Italy: Why No Park Benches
 

NPR radio had a call in show where only foreigners could call in to talk about the impact of Obama's electcion causing a re-examination of race relations abroad. Many of the callers were European, including an NPR reporter from Italy - Sliva Pugiochhi (no idea how to spell her name but she is a regular contributor who speaks with a distinct Italian accent)

And she said Italy was the worst in her opinion record on racial/ethnic discrimination in Europe. She cited the intense dislike of the Romany, many arrived recently from eastern Europe and often in squalid camps on the edges of cities.

And she said that 'park benches in parks have been removed to prevent inwanted immigrants like Romany from sleeping on them

Now Sylvia (/) has always given seemingly sound reports but i wonder if this bench thing is true. Are there park benches in Italian parks - i will look next time but wonder about this.

She also said that the right-wing government of Berlosconi has taken a very severe attitude against the immigrants and Romany in particular.

Maybe benches, if any, were removed because of drugs and crime and maybe not to discriminate against any ethnicity. Sometimes cities put dividers on a bench so people can't sleep on them. I have been to parks in Italy and they have benches, maybe not in high crime or drug areas.

I noticed years ago that Italian cities have very few places to sit, unless you stop in a cafe. Almost no park benches. There is a small park near St. Mark's square in Venice and it did have benches the last time I was there. There's a park on Murano with benches. I can't remember any benches in the Borghese Gardens in Rome or in Florence. Paris has benches all over, in the parks, in the small squares, and along the streets. It's wonderful to sit and relax and people watch for a few minutes when you're tired from walking and standing.

FYI, the correspondent's name is, I believe, Silvia Poggioli.

GUSTAVE - thanks.

As a lover of sitting on park benches or benches and watching the Human Comedy i lament the disappearance of public benches, if true as seems. I understand the reason though and do not know enough to take an opinion on whether i agree with the reason or not.

Just lament the passing of public places to sit and picnic, etc.

It is all true, but it is limited to few cities (at this time), and charge of the decision is on the majors of the cities, not on the national government, although this climate of opinion is in some way encouraged by Berlusconi's political choices and laws.
The first "no park benches anti-immigrants" event was in Treviso, the city of the notorious major Giancarlo Gentilini. After him, others followed his footsteps, not only in Veneto, accounted to be the most racist region in Italy.

This is an italian link about Gentilini, sorry I'm too repulsed to translate it:
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giancarlo_Gentilini

My town has lots of benches ;-)..in the park/playground and also along the streets...as do most smaller towns I think.

That said, there is a very large anti-immigrant movement and all kinds of political issues in Italy (although, honestly, I could not even to begin to understand Italian politics!)

The discrimination towards immigrants and other races is very pronounced and widespread...it is not uncommon to see swastikas spray-painted on road signs and other places where you see graffiti :-( (our house is in Campania in the South, so I can certainly say this is a nation-wide problem and not just limited to the Veneto)

Sylvia Poggioli is American but has been based in Rome for a long time. Her parents were anti-fascists who fled Italy in the 30s. She is a terrific reporter. Sad story--I'll try to find it on NPR.

There are definitely benches in the Borghese; let's hope they remain there. We spent a couple of hours sitting on a bench watching families riding in their bicycles (the kind with a carraige--not sure of the name) whilst listening to a great jazz player nearby.

Italy has been swamped with immigrants and the people are getting tired of the crimes that some Etnics groups are committing, lately gang raping has been the norm of the days..
Italians are scared ,they see their ways of life changing drastically..I dont think that anyone realized that in just the last few years the immigrants populations has increased to more than 4 millions more that 4 millions legal immigrants, the Roms are now over 1,000.000 without counting the one that come everyday or they are there illegally.

Lampedusa , Sicily..
Every night boatd carrying between 500 up to 1,000 land in Sicily, these are the poor desperate souls that come from Africa, trying to escape the famine and in search of a better life. Is a Nightmare for everyone concerned, that unfortunately is getting worse every day.

I dont see the other Europeans Nations trying to help and get some of these poor desperate souls.
Italy is a small country that is getting overpopulated each day that passes.

We need the previews feature...

Kismet, your numbers are wrong and I don't know from where they come. All believeble estimates set the number of Roms not over 200.000, which almost the half regular italian citizens.
And the number of 4 million of legally immigrants is true, but linked to words as "crime" and "scared" is very slanted. I remember that among this 4 million people there are the majority of workers in those sectors of activities that Italians don't want or are not able to do.
People have fear, that's true, fear of their (and their sons') future, fear to loose their jobs, or to loose their savings, or not to be able to compete with the new challenges of global markets, it's a complex situation, and I'm not sure this is the right place to talk about it, but someone (you can imagine WHO) is blowing only on the fire of the fear of immigrants to hide the other problems.

Anyway, I don't understand how cutting benches could be a way to resolve any kind of problem.

Liberosette..check this website..

<Romanian groups claim there are as many as 1.5 million Romanians living in Italy.>


http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/...ania-Italy.php

Roms are not Romanians...
Rom ia an ancient ethnic group, basically nomadic, living and moving trough Europe since centuries.
Romanians are people coming from Republic of Romania, formally entered in European Community in 2007. As european citizens, they are free to move in European territory, including Italy. Some Romanians are also Roms, but they are a minority.
The last extimates by Caritas talk about 1 million of Romanians living in Italy.