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Here are some snapshots of what I see out and about in Italy. I’ve made a mini-index to this page which will be helpful as this page grows longer. If you’re stumbling onto this page randomly, be sure to check for some of my popular posts in the sidebar!

• “No Eats on the Streets” – Forbidden to eat pizza, gelato and kebab on the streets of Milan and Lombardy – 22 April 2009
• Lazy Husbands? Dress Them Yourselves! – 13 May 2008
• The Smallest Car in the World? – 28 April 2008
• Lega Nord’s Striking Advertisment – 10 April 2008

“No Eats on the Streets” : Forbidden to eat pizza, gelato and kebab on the streets of Milan and Lombardy

From La Repubblica: A new law passed in the Lombardy region forbids the consumption of foods “made for immediate consumption” on the streets of towns and cities in Lombardy, Italy. These types of foods include gelato, pizza, kebabs, piadinerie and rosticcerie – food considered “artigianale” and ready for immediate consumption. Of course the most shocking is gelato, as many Italians relish the long passeggiata (stroll) with ice cream in hand. Food must be consumed on the premises of the location where it’s sold, with the threat of fines for both consumers and sellers.

Fines will be from 516 a 3.098 euro for both the individual / consumer and the owner of point-of-sale that sells these items. Locations may also not sell beverages that are not made in-house, which means saying goodbye to a beer or Coca-Cola with your pizza, if it’s not brewed in-house.

Further, a new rule that these locations must close at 1am is also in act. A fine of 154- 1.032 euro is possible for who breaks this part of the new law.

Each city in Lombardy will have to decide how and if they will enforce the new regulations.

(source: La Repubblica.it – article in Italian) – discussion is heated! Already 250 comments at 3pm on this article and quickly growing (update: comments have been closed). Many are citing the Lega Nord political party’s influence (see the last post on this page for an example of their advertising against foreigners).

Update #1 : some photos of people protesting by eating gelato on the street in Milan Thursday, April 23rd (IT)

Update #2: The Lombardy region is saying some people got the law wrong(IT) and that the law is only forbidding people from eating on (unlawful) external seats and benches installed by the locations, but that eating gelato on public benches will be acceptable, and “there is no prevision for fines for eating gelato on the sidewalk.”

Update #3: There is still a big hubub about this on the internet, including a Facebook event planned for Fri (Apr 23) evening outside a kebab shop in Milan called “Noi Kebab, Loro…Kebbabi” (Kebab for us, you’re stupid!)

Lazy Husbands? Dress Them Yourselves!

As advertised in the waiting area of the mens’ dressing rooms: “Lazy Husbands? Dress them Yourselves!”

The Smallest Car in the World?

Perhaps you did what everyone did the first time they saw a Smart Car: “Oh my god! It’s so small!” Here’s another car for you that is definitely smaller, and very bright. The smallest? Only time will tell.

Lega Nord’s Striking Advertisment

Italian Elections are this weekend, and the Lega Nord party (no link here, Google it), a pro-Northern Italy and con-Southern Italy and con-immigrants contributes this little ditty: “They underwent/suffered immigration….now they live on the reservations.”

We have talked about this at work from an advertising point of view, and it is definitely effective: everyone is talking about it. As for the message itself, it’s not working with me.