ONLY IN ITALY

The European Green Pass, available to EU citizens or legal residents who have completed their Covid vaccination cycle, tested negative to a molecular or antigen test or been cured of Covid, seems to me an excellent idea and I am very grateful to have mine. It can be carried in a paper version or simply downloaded to our phones, with a QR code which has to be scanned for entry into bars and restaurants (except for having a quick coffee at the bar counter) and public venues such as museums and theatres.

However, like all good ideas, it is only good insofar as it works and many bar owners and restaurateurs have been pointing out possible problems, the first being, who is going to do the scanning? Some small bars or restaurants might have to employ an extra person to do it. Secondly, it was initially thought that the person scanning the code would also have to ask the client for proof of identity, which the  restaurateurs objected to vehemently because, they understandably claimed, they are not police. The government quickly clarified that this measure would not be necessary but would remain an option.

However, now another problem has emerged, for the green pass is required only to eat or drink inside the bar or restaurant, not outside, but where, in the height of summer, do most clients, especially tourists wishing to experience the Italian lifestyle, wish to eat? Exactly - outside. Fearing that all the outside tables at their establishments would quickly be taken, thus driving away business from clients not wishing to eat inside, some proprietors are asking clients who have the green pass to eat inside, whether this is their wish or not. I can understand the restaurateurs' position, because their sector has been very heavily hit since March 2020, but the green pass holders are saying, with some justification, that they are now being penalised for being vaccinated.

A few weeks ago, before the advent of the green pass and when Sicily was in a yellow zone with light Covid restrictions, all clients wishing to sit down had to do so outside. Now this is a problem for me because I am asthmatic and cannot tolerate smoking, so I feared that, after so long, I would not be able to visit my local bar. However, they have a veranda ( which we would call a conservatory) area, which is classed as outside but smoking is not allowed, so that solved the problem for me and I still sit there now that we are in a white zone (very few restrictions). 

Cases, however, are increasing, which was probably inevitable with tourism, general opening up and a reluctance among elderly people to have the vaccine, but nobody wants to cancel the white zone in the tourist season. Instead, a system has been created whereby not only the number of cases and the number of intensive care beds occupied in a given location are looked at weekly by both regional and national government, but also the number of people vaccinated in that location. Modica has thereby escaped further restrictions this week, but 55 Sicilian comuni have been placed under these, many in nearby Siracusa Province and five here in Ragusa Province. We are already holding our breath for next week. Meanwhile, there are a lot of very frustrated bar and restaurant clients and proprietors of those establishments who are at their wits' end. They are only, after all, trying to save their businesses, even if upsetting vaccinated clients may not be the wisest way of doing so!

Typical Sicilian summer bar breakfast
of granita and brioche

SABATO MUSICALE

Hot from Il Volo's new album, L'amore si muove, a song you might recognise. And this, if I may say so, is how to deal with technology when on stage!

Il Volo - Io che non vivo [senza te]

GOOD NEWS FOR READERS

Image:  unlibroèunlibro

It is not often that the Italian government is praised for a tax decision but tonight I join others in congratulating them on their decision to defy the EU and reduce VAT on ebooks from 22% to 4%, thus giving ebooks fiscal parity with conventional books. The change comes into force on January 1st.

The EU, for some inexplicable reason, does not regard ebooks as a "cultural product" and France and Luxembourg have already incurred its wrath by bringing in a similar change. Now Italy, too, could find itself at the European Court of Justice over the matter, but Culture Minister Dario Franceschini has said it is worth the risk in order to protect the cultural industry and the book market as a whole.

Marco Polilli, president of the Associazione Italiana Editori, which started the twitter campaign #unlibroèunlibro ["a book is a book"] has said that the decision is "a victory for the country and not just for the world of books..... it is a success for readers, for [hitherto] non-readers who will now be able to choose how they read and above all, a victory for common sense."

Well done, Italy!

