Montecatini

August 21, 2005 · Filed Under This blog · Comment

The title of this entry is the name of a place down in Tuscany. In fact there are two Montecatinis - a spa version and a hilltop version. The hilltop version looks fantastic and shall be added to my endless list of fabulous places in Italy (Maybe I should make a list of horrible places in this country - it should be much much shorter).

Anyway, the second of my 'real' Italian readers hails from this heady location. This reader has a blog and blogs about the goings on in Montecatini - and gives the impression that the outward beauty hides some examples of inner ugliness. The writer of this blog - one TinoDiBacco - came from my neck of the woods here in Italy - Milan, but does not seem to be finding small town life very much fun. So, if you fancy getting to know what life is really like in an idyllic Italian town and you can read Italian, go on over to Montecatini Bloggers' Corner and maybe your eyes will be opened or maybe you will come to the conclusion that small towns are the same all over this world.

TinoDiBacco is also one of those wise people who appreciates that foreigners living here in Italy may well be able to make some interesting observations about what is what and how things are here, although any foreigner living in any other country and who does not take too much of an ex-pat attitude should be qualified to see things as they really are, especially if they have lived there for some time, as seeing things as they really are can be something which is difficult for that country's residents at times. Being external helps people to give objective opinions, not subjective ones.

A fresh pair of eyes can often be a useful pair of eyes.

Share:

Tags: Italian, Italy

Parental worries

August 21, 2005 · Filed Under My son · Comment

The little one is going into hospital tomorrow evening to be prepared for a couple of minor operations on his tonsils and part of his adenoids.
I know these operations are nothing serious, but I can't help being just a wee bit worried for him.

I guess I've become a pretty normal parent. Never thought I would see the day.

Share:

Tags:

Of mini things

August 21, 2005 · Filed Under Italian TV · Comment

Nope, I'm not going to waffle on about small English cars, but about the proliferation of TV ads for a varied assortment of mini items, aimed at 'collectors'. I've put the word 'collectors' in quotation marks to highlight the fact that I don't really believe that the people who collect these things are real collectors, but I suppose they could be classified as such.

OK, enough introduction, here are some examples of mini madness. At the moment you can initiate your collection of mini bicycles, and thus take yourself out for a few mini bike rides, and upon arriving home you can start a mini battle with your collection of mini soldiers, with air support for your mini battle being provided by your collection of mini aircraft of the world. Of course, messy things like wars tend to cause one or two fires, however, the wise collector need have no fear because he (or she (do any women collect these things?!)) can set about dealing with all these blazes with a team of mini firefighters of the world. The fun you can have with these mini collections is obviously endless.

What I'd dearly love to know is who the heck in the living museum actually goes out and buys these things? I guess the fact that they are marketed around summer shows that they are aimed at parents who are now suffering with bored kids (/husbands!) who are running out of things to do during the long school hols. This could be an explanation, I suppose, but it is not one which really convinces me. Am I missing some deep and interesting historical fact which led to the creation of a race of (mini) collectors in Italy?

Hang on a moment. These things are not mini, they are minute. Maybe there will be a collection of mini magnifying glasses to allow all the mini collectors to see their minute collections, or once you get bored with your mini collectables you could go and waste your money on the 'not-quite-so-mini' remote controlled car or motorbike components which only requires the moderate outlay of 700 euros for you to complete the finished article.

I did not notice ads for these mini things on TV in the UK, but then August is not really a holiday period in the UK. Or maybe I just did not come across this form of mini globalization. Despite the weather, I did not watch that much TV - I couldn't, the TV was dominated by Thomas the Tank Engine DVDs. Come to think of it, my life is being dominated by Thomas the Tank Engine. One way of letting off steam, I suppose. Groan.

UPDATE: You can now get all the bits for a mini robot. Wow. Not.

Share: