Cose Pazze [crazy things]: Aria Condizionata, Berlusconi, e birra (guess what these things are)

Yesterday I experienced the world-famous Italian strike/demonstration. But this one was different that the one I wrote about in Torino, which was a one-day national strike in which all major transportations (train and buses) shut down to protest high income taxes. So, there exist three main workers unions in Italy. The one which put on the demonstration yesterday (all around Italy) was called the CGIL, and is supposedly the farthest (politically) union from Berlusconi (the most anti-Berlusconi). Here, in Tuscany, though, everyone it seems is anti-Berlusconi. Monica wears shirts that say "I didn't vote for him" in 5 languages. And Andrea tells me that all of Tuscany hates him. Only the south and the north (especially Milan, where Berlusconi comes from) fell prey to his tactics when he bought up television channels and cunningly used them to gain political power. Today, he has been president of Italy for 20 years, is the richest man in Italy, owns a whole lot of television channels and some newspapers, and until recently, Catholic bishops supported him (b/c he somewhat defended Christian values on his platform despite his backwards personal life; this is awfully similar to the way that Republicans gather votes in the Bible belt) unfortunately. (I don't think bishops should be supporting any politician at any time.)

The strike was basically a parade of noisy Sienese people (Andrea and Monica were constantly talking to people they knew) who paraded through the streets in a big mass. I joined. We started at the bus station, paraded through the streets to the Piazza del Campo (the main one) and then into a smaller piazza finally where a stage was set up for several speeches which followed. This particular strike (which occurred nationally via the CGIL) was in protest to Berlusconi's proposition to raise tax rates in order to pay for Italy's developing financial crisis (similar to the crisis currently being experienced in Spain and Greece). Income taxes are already high in Italy, and I would think, although not an expert, that a better solution would be to cut unnecessary spending (military comes to mind as many Italians are anti-military).

Funny thing I think: Andrea was telling me that one year ago Berlusconi was hosting Quaddafi (the bad guy in Libya) in Roma and they were great friends. Really odd: Berlusconi had an expensive tent set up somewhere in a park in Rome where Quaddafi stayed. Security was intense for this 'event.' Really strange: As a spectacle of their "friendship", Berlusconi presented to Quaddafi several Italians who then proceeded to convert to Islam (as a display of openness to Muslims, I suppose). What a way of doing foreign relations, huh? And the kicker: In weeks past, Berlusconi has been bombing Libya.

What can you do? Che cosa ci puoi fare?

'Nother funny thing. We were in the car yesterday (mind you, with the windows down, A/C was off, as usual) when Andrea and Monica were talking about how they thought their new post lady was exceptionally weird. When I asked why, Andrea explained that she always has her windows rolled up and the air conditioning on. She must not like working in the country, he said. ....I never realized that this might be weird to them. Thinking back to the spring and summer months of South Carolina and how we have the A/C blasting as high as it goes.... But here A/C is either regarded as silly or a waste or simply unnecessary. Granted, I don't think even the worst of heat in Tuscany can measure up to the heat we get in Columbia, SC. Still, it's something to think about. Not yet, in any vehicle or house in Italy have I felt the cool breeze of A/C. And I'm still alive. Also, Andrea often states that it's humid, but compared to Columbia, it's pleasantly dry.

Alcohol

Last night, a famous symphony from Israel/Palestine played in Siena. The theater was booked solid, and as a courtesy, the theater set up a live display (with projector and speakers) of the concerto in the Piazza del Duomo (actually, right next to the cathedral). Since Teo and I didn't have tickets, (Andrea, Monica, Camilla and boyfriend Fillipo had gotten theirs long ago), we hung out in Siena.

Over a beer, we got to talking about the drinking culture in our countries. The drinking age in Italy is 16, but he told me it is easy to buy alcohol in bars even younger, at 14. Contrary to my expectations, teenagers in Italy do drink to get drunk in their early years. However, by the time they are legal to drive (age 18), usually the excessive drinking stage has passed. In contrast, in America, as we know, the binge drinking lasts throughout the college years.

So which is better? Learn to drive and then learn to drink. Or learn to drink and then learn to drive. ?

The other thing in Italy are several liberties with alcohol that we don't have in the states. Like the liberty to walk in the streets with a bottle of alcohol. To sit down next to a fountain in your favorite piazza and have a Birra Morretti or even share wine with friends. We in the states can't do that. Nor can we buy alcohol or certain days and certain times.

Upon telling Teo that he's lucky to have more liberal municipal laws, he told me that Italy has plenty of nonsensical ones: it's illegal to walk shirtless in a city, and it's illegal to drive shirtless.