2006 Elections. The really big news here this week is of course the election results – or rather “non-results”.The polls closed here in Italy Monday afternoon at 3:00 pm local time and by Wednesday afternoon the election was still “too close to call,” although Roman Prodi, the center-left candidate and challenger to Mr. Permatan was claiming victory. (Image taken in Porte Sante cemetery.)
Naturally the center right coalition led by BushBoy Silvio says no way and they are leaning toward calling for a recount. The Italians are such generally sensible and responsible people and yet it amazes me as to how they could place any faith whatsoever in a man such as Berlusconi, a buffoon and a toadie of the Bush administration, and worse a leader who has let Italy slide further down the food chain in Western Europe.
Of course there is no guarantee that Mr. Prodi, Mr. Permatan’s main challenger will prove any more capable of making serious inroads into Italy’s most pressing problems (immigration, the economy, the bureaucracy to name just three). But it is fair to say that Silvio won’t do much since he hasn’t yet although his government has proven the longest lasting in Italy’s postwar history!
In fact it is probably safe to say that he has squandered the time and resources necessary to make a real difference to his country and his countrymen, putting his primary efforts into looting the country for the benefit of himself and his cronies. Remember his argument has always been that what Italy’s government needed was a CEO’s style – in essence running a country was not unlike running a large corporation. Whatever one might make of such a debate – and it has both profound pros and cons – it is safe to say that Berlusconi’s idea of running a corporation was shared by those who ran Enron if you get my drift.
This is uncomfortably similar to what happened in the United States.
But the growing concern is that there will be a general paralysis of the government and that after some months of persistent ineffectiveness the new government will fall only to be replaced by another and then another . . . well, I think you get the point. Italy wants stability so badly is will tolerate someone like Berlusconi if they think he can provide it. That’s the tragedy.
Travel tips in Florence – “toilets” and “driving”
Toilets. I know this is not the most palatable of topics but hey when it’s the middle of a hot June day, you’ve been drinking caffe macchiatos all morning and then down a half liter of white wine at lunch and a liter of water after that, well a public restroom can start to look pretty good after a couple of hours processing all that fluid.
Bathrooms, restrooms, toilettes, bagno, WC, you might see any of these signs which will direct you (hopefully) to the right location. Sometimes it will be one unisex room; it might be a unisex common room split off into individual stalls. In any event don’t worry about the pleasantries just go in – trust me people understand these things.
You might want to carry one of those small packets of Kleenex, the kind women carried in their purses, since many places may not have paper. Ever. Italy still has a lot of the “squat and hover” WCs so be prepared to perform some acrobatics.
Unfortunately, there are few public facilities available in Florence, and those that do exist are usually a bit on the unpleasant side, hygienewise. And you will almost always have to pay for public bathrooms so have 50 or 70 cents on hand. Bars, hotels etc., are usually free.
And don’t hesitate to use a bar – the Italians do it all the time themselves. Except for some of the street people whom just go in between the dumpsters that line many of the streets. If you do use a bar time it with lunch or buy a cup of coffee. Hotels can be a bit dicey except for some of the larger ones. Museums will also have public bathrooms but remember you usually have to pay to get to it.
So where to “go” in Florence?
The train and bus stations all have public facilities; at the bus station they give you a little packet of what appear to be Kleenex; don’t throw this away! Trust me you will need this. Nearly every McDonald’s has open facilities but that’s not always a good thing.
Paszkowski’s on Piazza della Repubblica has a great set of bathrooms in the lower level – just walk in toward the bar area, turn right and then take the stairs on your left down to the restrooms. And check out the large department stores COIN on Via Calzaiuoli and La Rinascimente just off the Piazza della Repubblica.
Driving. One word: “don’t. Unless someone is holding a gun to your head do not drive in this city. Now I love driving in Italy. In fact I think that as a rule Italians are some of the best drivers in the world – I mean they know that the left lane on the autostrada is for passing only.
But driving in the city is insane. The one-way street system would confuse Einstein and you never know which street is going to be closed for construction, a demonstration or what. And the streets here are just not designed for all the pedestrians, cars, busses, and motor scooters – by the way another device created by the gods from hell. Scooters were designed to allow people inexpensive mode of transportation but have truly become a diabolical device: they go everywhere, anywhere, at any time, and a line of them parked along the street actually creates an impenetrable wall of metal that prohibits crossing the street.
And then there’s the parking. Why are all these people driving around? They’re looking for a place to park! Is that what you came on vacation for? You can do that sort of nonsense back home.
And traffic in Florence is strictly limited to permit holders only – although you can get waivers through your hotel. And believe me they will ticket you. It happens all the time. And the plan is in the works for the local government to put in place a congestion tax now like they have in London.
