tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7147393486014631294.post3205885355269039003..comments2024-03-24T06:37:31.047-07:00Comments on Rome the Second Time: Rome 2nd Dirtiest City: Laments, and a SolutionDianne Bennett and William Graebnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00020113718051468497noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7147393486014631294.post-81852361859005380782009-06-21T08:03:58.687-07:002009-06-21T08:03:58.687-07:00Hi Mick... I pretty much agree with everything you...Hi Mick... I pretty much agree with everything you say. My piece was a polemic - that is, an argument - and as such doesn't require the same level of precision. For example, you're right that some condominium owners hire people to clean up the front of their properties; but, it's the "exception that proves the rule." Thanks so much for your comment. Keep writing! BillDianne Bennett and William Graebnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00020113718051468497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7147393486014631294.post-33009296181966572012009-06-17T13:35:16.189-07:002009-06-17T13:35:16.189-07:00While I have to agree with most of your points, th...While I have to agree with most of your points, there's no need to use hyperbole, the plain facts being quite enough. I'm thinking, in particular, of "merchants or condominum owners will [not] take action to insure that the sidewalks where they work and live are washed and swept". <br /><br />I often see shop owners sweeping the area of pavement outside their shop, and equally, it's not uncommon to see the cleaning staff in condominiums sweeping the pavement outside the main entrance, but that is - to borrow from one of your later points - pissing in the wind. (And in my experience, public urination is already not uncommon and I often feel overwhelmed by the smell of stale urine, especially in the summer months when there's little rain to wash it away, and even in very central areas such as Largo Torre d'Argentina.)<br /><br />The general lack of communal spirit on behalf of Rome's citizens, and the lack of pride in their work on behalf of many of Rome's public servants, or the private companies charged with public work, is what makes this place far tattier than it ought to be. I still find it hard to understand how the area to the front of the Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura can so continually look disgracefully bad. Litter everywhere, poorly maintained green spaces, rotten and broken benches. What a marvellous message that sends out to all the tourists who visit that place. I could go on...Mick Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09742574306425728027noreply@blogger.com