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Italy
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ITALY

Capital: Rome (pop. 2,693,383)

Population: 57,725,625

Area: 301,230 sq. km.

Economy: In 2002, Italy ranked 20th on the UN's Human Development Index survey and 8th in total GDP, with a per capita GDP of $24,915. Foreign debt and poverty statistics unavailable.

Main Language: Italian

Monkey's Name: La Scimmia (La Sheem-yah)

Fun Fact: The 19th Century Genoese revolutionary Giuseppe Mazzini, who struggled for most of his life to unite the disparate regions of the Italian peninsula into a republic, made himself a visual symbol of his cause: After a failed uprising against Austro-Hungarian occupation of northern regions of the would-be Italy, Mazzini decided he would wear all black clothing to mourn the oppression of his country. He continued to do so for years.
The Monkey has been to Italy many times, but unfortunately most visits were brief and involved getting stuck in Milan's famously foggy Malpensa Airport on the way elsewhere. Still, in May of 1996 the Monkey made his way to Florence and Pisa for about ten days. At the time, the Monkey was not big on posing for photos, so for now there are only a few shots to peruse.

Perhaps it was because he was feeling emasculated after discovering that his name in Italian (La Scimmia) is feminine, or perhaps it was just the magic of Italy, or perhaps the free-flowing wine, but the Monkey did his best to make nice with the local ladies. A few mementoes of his forays into the Florentine nightlife are included here for your enjoyment. He also has a number of over-contrasty cityscape shots from the sunny days in Florence. The Monkey swears the style is straight out of Giorgio De Chirico, but the Monkey's photographer has a mental note to bring his flash unit to Italy next time.

Until then, ciao Italia!
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The Monkey enjoys a nearly cloudless day in Florence. The famous Duomo, or dome, of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is visible over his left shoulder. The grayish tower just to the right of the Duomo belongs to the Palazzo Vecchio, seat of the city government for centuries.
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