The Nation Is Closed

Planning to blow the last of your puny savings on a Grand Tour?

You should also plan ahead in the event that Italy is closed when you arrive.

It's closed today, for example.

The European Union has insisted on austere budgets for countries seeking bail-outs, and Italy is under pressure to stop spending more than it takes in.

That means the people who are accustomed to getting things for nothing won't be getting those things, and they're not taking it lightly.

You get the sense that those who are protesting want someone else to take the brunt of the pain from the budget axe.

Make the wealthy pay, say those who reap the rewards of generous government hand-outs.

Even the wealthy don't have enough to cover the expense of social welfare gone wild.

Cut Department X, say the employees of Department Y. Fire the politicians, say the citizens who were promised the moon without bothering to figure out that the moon could not possibly be brought down out of the heavens.

In protest, they've closed Italy. Their strikes and marches are an expression of their unhappiness. By closing Italy, they believe the government will buckle and restore the constant flow of benefits.

There's no money. They can close Italy for the next week and it won't change the fact that there's no money.

As a tourist, you should consider renting an apartment instead of booking a hotel room. Then, you'd want to stock up your frigo with enough food to last the duration of your stay.

While your cooking skills aren't up to the level of a fine Italian chef, you can use the same ingredients and create a passable pasta con vongole. And you'll be able to eat, while the tourists at the hotels will be near hysteria, wondering how they'll eat when all the restaurants are closed in protest.

If the strikes don't work and the austerity pinches, some are claiming that Italy will see rioting in the Greek style.

Maybe you don't want to be travelling right now after all.