Italia – An Echo That's Reversing

Le porte di Genova

Updated 26 Feb 2026

I arrived, the second of my three arrivals, and exiting the elevator at my front door I was serendipitously greeted by my elderly neighbor who was, beyond all pre-expectations for the genovese, more friendly than I’d expected in this or in any other city. I was disoriented by his kindness. The reason for my appreciation is obvious but it doesn’t take into consideration the rudderlessness you feel (I feel) in a foreign land etc. And, again, the unfair reputation the Genovese people get for being aggressively aloof with the non-Genovese is now something I will fight against.

The people I’ve met since have been just as piacievole.

Monsters

One of my favorite political commentators slash Canadians slash humorists is Jeet Heer. Also: cool name. His podcast is “The Time of Monsters” and the title references a quote from the Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci. To my shame I had never heard of it (quote) or him (author) before Heer’s reference and it is these happy necessities or current events (wtf, “happy”?) that present such introductions.

It’s an absolutely beautiful quote that is, in English:

The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: Now is the time of monsters.

Not gonna link to it even if you can reverse-image search because I still have time to buy it.

There’s too much politics to think about

There’s too much politics to think about. And that’s kindof an avoidance because calling waves hands what has just happened and what bleak anniversary just occurred, and the scars almost lining up, politics is not politics. There’s just too much to think about.

Untitled, signed 57/150, from the Grifo Edition of Crepax prints of Valentina

Genova – il primo mese

Updated 24 Oct 2025

Of all the difficulties, the one that surprised me was an inability to understand the amount the cashier says when checking out at a store, restaurant, etc. Numbers are second nature to me when reading or speaking but, as with all of my listening skills, my comprehension is lacking. Hearing “dicianovequarantacinque” isn’t the same as reading €19,45 and intuitively speaking that glob of words in your head. It’s not that much a necessary skill: when was the last time someone mis-charged you at checkout? And at every place except at a caffè I use a credit card where: the cashier says something, I hover my card over the ))) little radar symbol, and finally they shove a long piece of paper at me. Voila, my four bottles of wine are on their way home (I am of course kidding, I don’t have to pay that much for four bottles of wine).

Well it may have taken me a month to get here but I can finally understand. (Me: “I can COUNT!”. Everyone, patting me on the head: “…”).

Going through, at an angle

When I discovered Guy Debord and the Situationist International movement–and learned of their subsequent influence on the anti-capitalist French student protests of 1968–I knew it was a philosophy relevant to our days and, as they say, I would like to know more.