Northern Italy News

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Has it been two years?  I am thinking it has been far over that, but I can almost begin to smell the roasting coffee beans in the new, still not ready, Milano Starbucks.  Upon more investigation, this Starbucks will not be the usual type, but a much larger one they call a Roastery. 
Plans for smaller ones in Milano by the Italian licensee Percassi might open in 2018.  They are publishing that these smaller ones will respect the local community, etc.  I guess this means that the bigger one near the cathedral does not respect the Milanese setting. ??

Here is something you would find in a  Roastery .   Shiny Copper with tubing, etc, looking more like a small craft brewery.  You can see that this not be your usual coffee bar found everywhere in Italy.
Ah, there’s nothing like getting a cup of java that is several 100 % mark up over normal coffee a few doors down the street.

The owner of our fav enoteca in Arquà Petrarca sat down for a few minutes and  told us that so far this looks to be a good year  for grapes.  We have had enough rain, but not too much and  lots of sunny days.  Grapes harvested into wine last year have turned out excellent.  I have noticed that prices have risen a bit, too.  

Prices, overall, in the past ten years have risen from 11 euros for an excellent wine we buy to 20 or more for similar wines.  That is a lot.  Table wine in the super market has moved from 3 euros to 5ish.  It’s not bad wine, just has fewer of the qualities that a swirler of wine desires.  As I  have said before, you  don’t see much swirling in Italy.

There has been much in the news lately where the new Italian government has turned away boats from Africa  Facts to consider:  690,000 migrants who have arrived by boat since 2013, most of them from sub-Saharan Africa. Some arrive with papers, and others don’t.
There are other immigrants, however from other countries.  23% of immigrants to Italy are from Romania.   9.0 percent are from Albania, 8.0 percent are Moroccan, 5.5 percent are Chinese and 4.5 are from Ukraine.
My experience at immigration in Padova every year when I go, I see a lot of Romanians, Russians and a sprinkling of places like Sri Lanka.  I think this year I will be seeing a lot more Africans.  
It has been stated that there are 500,000 people living in Italy illegally.   This is equivalent to 0.9 percent of the population. Which includes failed asylum seekers and those who have outstayed their visas.  
When I first came here I was told by many officials that I could live in Italy a long time, but when I was caught without a visa, I would be sent out of country and  never allowed at the border to return.  This motivated me to keep my visa in order.  

Lastly I would like to show two of my latest watercolor paintings.  Size is A3, on Winsor & Newton Rough paper.  



Ciao!




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