THE CANNOLO THAT FELL TO EARTH

Look out, NASA! You've got competition from Sicily, no less, in the form of the "Sicilian Space Program"! This was the brainchild of three young people from Enna - Antonella Barbera, Fabio Leone and Paolo Capasso - who one evening had the idea of sending a cannolo into space.

Our determined space pioneers paid for the mission from their own funds and equipped themselves with two video cameras, an empty ice cream carton, a GPS system, a helium-filled balloon, a small parachute and, of course, the "cannolo", made from modelling paste.

Next, they had to get permission from Enac [the Italian Civil Aviation Authority], Enav [the company which provides civilian air traffic control to the Italian state] and the military at Sigonella - all of which took 45 days, during which time the three friends finalised the details of their project.

At last, the launch date of 2nd February arrived and the cannolo took off from Rocca di Cirere in the Enna Geopark. It reached a height of almost 30,000 metres before the balloon disintegrated two hours later and the parachute brought the adventurous cannolo back to earth as planned. It was retrieved by the "Sicilian Space Program" team at Bompietro in the Madonie [Palermo Province], 25 km from the launch site. 

Antonella, Fabio and Paolo say they see the cannolo flight as a gift to Sicilians and hope it has made them smile. I think it is safe to say they have achieved this, as the video has now gone viral. They also say they celebrated with a cannoli party - let's hope that this time they were well-deserved real ones!

NEW TERM, NEW WEBSITE

A new term is about to begin and on Friday I finished creating a new website for London Town, Modica - Centro Linguistico Internazionale. Yes, I did it all by myself! Believe me, it wasn't easy but I have enough British stubbornness in me to not give up when I really want to do something.

Please do have a look and, if you are on facebook, some "likes" on the site itself would really help me. There's a button thingummy in the footer which should work. Thank you.

http://londontownmodica.wix.com/london-town-modica

Thanks to James and other friends who helped me with the languages I don't speak for the motto. I won't use translation sites because, as the linguists among you will know, they are all crap!

ADVICE REMEMBERED - 2

An ordinary Sicilian country road, perhaps.....

Then I remembered my old friend's good advice and looked up, to see these solar-powered streetlamps.  Who says we don't move with the times in Sicily?

SORRY, NASA, IT WASN'T US!

www.nasa.gov

I love NASA's  new "Black Marble" images of the earth at night, especially those of Italy. Milan is the brightest city shown in the images but I'm sorry to say that Modica was not responsible for the lights showing in this little corner of Sicily!

Yesterday my hairdresser told me that the shopkeepers on via Sacro Cuore had each chipped in €30 so that the street could have some Christmas lights. He nearly fell over laughing at my British naivety when I said I had thought the city council had put them up.

THREE TYPES OF DEMONSTRATIONS - PART 1

Three very different types of demonstrations have taken place in Italy over the past few days and the pictures from one of these, of course, went round the world.

What did not go round the world - at least, not at first - was the information that those who caused Saturday's unprecedented violence in Rome were not marching in the main body of the demonstration, which consisted of peaceful protestors [gli indignati] who wished, along with demonstrators of the "Occupy" movement in other countries, to make their feelings about bankers and inept governments known. The demonstration was ruined by a highly organised group of masked and hooded individuals who have become known in Italy as the black bloc.  Estimates of the numbers involved vary but it is probable that around 3,000 black bloc individuals sabotaged the protest of up to 200,000 citizens who wanted only to assert their right to a future.

The BBC initially reported the violence without making any distinction between the two groups of demonstators but it is important that the distinction be made, for demonstrators in the main body not only applauded the police but handed them their photos and videos of the violent group.  As Italy recovers from the shock of what happened and counts the cost - an estimated €1.5 million worth of damage done to public property alone and 135 injured, 105 of whom were police or other public order officials - it emerges that the black bloc had organised their activities with military precision and that we are looking at a very sinister phenomenon indeed.

"How", asked a panel member on a political talk show on Monday night, "can such a relatively small group wreak such havoc during a demonstration that was intended to be peaceful?"  This is the question that most Italians have been asking themselves and the answer, when it came from a fellow panel member, was clear:  "In a democracy, easily."

