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“Let me tell you a little story. In animal mythology, the female lion, her cubs are born stillborn, and she roars them into life, to provoke their hearts with that roar. Beauty and provocation’s root words in Greek are closely associated, almost identical: beauty is a provocation and my particular provocation is that I want to show the beauty of the beast.”

Becky and I were in the middle of today’s huge protests against the government – one from the Matteo Salvini and his anti-immigration Lega Nord political party and a counter protest from the Liberal Party. Enormous numbers of policeman and military personnel with riot shield lining the street. Becky got close-ups of the Lega Nord protestors (scarily so) – will post later.

ROME (Reuters) – Thousands of supporters of Italy’s anti-euro Northern League filled one of the biggest squares in Rome on Saturday, accusing the government of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi of selling the country out to faceless powers in Brussels.

Northern League leader Matteo Salvini, who called the rally, took aim at a series of targets, ranging from illegal immigrants and Romanian truck drivers to tax authorities, banks and big business.

“The problem isn’t Renzi, Renzi is a pawn, Renzi is a dumb slave, at the disposal of some nameless person who wants to control all our lives from Brussels,” he told the rally at the Piazza del Popolo, called just over two months ahead of regional elections in May.

Italy’s centre-right opposition has been in disarray for the past year, riven by faction-fighting and unable to mount a consistent challenge to Renzi, whose centre-left Democratic Party holds a commanding lead in opinion polls.

However, 41 year-old Salvini has overseen a resurgence of his party since taking over as leader a little over a year ago, focusing on attacking immigration and the euro in a drive to broaden its appeal beyond its base in northern Italy.

Bluntly, even crudely spoken at times, he has articulated a growing frustration at austerity policies many in Italy believe have been dictated by Brussels at the expense of ordinary citizens struggling in the long economic slump.

“Europe is what’s allowing our truckdrivers to be squeezed out by Romanian contracts, Romanian wages and pensions that can be used to come and work in Italy because that’s what Europe wants – a race to the bottom,” he told supporters who also heard a message of support read out from Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s far-right National Front.

With 78-year-old former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi struggling to hold his squabbling Forza Italia party together, Salvini has taken over his mantle as the highest profile leader on the right.

He is more popular than any political leader apart from Renzi himself and opinion polls show the League challenging or even surpassing Forza Italia as the largest party of the right.

As well as immigrants and the EU, his attacks have also been directed against Italy’s business establishment, ranging from the head of Fiat Chrysler, Sergio Marchionne to employers lobby group Confindustria and business daily Il Sole 24 Ore.

“Italy isn’t Marchionne and it isn’t Renzi. Italy is millions of tradesmen and small businessmen,” he said.

TripAdvisor reports there are 8,923 restaurants in Rome. If we ate at a different restaurant each day, it would take 24 years to get through all of them …

Dining in Rome, Lazio: See 792,606 TripAdvisor traveler reviews of 8,923 Rome restaurants and search by cuisine, price, location, and more.

I posted a similar (but different) critique on my blog. Here’s hers:

Cruising at 40,000+ feet above the Atlantic Ocean, I feel strangely at peace. Halfway between the two places I call home, I want to hover here for a while. It’s the place where I don’t feel torn, neither heading towards, nor leaving behind, the places and people I love. I can no longer say which one is home, and where it is that I am visiting. All I know for sure is, there are differences between the United States and Italy…

LAUNDRY: Point USA

Wash it, dry it and wear it, all in the same day! Winter months in Italy, I hang clothing out for a week to dry…and hope icicles don’t form in the process.

FOOD: Point Italy

It’s not just the chefs, but the quality of fresh, locally grown food that makes eating in Italy such a delightful experience. Thankfully, the convenience driven, fast food and frozen pizzas aren’t to be found. Dinners last for hours, and the wine and food spoils me for any other.

FRIENDLINESS: Point Italy

I like friendly people… I am one! But, I am always taken back by the casual friendliness in the USA when I first arrive. From servers in a restaurant, to the dog walkers in a local park, everyone chatters a hello, how are you, and beyond. I prefer a little formality between people that aren’t close friends. I like servers that have to be called to the table rather than popping in every five minutes to refill the water and ask how I am doing.

STREAMLINING: Point USA

Whether it’s a line in the post office, self checkout at the grocery store, or ordering on Amazon, Americans have figured out how to do it faster and more efficiently. And, Americans understand the concept of forming a line, so everything runs a little smoother and with more organization.

ICE: Point USA

The Italians will tell you it’s bad for digestion, but there is nothing better to me than a tall drink over lots of ice. Ask for ice in an Italian restaurant, and you will get one cube…maybe.

COFFEE: Tie

Each country will tell you it’s the best here, and I call it a draw. I like the coffee equally on both sides of the Atlantic. There is certainly a bolder taste to an espresso or caffe macchiato in Italy, but, I am also a fan of a steaming hot mug of American coffee, or a travel cup to go. While a Starbucks can’t be found, coffee for a single euro can be purchased on every corner in Italy. Hard choice here.

APERITIVO: Point Italy

Italy wins this one hands down! The US has never really embraced aperitivo time, perhaps because they eat at an earlier hour than their European counterparts. Full buffets begin to appear around 6:00 p.m. in Italy, and are included in the price of a drink. Order a glass of wine in the US, and you may get a bowl of peanuts on the table.

ATTIRE: Point Italy

I have to give credit to the Italians here, because the women will accessorize an outfit just to take out the trash. Americans will seemingly appear in their pajamas complete with UGGs/flipflops at the grocery store or to board a plane.

While I spend much more time in Italy than I do the USA these days, I comfortably embrace both cultures, both countries, and feel fortunate to do so. There is always the pull of leaving one, and the full welcoming of the other. To call two places home is to know that people are more alike than they are different, and we all smile in the same language.

What was once the Eternal City’s port and eventual dumping ground is now a vivacious hipster neighborhood of restaurants, markets and contemporary art.

Gastronomia Roma Prodotti tipici regionali, specialità alimentari, formaggi salumi caviale

It wasn’t a giant swimming rat that we saw in the Tiber, but a nutria.

Better link here to the indoor sand courts

Just found indoor beach volleyball courts in Rome. Italian Mike is organizing games for Saturday.

Dr. John Kitchin quit a medical career to pursue his passion: skating along the boardwalk of San Diego’s Pacific Beach. He calls himself “Slomo.”

Inspiring story of human transformation from material to spiritual, from medicine to skating. Reveals the secret to a long, fulfilling (2nd) life.