Complaints are common about the Italian postal service, but I thought things were getting better. And maybe they are, measured strictly against la posta’s own previous service levels, which have always been dire. But consider these events: I needed to mail two packages from the US this summer, one to Ross in India, one to… Continue reading Italy’s Postal Embarrassment
Category: living in Italy
The Ever-Expanding Holiday Season
Yesterday the local supermarket stuffed an advertising flyer into our mailbox, as they do about once a week. This one was unusual. Blazoned across the front was “E’ gia’ Natale!” (It’s already Christmas!) I almost puked. It’s not even November, and we’re already talking about Christmas. At this rate, Italy will soon have caught up… Continue reading The Ever-Expanding Holiday Season
Religious Belief vs. Health Care – Tolerating the Intolerable in Italy
Britain’s Telegraph carries an opinion piece titled If Muslim doctors are intolerant, let them go, according to which a few young Muslim medical trainees have been allowed to refuse to see female bodies or to treat alcohol-related problems, on religious grounds. Sainsbury’s, a UK grocery chain, allows its checkout staff to refuse to scan alcohol… Continue reading Religious Belief vs. Health Care – Tolerating the Intolerable in Italy
Hot, Hot, Hot!
Several large Italian companies have instituted a new energy-saving policy for summer: no ties. Open shirts (presumably without jackets) will mean the menfolks can live with less air conditioning, saving on electricity costs and environmental impact. Al Gore, giving a speech in Rome on the day of the Live Earth concerts, missed an opportunity to embody… Continue reading Hot, Hot, Hot!
Italian Garden 2007: July
Unintended Consequences Here’s what happens when I leave my garden unattended: I get beautiful wild grains like the above – otherwise known as weeds. A weed I had been assiduously removing (but, obviously, missed one) turns out to have charming puffy purple blossoms. The insalata riccia (curly lettuce) bolted into meter-high stalks with delicate blossoms.… Continue reading Italian Garden 2007: July