And this is now precisely Italy's dilemma:  How, in a democracy, do you control demonstrations?  Not everyone, it must be said, is praising the police, who have been criticised from some quarters for not guaranteeing citizens' right to demonstrate peacefully.  But if they are to do this, reason politicians from all sides, their powers must be increased. Therefore among new measures being proposed as I write are:  the possible arrest of people who attend demonstrations in suspicious clothing or disguise, police powers to arrest in flagranza differita [on photographic or video evidence up to 48 hours after the fact] and, most controversially, a proposal to charge the organisers of demonstrations a deposit in case of damage to public property.  The Mayor of Rome has already banned demonstrations in the city centre for one month and this ban may be extended.

Now, clearly, you are in trouble, in a democracy, when you start telling people what they can wear, as countries who have tried to ban, or have banned, the veil have found out and, whilst we may all agree that attending a demonstration in an almost military disguise is extreme, who is going to judge what is acceptable and unacceptable?  In Britain, would going to a demonstration in a David Cameron mask be outlawed under a similar measure?  As for the proposed deposit, who is going to decide how much should be paid, what would be the criteria and to whom would the payment be made?  If no damage is done, I would not like to bet on the ease of reclaim of such a deposit given Italy's bureaucratic procedures, not to mention the fact that Italy would be the only country in the world to charge participants prior to a demonstration.

Two weeks ago, as reported on this blog, the online community fought a battle - not over yet but seemingly successful - to save the independence and neutrality of Wikipedia Italia.  This campaign was conducted purely online, first by the users of Wikipedia Italia themselves and then by their supporters.  So the question, it seems to me, is whether there is a new way of demonstrating.  No one in the West can now say that they do not have ways in which to make their voice heard via technological media.  And if there are enough voices, they quickly reach the mainstream media:  Three weeks ago, it was hard to find any mainstream media coverage of the "Occupy" movement at all and some of us wondered whether there had been a planned media blackout.  Now, thanks to blogs, twitter and other information and social networks, the movement is making headlines everywhere.

The right to go in piazza, as the Italians say, to demonstrate peacefully should be safeguarded everywhere but I think it now goes hand in hand with a new, online way of demonstrating which can involve everyone.  In these ways  we can change the world.

Tomorrow I will write about two other demonstrations which have taken place in Italy over the past week.

MEETING "MY DESTINATION SICILY"

I was delighted when my twitter friend Hedvika told me that her husband, Tony Guastella, would be in Modica today and that he would find time to have a coffee and chat with me.  Hedvika and Tony run the My Destination Sicily  online travel guide where you can not only find out all kinds of information about Sicily but also book hotels, search for flights and get help with all your travel needs for a visit to the island.  Hedvika and Tony can show you how to get the most out of your stay, too.

Sicily is literally in Tony's blood as his father is from Torretta in Palermo Province and the couple's enthusiasm for this lovely destination shines through on their site just like the Sicilian sun.  They also have some beautiful photos of Sicily on display so do take a look.

It was great to meet you, Tony and next time you come to Modica I hope you'll bring Hedvika.

Tony and me this morning

OF MICE AND WOMEN

myspace layout

There was no posting here last night due to computer problems and they happened like this:  One minute everything was fine and the next my own computer seemed to have blocked me;  the internet wouldn't connect, I couldn't click, the arrow keys wouldn't work either and I couldn't do anything.  I tried all the things they tell you to do, like switching off and restarting, taking the battery out for a few seconds, then putting it back and checking that everything was connected but all to no avail.  I tried a few things they don't tell you to do too, like cajoling the wretched machine, shouting at it and threatening it but none of these had any effect either.

What is the matter with the people who write computer manuals?  Pages and pages about wiring the plug - it comes with the bloody plug, stupidini! - pages about how to sit at the thing - if I wanted a yoga lesson I'd go to a yogi - and, this being an Italian manual, several pages about how to clean the machine.  Why?  If you never get as far as the pages that tell you how to use it, it won't need much cleaning, will it?  It stands to reason.

