It seems that tourists leaving litter and drunks urinating in public detract from Italy's great treasures. I thought the remarks from representatives of the Catholic Church were interesting, given the recent thread on homelessness. Anyone want to comment?
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...ing_churches_3
I wonder if anyone had tried emptying the public garbage bins more frequently.
Not that this would do anything about the public DEA (display of extreme affection) or urinating occuring during the evening hours......
All these years the people said he’s actin’ like a kid.
He did not know he could not fly, so he did.
- - Guy Clark, "The Cape"
I might be inclined to piss on the Catholic church from time to time myself.
Seriously, you cant expect millions of tourists to be 100% respectful. On the other hand, you cant expect to take every tourist dollar and not have a portion dedicated to administration: There needs to be sanitation and policing if this is getting to be an extreme problem.
soooooooo, bums are like pigions?. hmm. makes sense.
"Those who plan do better than those who do not plan, even though they rarely stick to their plan." - Winston Churchill
Churches are perfect places to idle away the day - they're used infrequently, they've got all those steps, and they're usually in an active neighborhood. Maybe to scatter the homeless they can blast really sappy Christian pop music from loudspeakers - just an idea.
EEEEW! Not Stryper. Our poverty industry would be in federal court within the hour complaining about cruelty!Maybe to scatter the homeless they can blast really sappy Christian pop music from loudspeakers - just an idea.
Oh god, have you listened to Christian contempory music lately? It's down right frightening. My LBS owner (bless his soul) is a born again. He insists on listening to the local christian rock station day in and day out. The 'artists' have taken to rewriting literally every top 40 hit they can and have it referr to christ and his almighty deeds. You'll be haning in the shop, and not even notice that you're being preached to the music is so innoccuous.Originally posted by BKM
EEEEW! Not Stryper. Our poverty industry would be in federal court within the hour complaining about cruelty!
You're more boring than you know.
That's why, weirdly enough, I like the stranger European metal acts I listen to. They are sometimes (often) on "the other side," but their lyrics and music make you think about religious issues and faith and "the meaning of life."
Christian contemporary music is for the same kind of people that move to a gated exurb where all the houses are required by CC&Rs to be maintained in a range of beige colors.
Similar problems have occured over the years in Jackson Square near St. Louis Cathedral (French Quarter, N.O.). The city councilperson for the district had the benches removed from the square as well as limited the amount of street musicians and artists, tarot card readers, and all other types that typically draw drunken tourists to the area. I don't think it's helped much.
"A witty woman is a treasure, a witty beauty is a power!"
I was in Rome and Florence over the New Year's holidays. I stayed very close to the Vatican and can attest to the cleanlines of St. Peter's Square. That area also had Vatican police around at all times. Just outside of Vatican City you will find homeless people laying in the front of building entrances. The homeless scene reminded me of parts of San Francisco. As far as tourist littering and leaving crumbs around the squares in Florence, I would suggest that the city create an area for tourists to gather. I found few places where one could sit and eat or even linger for very long. It is no wonder people use the "great treasures" as resting/eating points. The area near the Medici family home is near a large town square, yet one can not find a public resting place other than the church steps. The nearest pay for use, public restroom is several blocks away.
All in all, I think as long as the neighbors still care enough to want to clean up the neighborhood, that things are not out of control. Hopefully, a solution will be found that will be able to benefit both tourists, homeless and other people who live /work in the area.
Quote
