Italy bans crotch scratching

by Anna Brones on

If you’re a male and making your way to Italy soon, be warned: crotch scratching in public is officially off limits.

The Italian Court of Appeals made the decision after listening to the plea of a 42 year year old man from Como who had been fined 200 euros last year for adjusting himself in public. The Court would have none of his appeal and made it clear that any touching of the privates in public is “a sign of ill manners and must be considered against public decency.” Not only was the man in question forced to pay the 200 euro fine, but he was also ordered to pay another 1000 euros in costs. At the current euro to dollar rate, that is a hefty price to pay.

The ban might make many Italian men weary as superstitious ones often hold or touch their private parts for good luck when they see a hearse, or to ward off bad luck; similar to our own “knock on wood.” No pun intended. Moral of the story: keep those hands above the waistline.

When in Rome, do what the Romans didn’t do.

by Grant Martin on

I’ve been putting off travel to Italy for a while now for a number of reasons. While the country is rich in culture, history and gastronomic adventure, I guess I always had the feeling that it was a little too over-the-top. Too many tourists, to much Eurotrash, and generally filthy; granted, I still wanted to go, it just wasn’t at the top of my list.

Taking advantage of a secret 275$ fare sale to Rome this month was my chance to investigate these notions first hand. And to my delight, most of the negative ideas that I held about Romans and Italians were proven false. Yes, I only got a small sampling over a long weekend in Rome, but I think that many of these observations hold true for the country year round:

  • Men didn’t whistle at women. I walked around with my friend Ered for the the better part of three days and didn’t notice anyone whistle or stare. No, she’s not an ugly cow.
  • Save for the subway cars, the city is fairly clean. I’m particularly impressed with the condition of the archaeological remains, namely the Roman Forum, where I didn’t see an ounce of trash on the premises.
  • Not everyone was wearing D&G. In fact, most Italians appeared to dress as pleasantly as any other city dweller. Prada et al do make their appearance just outside of the Spanish Steps, but hey, every big city’s got em.
  • There are WAY fewer euro-mullets than I was expecting. I saw less than a dozen the entire time I was there.
  • Leather is not as ubiquitous as one would think. You always hear someone bragging about their “Italian leather so and so”, but it doesn’t just fall from the sky there. Only a few shops presented themselves as I wandered around the city.

Maybe Italy’s stereotypes aren’t as perverse as I had originally thought. Or maybe when tourist season kicks up people get crazy and the euro-mullets come out of hiding. As it stands right now though, Rome is definitely a place that I would like to visit again.

Where on Earth? Week 40: Venice, Italy

by Justin Glow on

Congrats to Bubba for correctly guessing the train station above as Santa Lucia in Venice, Italy. I’m consistently amazed that our readers can guess these so quickly! (A hat tip to Ben, too, for narrowing it down to Italy.)

I had this very scene burned into my memory this past October as I waited four hours for an overnighter to Budapest. Nearly 10 border stops (one going in each country, and when coming out) and 16 hours later, we arrived in Hungary. But I’ll never forget those sadistic nurses staring down on me.

See you next week for another Where on Earth!

How Can Anyone Not Like Rome?

by Iva Skoch on

I have to confess: I saw Rome for the first time two weeks ago. I don’t know how I avoided it all these years but I did.

I always heard mixed reviews about Rome. I have a few italophile-friends who absolutely love it. I also have a few other friends who didn’t think much of it and used words like polluted, touristy, and overrated. So I was glad to finally see Rome with my own eyes. I had semi-low expectations and an open mind. The truth is that I wasn’t prepared for falling in love with Rome. But I did. It was love at first sight.

Granted, I love big cities: New York, London, Paris. I love the feeling that people actually live there. Yes, the traffic is bad and it is hectic, but to me that’s just a sign of life. Perhaps that’s part of the reason I never truly cared for Venice, Salzburg and similar “picturesque overgrown villages” that cater exclusively to tourists. Those towns would disappear if tourists suddenly stopped going there. Yes, I am sure that Rome, Paris or New York would suffer, too, if tourists stopped going there. But life would go on. People would still live there, conduct business and raise families. That is refreshing.

Walking through the beautiful streets of Rome; streets than millions of people walked in the last two thousand years, I kept thinking: How can anyone not love this city?

Comparing the food in Athens and Rome is unfair. But still…

by Iva Skoch on

Without realizing it ahead of time, I toured two of the great ancient empires this week: Rome and Greece.

I am in Athens this week and–aside from witnessing a street fight–I have had a good time. Part of the reason is that I am a foodie, and I love Greek food. Fortunately, most of my friends and travel buddies agree that a large part of the appeal of traveling is “the search for the next great meal”.

Last week, I was in Rome for a journalism conference. Cancer-reporting is probably not what you want to hear about, so I will stick to writing about food. I swear it is simply not possible to have a bad meal in Rome. Every little trattoria will be able to offer treasures that make your mouth water instantly. I would say the service is better in Rome that it is in Athens, and so is the bread. However, I love what the Greeks can do with an octopus…grilled, fried or marinated. It is always delicious.

I wonder which of these two cuisines is better for you. You don’t see very many fat people around in Rome or Greece…