Russian Sextet Kicked out of Rome's Pantheon
Employees eager to get home to dinner stopped concert midway through and kicked out all the spectators.
Picture this: Rome's Pantheon, 2,000 year old monument set in the
heart of Rome. A Russian sextet and soloists perform
a wonderful concert of Vivaldi's music in the ancient temple. Just as one movement
comes to a close, an angry Roman state employee comes marching up to
the performers in stiletto heels, saying something inaudible to the cameras (luckily, I
understand Italian hand gestures and here translate to "pack up your crap
and get moving, it's closing time").
She then goes to the podium and declares: Ladies and Gentlemen, the
pantheon is closing, please make your way to the exit. The concert is
over, because today is Sunday and the Pantheon closes at 6:00 PM."
Concert attendees shouted that the group should play on, and when they
picked up their instruments to resume playing, the woman races over to
the violinist and stops his bow with hands. Have a look.
Come on guys, we have to get home, mamma's making gnocchi tonight! Ah, the pride of Italy...
According to an article in the Guardian, a meeting will be held today with Rome's mayor to discuss the sad state of public employees in Italy and the negative impression they leave, especially on tourists as they visit the city on Rome and Vatican tours.
Submit a Comment
Sorry I am late with my comment, but I was sick for several days and I need some catching up. I have to admit I don't think it's funny, it makes me sad. It gives the the complete wrong impression. Italian people are usually warmhearted and very hospitality. This kind of behavior reminds me of something that I noticed growing up. My parents had bought a little house in Spain in a very small fishing town, for us to go on vacation during the year. Te only tourist there were Spanish people who came over the weekend to the ocean and some during summer vacation. I have some of my best childhood memories from this place. The people were loving, warmhearted and generous. Not rich but they shared everything with you. If you did't have enough money for the bread at the bakery, the lady would let you go and say bring it tomorrow, which of course you would. As time went by the little town became more and more popular and the more so European tourist came. The more the people changed, they became bitter, and unfriendly with time. Because they were used and abused by ungrateful tourist, who thought oh these stupid people. They did not see the kindness in the actions of allowing them to bring money later, they just thought they were stupid. Never of course brought the missing money or just misused there trust in other way's. As time went on and I became an adult, this beautiful little place of my childhood became a typical tourist place with all the knowing down sides. This little town got sold out, with shops who sold German coffee and Sauerkraut and English beer. The last time I went back, I visited the lady from the bakery. She was not working anymore and we sat and chatted. It broke my heart to hear all the stories she had to tell about the tourists. In my opinion it goes both ways. A lot of tourist come to a place and expect I pay and I want it all, you need to serve me. Not just that they want things like they are at home. Well I tell you than stay at home. You visit a different country you respect the way things are there and you eat and go along with the way things are. First and for all you respect the people it's there home and you are a guest, paying or not.
I do find this incident a bit sad, what are 10 minutes. All I am trying to say. Tourist have caused a lot of damage over the years and I think people just got so fed up with all of it.
Sorry for the very long comment.
This is way too funny, and such an accurate picture of what service can be like in Italy. All to often, when we have visited this lovely country, people in the service industry are rude, impatient and act as though you are bothering them. As much as I love Italy, I can barely stomach the way tourists are treated there. I keep coming back for the food, art, history, landscape and family, not to be treated kindly...if I wanted that I would stay home in Canada ;)
My husband and I went to Rome a couple of years ago and loved it! Yes the timetable for everything was very different from our home country, but that is one of the things I find charming and fascinating about Italy. Shops close up for lunch and they don't really care if you have not made up your mind about whether to buy the souvenier or not; its time for lunch!But for the most part people were very nice to us, its just that priorities are very different in Italy and that is one of the things I loved about being there. I would have thought, however that if the sextet was officially scheduled to play in the Pantheon that the staff should have been notified of the change in times and accomadated for. If they were not officially booked and scheduled then they should expect nothing else than what happened.
Hopefully they learn before its to late and tourism diminishes even more in Italy!!! They act like they are doing you a favor, when its the other way around!!