didn’t matter; the Japanese passengers in the gondola understood neither. Meanwhile in the rear, the Gondolier rowing the boat was at the same time talking on his cell phone.

h3. Speaking of My Health

I sent the results of my three CAT scans to a friend who is a very prominent cardiologist in Los Angeles. He concurs with my Italian doctors that no surgery is called for at this time. He suggested that I get an MRI too. I will see if my Italian doctor will order this test too. If not, I can get it when I return to the USA in December.