Tram North Semi-launched

Yesterday night, on my way home from the train station, I saw "Scuola Guida" (Practice Session) written on the Tram route sign at 11 p.m. I thought it odd to see that message. The tram drivers have to practice just like the rest of us! Obviously they do it under the cover of darkness when traffic drops drastically, especially in Padua.

The tram is gaining territory as it has semi-opened the route north of the station since May 24th. The announcement can be seen on the site: http://www.tramdipadova.it/

This method of public transportation has been controversial ever since the idea started 7 years ago by a former administration. The tram is technologically advanced, featuring a single rail which allows the tram to move along a curved path. This was necessary because it bends through Prato della Valle on its 10.3 km route pictured above.

The problems are numerous with the project: too long in its completion (7 years +); dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians (catching wheels and heels in the wide track grooves on major streets); too expensive (required the construction of a new overpass over the train station to accomodate the tram); too limited in its service (offers only a single north-south line through town).

I must admit that it is a nice-looking transport system compared to buses and it makes the city seem more modern, somehow, as well as more similar to Milan, perhaps, as a tram-toting town. Yet we citizens wonder whether the extra expense was well spent. The project went over budget and made certain companies rich in the process of the construction of the routes and overpass. I, for one, never use the tram because it is off my personal commuter route since I live on the eastern part of town. If anything, I have to be careful that the tram doesn't run into me daily as I pedal to and from one of my major clients, Istituto Dante Alighieri, along the tram's path.

The recent opening is partial because the service is offered only for a full day on Sundays and night-service during weekdays and Saturdays. So we are still waiting for full service, since 2002. How many months will we need to wait for this project to be complete? Or should I say years?

This recent push for the partial opening coincides with the June elections. The current administration wanted it to be as finished as possible before the city went to vote even though these particular politicians were not responsible for beginning the project.

No Winner Takes All Yet

Italians voted for their national European Union representatives on Saturday and Sunday and some cities also voted for their mayor and other local political positions. Padua was included in that batch of over 60 comuni.

After waiting over a day for the final results to be tallied (polls were closed at 10 p.m. on Sunday evening), the numbers are being published. Padua seems to be in a tie with the incumbent mayor, Flavio Zanonato (left coalition parties), having 45.7% of the vote and his main opponent, Marco Marin (right coalition parties), capturing 44.9%. This means that our city will have a re-vote to determine which of these two will actually become mayor of Padua for the 2009-2014 term. Several other towns are in the same predicament. The new voting session will probably coincide with the scheduled referendum vote to be cast on June 20th.

In general, the country is seeing its main right and left-wing groups losing popularity in favor of smaller parties such as Lega Nord and Italia dei Valori gaining significant votes. Italy's attempt at reaching a similar system to the simple Republican and Democratic parties found in the USA is not receiving the results that were expected.

It is interesting to watch how other countries try to adopt our American habits while changing them or having them fail, even miserably sometimes, because other cultures are obviously different than the US one.

Key to running mayoral candidates' political supporting parties at local level:

Left Coalition:
Pd
Idv
Lista Civica Padova con Flavio Zanonato
Sinistra per Padova
Prc-Pdci
Partito Socialista
Lista Civica Innovazione
Lista Civica Comitati Citta' Sicura

Right Coalition:
Pdl
Lega Nord
Lista Civica per Padova con Marco Marin
Part.Pens-Altri
Lista Civica Padova Sicura
Liberta' Democrazia Cristiana

Link to all the voting results for Italy:
http://www.repubblica.it/speciale/2009/elezioni/comunali/index.html

Tram Art

The city has a young artist exhibition called Gemine Muse in progress. One of the artists did a piece on the tram where a silhouette of a city landscape was traced onto the window of a tram. If you catch it right, you can see reality line up with the image. Otherwise you see the record of that place while on your journey.

Artist's name: Antonio Guiotto

Gemine Muse, promoted by Progetto Giovani and GAI (Associazione per il Circuito dei Giovani Artisti Italiani) and CIDC (Associazione Città Italiane d'Arte e Cultura) in Padua.

You can see the drawing from the outside of the tram in the above photo. You have to look hard in the reflections to get to the image. Look closely.

Friday's False Friend

Actual v. Attuale

In English, we use actual for something that is "real" or "based on fact".

ex) an actual account of the accident

In Italian, attuale means current as in, Berlusconi è l'attuale presidente, so use reale to translate from English.

ex) una testimonianza reale del incidente

Politicians Want to Party

It's election season with the voting date imminent on Saturday for both the European parliament positions and, more importantly locally, the mayor's race.

In true Italian style, the city has seen a flurry of road re-pavement, roundabout projects be completed in record time and, generally, beautiful city management in the last few months. This all started happening in January, 6 months before the elections and the end of a 5-year term for a mayor who hasn't done much that was noteworthy except build a temporary wall on Via Anelli and push out the foreign presence living there.

In fact, the story of that wall made international news, including front-page news on the BBC's website shortly after installation. That exposure was not kind on the city of Padua. It was treated as a racist gesture that should have been embarassing for the city administration.

The city has been spruced up recently to remind its voters that they should re-elect Zanonato, the current mayor of the left-wing party. On paper, he is from the left but his actions, especially regarding the immigrants, seemed more of a move on the part of the right-wing.

Anyway last night, a stage was set-up in Piazza Signori with a yiddish music concert organized for Padua. The flags flying on the poles around the piazza displayed its sponsor: Zanonato. It was very entertaining. I just wish these politicians would host an event like this even in the middle of their term in office as simply a plain gift to the city citizens.

Viva i politici!

Shrouded Santa Sofia

Another sighting of a monument gone covered.

This is now Santa Sofia, a church built primarily in the early 12th century in the Romanic style.

Of course, you can't see that just now.

How many months or years will this one take to restore? Give me your guesses.

The Old City Walls

Padua is a medieval town, including 11 kilometers of fortified walls built in 1509 to protect the city against an Austria invasion. At that time Padua was under the control of La Serenissima (Venetian Republic).

This particular piece of the old city wall runs along today's Via Gattamelata. I cycle past it everyday as I go to work or into town for any reason. The wall and moat have been under restoration since January. They started by cleaning the stones on the wall which had turned dark. Then they cleaned up the wild plantlife that had grown up all around the water's edge. The rocks in the foreground were just delivered a few days ago to delineate the water's proper course, I imagine. On some days, I used to find people fishing down at the water, tucked away from the car traffic of the street. They will probably resume that activity soon, once these public works projects are complete.