My meeting with Silvio Berluscone

Before I came to Rome, I decided I would use this special opportunity to get to know Rome in and out. I knew that if I would not make specific effort from the beginning then the time would just run out of my hands and I would have been in Rome for almost 5 months and still would not have explored the city. So I decided that each week I would use some of my Saturday or Sunday exploring the city. Going from one area to another little by little. And exploring I mean not seeing the normal sites - Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Colosseum, Spanish Steps etc - those I've seen many times already. And those sites I would have to explore with all my friends that would come for a visit. No, I want to explore those not so often visited places. That is what I will explore, during my time in Rome.

You might wonder what does this all have to do with me meeting Silvio Berluscone... but hold on a while and let me tell you how I got there in the first place...

So with this idea of exploring the city, I set out to the city last week Saturday. I wanted to see the Asian Market near Piazza Vittorio Emmanuel II. It is one metro stop from Termini Station, but I wanted to walk since the hole point was exploring. Asian Market is in Esquilinus area where you'll also find the Santa Maria Maggiore Church (according to a friend this is the most powerful of all the Vatican churches in Rome...). It has the most beautiful roofs ever. I remember seeing an image of that roof somewhere and wondering where is that building. You can imagine my surprise when I found the roof when entering the church. Didn't know it is there!

 

Santa Maria Maggiore Church Rome Italy

From the Santa Maria Maggiore it is just a short walk to the Piazza Vittorio Emmanel II and from there you'll find the Asian Market one block away on the left side of the Piazza.

I went to the Market to see if I could find some Arabic coffee there and to see what other things they sell. Normally places like that are full of cheap fruits and vegetables and so it is in Asian Market in Rome too. I bought some vegetables and ginger and such, but could not find any Arabic Coffee. Must be that Italians are so happy with their own coffee that even the foreigners buy that. Yes the place was full of mainly foreigners from Africa, Asia and Middle-East. I must have been a sight... almost the only European in the place and definite the only one from Finland!!

After exploring the Asian Market and Santa Maria Maggiore I thougth I'll walk towards the Quirinalis area and towards the Piazza Venezia (which is front of the monument for Vittorio Emmanuel, remember the big white building with horse-riders and pillars.. one of my favorites in Rome).

Vittorio Emmanuel Monument, Rome, Italy

After some late lunch near Piazza Venezia, I headed towards the small alley next to Palazzo Colonna. I remembr hearing the name Colonna before in one of the historical dramas I have seen, but did not really understand it is a name of a family, Family Colonna. Seems that Colonna was one of the Popes and ofcause you only could become a Pope if you had enough money behind you, in otherwords you needed to be rich. (Pope Martinus V Colonna was in power 1417-1431). This Pope started building the palace, but it was finished in 18th century. Nowadays it is open for public, but only on Saturdays.

After Palazzo Colonna you end up to the Gregorian University (where the Catholic priests study). On the other side of the University there is the Presidents palace (hmmm.... the Catholic univercity next to the Presidents palace, that really shows how the Church and the Power have been hand in hand). Well that's a place I haven't seen yet, I thought. Now I have a good opportunity since I am close. Little did I know where I'll end up that day!!!

So up I climbed to the Piazza del Quirinale, that is front of the Presidents palace which is called Palazzo del Quirinale. This palace was build for the Pope as his residence. Seems that in the 1500-centrury Vatican was unhealty for you, since there were Malaria. So Pope decided to build a summer palace for himself to the otherside of the river (hey common this is some 1km from the Vatican.. what a difference). After arriving to the Piazza front of the palace I noticed something was going on. Already on the way to the Piazza I saw a TV-group in their van entered the Palace from the alley behind the main-entrance. When up on the Piazza I saw newsreporters, TV-photografers with cameras and TV-video-cameras. I saw policemen and a small crowd. What is going on here I thought.

So after a little looking around I approached an Italian lady in her 50's. I thought she would maybe speak some English. And so she did, she works for the Italian Embassy in one of the African countries. "Please do you know what is going on here?" I asked. "Yes" she said, "people are waiting for Silvio Berlucone. He is supposed to be resigning today and he should come and give his resignation to the President today. That is what people are waiting for." Vau, I thought, I might actually see Silvio Berluscone today. How funny and how sudden. Well if he is coming here today, I'll wait awhile. Maybe I'll see him aswell.

Little did I know that a while would turn into many hours. I met some students from Martinique and spoke with them for some two hours on the Piazza. More and more people started to join the crowd. It was getting colder and colder. I still did not want to give up this opportunity to see a climbs of Silvio. WHAT WAS I THINKING!!!!

By the time I understood that this was maybe NOT the place to be that evening, it was too late to leave. The police had come more and more and the SWAT (or Italian equivalent) guards came in as well. Soon I was pressed in the crowd and could no more leave. Time just went on and on and NO SILVIO at sight. Luckily I had bought a new cardigan from Benetton that day from the sales. But even that did not keep me warm. The crowd got more and tense and people started to sing Hallelujah by Händel "Messiah", boy do they have a wrong song did I think. The resignation of Berluscone has nothing to do with Hallelujah (which means Praise Jah/Jehovah, for sure he has nothing to do with this I thought).

While I am waiting there in the cold and huge crowd, people are yelling all sorts of sentances to mock Berluscone. Most which I don't understand - luckily - but one that I definitely understood - Maffioso....Maffioso... Maffioso....hmm.. By then I would have wanted to leave, even without seeing Silvio. What was I thinking!!!! But by then it was not possible to leave. Front of me were the Police guards blocking the way and behind me so big crowd of Italians that I could not get through. So there I was waiting for Silvio. 

I do give it to the Italians thou, they  were very Positive and still having fun in all that situation. Smiling and joking with each others. Even the policemen were nice and talking with people. How can they be so happy in all this situation they are in... Well my compliments!

One thing I was threading was that one of the TV-video-cameras would catch a climbs of me... I was not a demonstrator, but just wanting to "See Silvio". Imagine if my friends would see my picture on the front page of the newspaper or in the evening news amongst the demonstrators. I was not demonstrating but that is how it would look like right! What was I thinking!!!

Every now and then a car came to the entrance of the Presidents palace and the crowd got more and more loud. And more and more policemen came to the piazza to make sure Silvio's visit would go smoothly. Did Silvio come, well that was a big question mark for me. I did not see so clearly who those people were who came, but by 10pm the police moved a bit and I could escape from my "prison" of human-shield. Quickly I walked to the Berberini metro station and took a bus from there towards Piazza Fiumi. From there I could get home with one bus. Survived I thought - never again! No more meetings with Silvio Berluscone! He can have his meetings without me in the future!

I've never been craving for excitement and even in this case it was not excitement I was looking for... I just wanted to see Silvio!!! I have traveled in Egypt - even this year after the February troubles they had this year (2011). I did not feel afraid in there. I did not feel afraid in this case either, but the difference between Egypt and Italy is that in Egypt I would have never stayed and watched what will happen, in Italy I don't feel scared in such situations. I did not feel scared that evening either, but I do admit that was a miss judgment call and that I WILL NEVER ever want to see Silvio again!