Ciao Tutti,
As you may remember, I was absolutely appalled by the amount of trash on the streets of Naples when I went there a month ago on my way back from the Amalfi Coast. Someone important must have been reading my blog....
Italian army sent to help clear Naples rubbish
I came across this article on BBC this morning that stated that, for the second time in three years, the Italian army is being sent in to clean up the trash, literally the trash, in Naples. The European Union has fined the Italian government on numerous occasions for not taking care of this problem - the most recent infraction was back in November.
But wait, it gets better! Silvio Berlusconi, the currently corrupt Prime Minister of Italy, has been blamed for the problem and is being praised for solving it! As a matter of fact, cleaning up the trash in Naples was a point on his election platform.
Oh, and not to feed into the typical Italian stereotype any more, the mafia is also being blamed for the issue of the abundance of trash in Naples. Many say that some mobsters infiltrated the waste department and dumped hazardous waste onto the top of the landfills!
Well, that's my laugh for the day. I need to get back to work....
Ciao,
Mike
Showing posts with label Silvio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Silvio. Show all posts
Monday, May 9, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Easter in Roma
Ciao Tutti,
My Dad and brother left the hotel early Easter Sunday morning, but I slept in until around 11:00 AM. I was worn out! At around 11:45 AM, I left the room and headed for Saint Peter's Square. The Pope always gives a speech at noon on Sunday from his balcony above Saint Peter's Basilica and I decided I would try and go. I figured it would be a long shot, but figured it was worth a try.
I have no idea how I did it, but I somehow got in! There were lines of people waiting to get in, but I got lucky. Around 2 minutes after I arrived, the curtains on the Pope's balcony opened and the Pope came out. He gave about a 20 minute speech in Italian (yes, I actually understood some of it) before saying "Christ has Risen" in every language on Earth. It gave me goosebumps then and I have goosebumps now just thinking about it. One thing on my bucket list of things to do in Rome was to see the Pope speak, but I never imagined I would see him on Easter Sunday! It is truly something I will remember for the rest of my life.
Afterwards, I walked with the crowd of an estimated 200,000 pilgrims back towards central Rome where my apartment is located. When I got back, I continued my day of complete relaxation. I didn't go anywhere for Easter dinner, but we ate in our apartment. I slept Easter night into Easter Monday for a total of 11.7 hours (my iPad told me so). That is definitely the longest I have slept over here.
Easter celebration, however, was not over. In Italy, we need two days to celebrate Easter. Easter Monday is a national holiday called "Pasquetta" or "Little Easter". Normally it is celebrated with a BBQ in a park with family and friends. My ISC, Silvio, decided to have a bunch of his friends over for a lunch/evening party. We had penne with pesto sauce, chocolate Easter eggs, and played lots of board games. I had a great time and some of Silvio's friends complimented me on my Italian.
Then, one of my friends, Tahli, came over and Zach, Tahli, and I went to Monte Carlo Pizzeria (again) for dinner. It was great!
Ciao,
Mike
My Dad and brother left the hotel early Easter Sunday morning, but I slept in until around 11:00 AM. I was worn out! At around 11:45 AM, I left the room and headed for Saint Peter's Square. The Pope always gives a speech at noon on Sunday from his balcony above Saint Peter's Basilica and I decided I would try and go. I figured it would be a long shot, but figured it was worth a try.
I have no idea how I did it, but I somehow got in! There were lines of people waiting to get in, but I got lucky. Around 2 minutes after I arrived, the curtains on the Pope's balcony opened and the Pope came out. He gave about a 20 minute speech in Italian (yes, I actually understood some of it) before saying "Christ has Risen" in every language on Earth. It gave me goosebumps then and I have goosebumps now just thinking about it. One thing on my bucket list of things to do in Rome was to see the Pope speak, but I never imagined I would see him on Easter Sunday! It is truly something I will remember for the rest of my life.
 |
| The view from my spot without zoom |
 |
| The Pope |
Easter celebration, however, was not over. In Italy, we need two days to celebrate Easter. Easter Monday is a national holiday called "Pasquetta" or "Little Easter". Normally it is celebrated with a BBQ in a park with family and friends. My ISC, Silvio, decided to have a bunch of his friends over for a lunch/evening party. We had penne with pesto sauce, chocolate Easter eggs, and played lots of board games. I had a great time and some of Silvio's friends complimented me on my Italian.
 |
| One of my friends, Tahli, talking to one of Silvio's friends at Pasquetta |
Then, one of my friends, Tahli, came over and Zach, Tahli, and I went to Monte Carlo Pizzeria (again) for dinner. It was great!
Ciao,
Mike
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