Inventory: sun

I remember eating my first fichi d’india when I moved to Central Italy, back in 1997. I actually never bought them thereafter. Some things got to remain exotic.

Inventory: go-behind we won’t miss

On my way to the office I often see these lobbying and go-behind types, behind Montecitorio. Something I won’t miss.

Inventory: Tiburtina

This week I went and checked the situation at Tiburtina station, after the big fire of the early Summer. SNAFU. Actually, Burri-style SNAFU.

Inventory: Laurent Perrier 2002

Packing stuff is an unbearable chore. I can face it only if I have the right carrot. A dinner with MeinMann, the house full of cardboard boxes, greasy chicken and Laurent Perrier 2002. Now I can afford to throw away cubic meters of stuff. Easy and lighthearted. Minus 48hrs.

We did the same as we started unpacking in this flat, in 2001. A sort of christening. Rituals are important. Sorry, I’m writing nonsense. Actually, I might be quite drunk. Ciao belli!

Inventory: via Condotti

Yesterday someone nice thanked me for a nice meeting we had years ago (ages ago!) in Via Condotti, at Caffé Greco. And today I’m thanking someone else for a nice celebration at Caffé Greco, bien arrosée comme il faut, remembering Tokyo Ginza lights in 2007…. You know who you are!

Inventory: in Lucina

In 1997 this was a dark, dodgy parking place. It then recovered its Piazza status. In San Lorenzo in Lucina so many things got celebrated, discussed, frowned upon, dissected, laughed about. It’s been the favorite watering hole for all this years, for a quick sandwich or a glass of something and a fag after work before heading to Nuovo Olimpia Cinema, aka Olympiakòs. A place I used to cross 4 times a day, on my way to the office. Ciao ciao…

Inventory: fontanella

I love when in Rome in the middle of the night you can hear the crystalline song of the fontanelle. It means it’s August, and the traffic has migrated to the seaside.

Inventory: census – are we gonna do this?

A couple of weeks ago we got the census forms, I mean, the Italian ones. Are we gonna fill these in?

I’ve been working and paying taxes in Italy since 1997. I took positively the 2006 tax rise, I thought that spending more in Education and Research was an investment.

Five years later I wonder how my hard earned money has been spent. Year after year I’ve noticed the quality of services dropping. And seeing my taxpayer satisfaction, for my taxes paid in Germany vs the ones paid in Italy, decoupling.

I appreciate the effort. But the figures churned out by Istat are deceptive. Inflation. Unemployment. Welfare. Productivity. The Phillips curve, remember? What does the “inflation rate” mean, when 1 euro out of 2 circulating in Italy has illegal or tax-dodging origin? What does the “unemployment rate” mean, when people do not report to the job agencies, inactivity rates are higher than in the rest of Europe and women’s participation to the job market is the lowest in the EU? What does “welfare” mean, when there’s no such thing as welfare, in Italy? What does “higher retirement age” mean, if corporates kick out people as they turn 50-ish? What does “productivity” mean, when Sicily as a region churns out jobs like there’s no tomorrow, especially for Summer snow shoveling? What does “average rent” mean, if the vast majority of rents is being paid under the table? What does “happiness” mean, if Italy has a growing gambling population? What does “Italy is a rich country” mean, if disposable income dropped consistently in the past 20 years?

Figures, without plans, are just stuffing. Stuffing for the turkey without the turkey.

The world’s eyes on Berlin

Even if I’m not a CDU fan, Angela Merkel still tops my personal creditworthiness ranking. I quite enjoyed to see today that the world’s eyes were on Berlin. I hope that EU will exit from this strong fever a bit taller, as it happens to kids sometimes. To fight the fever you need: a cold bath, a sensible drugs prescription and a good dose of common sense. And Merkel’s got it. Maybe the Germans have it, too.

Inventory: loading German!

In a few days I will switch from an Italian-speaking world to a German-speaking one, for good. A loading program could come in handy. My German is no longer what it used to be 20 years ago, but I’m confident. The full immersion will be positive and I will retrieve all my files. Once you learn German you never forget it.

Learning languages is still one of the best investments I can think of. At any age. And latitude. But also a fabulous adventure in the culture of a country.

I am always amazed by the number of Germans who speak Italian. Mainly for the pleasure and fun of tasting our fat, sunny vowels.