Naturally, it couldn't stop working at a time when the computer shop was open, could it?  And needless  to say,  the manufacturer's helpline was closed too.  "You can consult our online service" said a recorded voice helpfully.  But I have to get online to do that and one of my problems is that I can't!

After approximately three hours of frustration and cursing because I don't have a three-year-old child who could have fixed everything immediately, I discovered by accident that if I held down the left-hand bar of the touch pad and clicked at the same time, I could get the arrow keys to function and this enabled me to get online.  But I still couldn't use the touch pad to click things properly.

Next  I boldly  went to the manufacturer's "help" site, only to find that I needed to select the model number from a drop-down menu containing thousands of them. Where TF is the model number on my machine?  It is nowhere obvious so I consult the useless manual again and see that it covers a range of approximately thirty models.  Couldn't someone have underlined which one I've got when I purchased it? Well, the only place I haven't looked is underneath the keyboard and lo and behold, there is the model number!  Now we are getting somewhere - the only trouble is, I still don't know where, as the "help" on the manufacturer's site is obviously designed for Larry Page himself and involves doing incomprehensible things to the motherboard. Now I am fairly fearless when it comes to computers but this sounds suspiciously like a process requiring a screwdriver.

An hour later I find a less geeky forum and I am no longer alone in the universe, for other people have had this problem! And all I have to do is find "mouse" on the control panel and muck around with the touch pad settings!  Five minutes later everything is working again and it is all I can do not to hug my computer like a teddy bear.  Of course, I could have solved the whole problem much earlier by plugging in a mouse but HTF was I supposed to know that?!

Normal service will be resumed around here tomorrow.

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ITALY MAGAZINE ROUND-UP - 20

Here is my pick of last week's Italy Magazine articles:

Sicily and Sardinia are popular tourist destinations these days but there is a smaller, quieter island which also has a lot to offer.  Elba is a paradise in many ways and you can find some things to do there in this article.

Our blog of the week was My Paesano, administered by Capri, an Italian American who is passionate about all things Italian.  You'll find lots of travel advice and information on My Paesano too.

Now, ladies, are you looking for a new bra?  This one will set you back a mere $2 million.  Or, if you'd rather spend your money on iPhone apps, this one is for you if you happen to have a church to run!  Meanwhile, a regional council official in Abruzzo has come up with a unique solution to the area's prostitution problem and the Vatican has claimed those two renegades, Bart and Homer Simpson, as its own.

For my Patti Chiari column, I wrote about the elderly in Sicily.  Are the elderly treated well and respected where you are?

Happy reading.

PICCOLO MONDO MODERNO

There I was standing at the counter in the Altro Posto at lunchtime  when a pleasant young man came up to me and asked, "Are you Patti?" He  introduced himself as Enzo and  after a second it dawned that this must be the Modican gentleman I talk to every day on twitter.  He'd told me he was coming home for a long weekend but we hadn't arranged to meet.  It turned out that he had known my student Giuseppe, who was with me, since the latter was ten years old so we all had a jolly chat.  Isn't technology amazing?

I'd gone to the Altro Posto to get this tiramisù to celebrate Cathy's birthday at the school:

And here's Cathy [ second from left] with students Graziana and Giuseppe:

This is the present I bought for Cathy.  And now it's over to you, dear reader.  Can you guess what it is?  I'll tell you tomorrow.

The Muppets and Spike Milligan - Small World

Update - 8.5.10:  The mystery object is a thingie to hang your bag from when you're out and about and don't want to put it on the floor:

THE RIGHT TIME

In 45 minutes the clocks officially go forward in Italy and my digi-watches will be showing the right time!  Some of you may remember I bought these in the summer:

Well, I can't read the stupid, tiny white print on black paper that masquerades as "instructions" so I have no idea how to adjust them.  But in 45 minutes they'll all be accurate! Isn't that clever of them and doesn't everything come to a girl with "pazienza"? My inability to read the print has nothing to do with my age, of course....