And there’s the gas, which right now is over 5 bucks a gallon, and the insurance for renting a car – Italy not only has some of the highest taxes on car rentals but they require certain mandatory insurance premiums as well.
Out of the Ordinary – “a cemetery stroll”
Now most guidebooks rarely bring up cemeteries as places to visit. Unless, that is, one can identify a particular celebrity or famous person who might be buried there, places such as in the Protestant cemetery in Rome or Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, DC. And few guidebooks on Florence mention the Porte Sante cemetery (laid out in 1854), surrounding the gorgeous church San Miniato all of which overlooks the entire city of Florence. This is really quite a shame since this place is an absolutely fantastic outdoor sculpture garden. Among the people buried there is Carlo Collodi, the guy who created Pinocchio.
But it is much, much more than just sculpture. Wandering among the stones you can see profound sentimentality, tragic love and nostalgia.
You might also get a hint at what the large house-like tombs might have looked like along the ancient Roman Appian Way.
One can also get a sense for the strength of feeling Florentine society has for its very personal history, a history written in the lives and loves and deaths of its citizens, mostly unknown men, women and children, who went about their daily lives doing what our species has always done, simply trying to enjoy life for as long as possible.
In the Capitoline museum in Rome is a room filled with the busts of nameless Romans, but with faces that betray their connections with the rest of us: fat, thin, worrisome, happy, smiling, all very lifelike in their portrayal of the subject. So too in Porte Sante: busts of men and women striving to depict in stone the deceased as he or she hoped to be remembered.
Each stone tells a tale, a story as interesting as anything found in the Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio. One example of just such a story concerns Maria and Mario Mazzone.
Maria Grazia Collela was born in 12 February 1922, and Mario Mazzone was born 28 November 1919. Mario was a radio operator in the Regia Aeronautica (the Italian Air force), and died on 22 July 1944, in or near Hamm, Germany. In September of 1943 the Italians ousted Mussolini from power and switched sides, joining the Allies in their war against Germany and Japan. So why was Mario in Hamm, Germany, some ten months later? Was he one of the units that remained loyal to the Germans? Or was he one of the many Italians taken as POWS by the Germans when Italy switched sides? We do know that on the day Mario died a group of U.S. B-24 bombers struck the rail yards at Hamm, Germany, inflicting serious damage. Was he killed during that raid?
And Maria died on 31 May 1945, barely ten months after Mario’s death.
In a cemetery filled with sculpture, and with busts of the long departed, this life-size pair of statues is truly unique. But who were these two young people, husband and wife? Lovers? And who arranged for the statues to be placed in the cemetery? After seeing the statues the answer might surprise you.
One thing is for certain: they will forever be young, smiling, and happy.
You should take a walk up there sometime. It’ll do your spirit good – and anyway you will probably find yourself in Piazzale Michelangelo just for the view of the city so take another five minutes and walk over to San Miniato. You won’t regret it.
Restaurant of the week – “Golden View Open Bar”
No it’s not an Asian restaurant. I had read about this place somewhere along the line, I’ve since forgotten where, but it sounded great: located on the southern side of the Arno (the “Oltrarno”) right along the river just a bit east of the Ponte Vecchio. So on Friday 31 March off we went with two friends to the “Golden View Open Bar” – the prices looked good and so did the ristorante and in we went. Since it as getting well past lunch we had our pick of where we wanted to sit and choose a table for four right on their tiny overhang outside and overlooking the Ponte Vecchio and Arno River. Touristy maybe but the air was fine, the view cool, the service friendly and the food as reasonably priced as it was tasty – and so were the wines.
We returned a week later with another couple and had an equally enjoyable meal – and the service was even better! We can definitely recommend this place. (Via dei Bardi 58r, ph. 055.214.502. www.goldenviewopenbar.com. “Always open”. They also have live jazz as well. Check their website for dates and times.)
Wines of the week – “grocery store wines”
If you are looking for wine while here in Florence there are a number of enotecas, which specialize in only selling wine. Wine prices and quality can vary but that’s like anywhere I suppose. Anyway we have taken to buying our daily white wines from either the Osteria d’Ortolano around the corner or the local Standa superemarket: they deal in outstanding white wines from many parts of Italy not usually represented in the local enotecas, places such as Puglia for example, and Sicily. We have found some new wines and rediscovered some old friends from when we first traveled to southern Italy. Anyway our two wine picks of the week, both whites, from the Standa store are:
“Sannio Falanghina” by Mastroberardino of Campania. Priced at 6 euros.
“Poggi” a delicious oave from near Verona in the Veneto. Priced at: 3 euros.
Please note that we pay for everything we eat and drink, and all our recommendations and suggestions are based on personal experience.
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Email me if you have any questions, problems or inquiries and I’ll see what I can do. The service is free so of course there are no guarantees. But then travel, like life, isn’t guaranteed, is it?
Wish you were here,
Steve
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