Things that pee you off...


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6 hours ago, jonab said:

All the time the Spanish Steps are being sat upon, they are not being walked on. Which of the two activities is less wearing on the stones?

 

Its not walking and sitting on the steps it's the damage they cause  by defacing the stone work. They have recently been restored and they don't want to have to restore them again for a number of years. Have you seen the videos and the comments, I think you might understand a little more. Maybe if some historic buildings were damaged in UK people might be a little more considerate.  What was the reaction of Notre Dame? After all it's the future generations heritage. 

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5 hours ago, philmayfield said:

I think the spirit of Mussolini still lives on in Italy. The authorities love making rules and the people love finding ways around them. Even the tax inspectors are armed when they visit!

 

It's about time some other authorities started to make rules and fine people for doing what they shouldn't do. It might make the world a better place to live in.

 It's come to a head now that they realize things have been too relaxed and are trying to bring the country back to some sort of order. 

 

 

 

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Root problem is in the mindset and upbringing of people.  The more rules there are the more there are to break and more enforcers required.  They often whine that they don't have the resources to enforce them anyway.  So it goes on.

 

Growing up I don't remember many petty rules, but for the most part folks cared enough about their neighbors and neighborhood that things went reasonably well.  I think it was called common sense.  It's been a long time since I've seen much of it.

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In the case of the Spanish Steps the clue is in the name - they are steps. Steps are for people to walk up and down. These are particularly famous steps that tourists are encouraged to visit, with considerable success, so he authorities cannot reasonably expect visitors not to need a place to stop, take a break, admire etc and not provide facilities for people to do so. Looking at pictures there is nothing there. No seating, no shade, no water fountain so of course people are going to sit down, especially the older tourists. They are not sitting because they are the Spanish Steps, they sit because they need to and there is nowhere else available.

 

Fines for criminal damage (400 Euro) I have no argument with. Fining (250 Euro for sitting down) people because they are not behaving like cattle and trudging up and down without stopping or resting is ridiculous. Rome wants visitors, without them the city would be bankrupt so they should try treating them with a little respect and dignity if they want  to avoid the negative furore I'm reading about in the press

 

There is a huge trend, not just in Italy, of authoritarianism  using more and  more draconian law trying to control people and their actions - I think it's wrong

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Exactly Brew. I've sat on the steps, because as you say, no seating. However I noticed litter about as folk sat eating their snacks.

That is inexcusable.

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I agree entirely Fly, there is no excuse but if they encourage more visitors than they can provide facilities for then there will always be problems. Crumbs will be spilt, ice creams will be dropped and wrapping paper will occasionally make a break for freedom, it's a fact of life.

Google for images of the steps and see what they have in the way of litter bins, rest areas, sun shades, - zilch, zip, nada... nonna has pointed out  recently it has been as hot as hades in Italy, I certainly wouldn't attempt climbing 136 steep steps in that heat without needing to pause, catch my breath and yes even sit down to recover. 

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It's a set of steps, nothing special, overpriced shops & restaurants & the star of the show .... McDonalds! Ronald McDonald :laugh: don't fall into the tourist trap give it a miss, there is much better things to see & do in Rome, have some imagination, be bankrupt soon anyway, off for a sit on the steps of the entrance to Wollaton Hall. 

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Rome is certainly no different to any major city, with numerous tourist attractions. They get many  thousands per week, and occasionally,  loose rogue litter is inevitable. 

Maybe ongoing litter collection / sweeping is the answer. It'd certainly help.

What I did notice in Rome, was that the Government buildings, Civic buildings, and other official sites were immaculately cared for. Highly polished brasswork everywhere, and freshly scrubbed marble steps were the norm. 

The only scruffy part I saw, was the large square near the railway station. Again though, thousands of people scurrying about.

Now for a beautiful, clean couple of cities, try Copenhagen and Helsinki !  Unbelievable ! 

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Ridiculous, when you can buy a bag from Wickes or B & Q for less than £3 !

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Folks I agree with a lot of these posts about the steps, but I also agree with why they've imposed this rule. Yes you should be able to sit on the steps ( without wearing them down) picnic no. You've seen how many people sit on the steps, it's impossible to see the steps. We see it on the news every day. Yes food stains sometimes come away but others remain. We were shown the bad stains on the steps and no amount of cleaning has removed them. Goodness knows what's been spilt..However there is nothing that I nor others can do about it .Its years since we went to Rome and like Some would find it impossible to climb all those steps without being tired. But as regards no seating available , it would spoil the ambience of a very historical ambiance. Don't think I would like to see umbrellas and tables and chairs along side.

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I tend to agree nonna. Some world famous sites should be left as they are, and not succumb to commercialisation. There's sufficient outdoor areas near the steps that are currently used for coffees and drinks etc ! 

My God, what next. A hog roast at the Coliseum, or a mobile bar at Stonehenge ?

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Think about it, what would be so wrong about a hog roast at the Colosseum? I doubt Romans of 2000 years ago went hungry whilst watching lions snack on a few Christians so it would be historically accurate to sell refreshments there, it already has vendors selling all kinds of tourist tat.  ;)

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Hows this for stupidity. Just one of the tricks Rome has to put up with.

No damage but he hoped the plastic balls didn't get into the ancient working of the caves and waterways under neath the fountain.

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Without a doubt, the scruffiest capital  / large city I've visited recently is Berlin. An horrific litter problem there, and from what I saw, it was mainly due to the student population. Maybe it was due to the fact that they'd recently had a music festival in the city. However, you couldn't get near the Brandenburg Gate as scaffolding was in situ.

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Anyway, I'm visiting Pisa, Siena, Florence, Elba and Lucca soon, so I'll be on my best behaviour !

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1 hour ago, nonnaB said:

Just one of the tricks Rome has to put up with.

 

'Performance Art' reminds me of the 60's artisitc 'happenings'. It was stupid then, it's stupid now. It's usually some talentless individual  trying to make a name for themselves by doing something outrageous to attract attention.

 

As a form of protest it's non-violent and he manages to publicise whatever he's protesting about but how he managed to organise it without someone noticing and stopping it is hard to fathom.

 

Like the Spanish guy and the fridge I'd fine him AND make him clear it all up

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The weather ! It's been so hot lately, today is cool and overcast. Tomorrow the festivities start, everyone and his relatives will be here to eat and see concerts. The forecast isn't very good and the 2 nights of the more important concerts it looks like rain. I went to the local market this morning and to park was impossible. There are 2 large squares next to each other almost. One had a fairground with the parafinalia that goes with the construction. The other had a huge marque and the market stalls pushed under into a smaller space. All the streets were packed with cars, the usual overflow car park is cordened off because they are building a new and bigger supermarket. These festivities bring a lot of business into the village but where all the cars are going to go is anybodies guess.

Next on the list of requirements after resurfacing the roads will be a decent car park. 

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Just been out to top up my mobile. Went to four ATM's, to find that there's no facility now.

Ended up at Tesco's, and now have to go through the palaver of buying a credit slip, then phoning EE and type in a 16 digit code.

Some folks certainly know how to make an easy process difficult ! Anyone know why !

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