I've been really surprised at how much construction and renovation is going on in this small town. After all I've heard about Italy's lousy economy, I was not expecting nearly as much activity. Practically every block has at least one major renovation going on.
Another interesting aspect is the rather cavalier approach to their buildings. As Eleanor points out, in the States, we seriously consider any alterations to buildings that are (gasp!) 100 years old. Here, they blithely jackhammer in walls that are 400-500 years old. I supposed it's because MOST of the buildings here are that age, but it really is a completely different mindset.
For those who have been wondering, since we've shown you the little trash trucks, etc.: every block or so, there is a little trash station with cans. You bring your family trash to the station, and separate it according to recyclable, compostable, and to-be-landfilled or incinerated. Our size of family takes at least one trash type every day -- otherwise the bags would be too heavy to carry. Besides which, it's easy enough since we walk right by the collection point every day. I have no idea how often they empty the collection point...
The person I feel most sorry for is the mail carrier. Each house has an individual mailbox (as you might expect), but they're typically next to the door or the entrance gate. Each door has steps up or down to it. In our case, there are probably 8 steps, as there are to our neighbor's. So the mail carrier spends his or her day doing a stair master. Makes me wonder how efficient the process can possibly be. On the other hand, maybe it explains the postal rates...
Love,
Alexandra
I'll bet your mail carrier is pretty buff!
ReplyDeleteBTW, this anonymous is really Deb!