Notorious Vandal Strikes Again - The Florentine

www.theflorentine.net
News
3
Thursday 20 October 2005
Florence NEWS
www.theflorentine.net
via santa maria 32r - 50125 Firenze
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editore
Azimuth s.r.l.
direzione: via dei Fossi 14c. 59100 Prato
direttore responsabile
Fabiana Ceccarelli
managing editors
Nita Tucker, Linda Falcone
contributing editors
Marco Badiani, Elia Della Chiesa,
Giovanni Giusti, Antonio Lo Iacono,
Carla Rossi, Tova Piha, Tony Tucker
graphics and layout
agilelogica.it
Leo Cardini - Cathy Gale
printer
La Marina, Calenzano (Fi)
iscrizione al ROC
(reg. degli operatori di comunicazione)
n. 9927 reg. trib. di Prato
trasmessa il 19/04/05
continued from pg. 1
Notorious Vandal Strikes Again
Officials Stumped on How to Protect the
Treasures of the Signoria
Cannata is not the only one attacking Italy’s patrimony, however:
graffiti is scrawled over the façades of historic palaces, chewing gum
is stuck to statues, and Doric columns are encrusted with years of city
smog. Italy, a small country that boasts more than half of the world’s
artistic wealth, is nothing short of an open-air museum. Thousands flock
to her art cities each year, and many are shocked to see the state of decay
of hundreds of Italian treasures. Why? You don’t have to go far to prove
that vandalism, pollution, and atmospheric conditions rank as the main
causes of deterioration of artwork. The real question becomes just how
to protect Italy’s cultural heritage, especially when many Italian towns
are open-air museums whose needs don’t easily lend themselves to the
necessities of modern living.
The fight against vandalism is indeed becoming an urgent issue in the
centre of Florence, as city officials continue to search for new ways to
protect the treasures of the Signoria. The most commonly targeted work
of art in Florence remains the Fountain of Neptune, which has been
vandalised six times since 1981. Regardless of how many sworn guards,
hidden cameras, and custodians are placed in the piazza, officials seem
unable to keep the city’s artistic wealth safe, especially outdoors.
continued from pg. 1
SIT, STUDY, STRIKE!
Students and Faculty Find New Ways to Resist Reform
The Region of Tuscany supported the protests, declaring itself against “a
university system that has been paralysed by haphazard reform.” Researchers
in the Piazza del Duomo in Siena also protested with an unusual type
of sit-in: “The Lesson Marathon,” 48 consecutive hours of lectures at the
University of Siena. This atypical intellectual protest was heartily approved
by the Sienese Academic Senate and was called “a well-organised protest
against policies currently being discussed in Parliament.” More than
250 students in over 30 Italian cities from Milan to Naples, from Bologna
to Palermo, took part in some form of protest over the past two weeks in
response to the controversial reform.
Opponents of the Moratti Reform argue against the vagueness of the
new law, which depends on legislative decrees to establish age limits for
compulsory education. Enrico Panini, the General Secretary of Cgil Scuola,
called the reform “disastrous,” and commented that “it will produce a step
backwards in the education level in our country.” The education sector committees
(Comitati di base, Cobas) are against the reform and “refuse the
idea of treating schools as fi rms and of privatising the educational system.”
By contrast, the National Independent School Workers’ Union gave “its
full commitment to the implementation of the law.” Giorgio Rembado of
the School Deans’ Association also regards the reform positive, despite
fi nancial concerns. Confi ndustria Employers’ Confederation are in favour
of the reform as well: “we needed a reform able to face the problems of
the schools sector in order to make it more competitive and of a higher
quality.”
Table of CONTENTS
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FLORENCE NEWS
Notorious Vandal
Strikes Again
Sit, Study, Strike!
Fewer Traffi c Accidents But
Mortality Still High
Undercover Agents Planted in
Stadium
More Expensive to be
a Poor Student
The Show Must Not Go On
NATIONAL NEWS
Fiat Family Nightmare
Following in Daddy’s
Footsteps
SPORT NEWS
The Fiorentina Stops in Rome
Violent Fans, The Battle
Continues
TOP PICKS &
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Events Highlights
UP CLOSE & PERSONAL
Interview with:
Barbara Deimling
CULTURE & CUSTOMS
ITALIAN VOICES:
A Window on Language
and Customs in Italy
Married to an Italian
Fame & Fashion: The Future
is in the Stars?
HOW DO YOU.....?
Buy, Drive & Ship a Volvo
THE ARTS
Art Communes with Nature
TRAVEL & LEISURE
The Spa Experience:
Tuscany’s Alternative
Answer to Good Health
Back to the Future:
Agriturismo: Getting Back
to the Good Life
USEFUL NUMBERS
CLASSIFIED ADS