NO HANGING OUT THE LINEN, O

Lines of washing strung high up across ancient, narrow alleyways are one of the sights of Italy that has long delighted tourists. Such a view does not, however, delight the town councillors of Catania, who have just passed a new bylaw banning the hanging out of washing in the old centre - the area surrounding the Parco archeologico greco-romano. 

The aim of the law, say councillors, is to give the area more dignity and to allow everyone to enjoy its true beauty. Under the regulation, air conditioners and tubes that can be seen from the street are also banned from balconies.

Residents of the area, many of whom are elderly, are, unsurprisingly, not happy:  many of them have lived there all their lives and have hung their washing out in the open in the time-honoured way for as long as they can remember. The task is part of their daily interaction with others. And, if they can't hang the washing outside, how, they want to know, are they to dry it? They say their small houses get too humid to dry washing indoors and they also want to know how they are expected to cope with the summer heat if their air conditioners are to be banned.

What do you think? Do you like to see the cheerful lines of washing or are they an eyesore?

The story made me think of this English folk song:

LIVING AND LEARNING...

Whenever I am out and about and it's safe to look up I carry out a reconnaissance of what people have on their balconies for whole lives are lived on them, much as the British use their back yards or gardens. Air conditioning apparatus abound, as you would expect but you also see old fridges and washing machines, toys, vegetable racks, shoes, bicycles and rubbish bags which will later be taken down to the communal bins. Some people have built little glass -covered utility rooms and others have sun lounges reminiscent of British conservatories on their balconies. Others have patiently grown pretty gardens enclosed by trellises, especially those who live on first floors where the terrace extends further outwards, or those who live on top floors. And of course you see lovely, trailing plants all year round.

Today I reconnoitered the balconies opposite and for the first time it occurred to me that my portable clothes drier , about which I wrote here, has higher sections at either end so that you can place one of those ends over the shorter, lower part of the balcony wall. How you do live and learn when you move to another country - and yes, it has taken me nearly two years to work this out!