This image was taken during “Across the Beatles”, a midnight show inside the “Mercato Centrale”. After my rant against “Effetto Venezia”, I have to confess that there is one thing that I despise even more: the so called “Notte Bianca” (White Night).
The purpose of this event would be to keep people awake until dawn with music and open shops. This could work in bigger cities, but here the few shops still open shut down at midnight, without any significant sale. The people still around, often sleepy or with a beer too much, wander aimlessly from a spot of loud music to another, until they decide that they belong to bed.
The first year that this thing was organized, they were so smart to plan fireworks at 4 AM, waking up and enraging the greater part of the Livornesi, soundly asleep at the time.
The purpose of this event would be to keep people awake until dawn with music and open shops. This could work in bigger cities, but here the few shops still open shut down at midnight, without any significant sale. The people still around, often sleepy or with a beer too much, wander aimlessly from a spot of loud music to another, until they decide that they belong to bed.
The first year that this thing was organized, they were so smart to plan fireworks at 4 AM, waking up and enraging the greater part of the Livornesi, soundly asleep at the time.
Ha ha. I for one has never understood the point of fireworks in the first place. Nice to see a few people in the photos.
ReplyDeleteFireworks at four am? (Snicker) Well that's one way to wake everyone up ;-D
ReplyDeleteVP, I feel for you. Although you have made me laugh with your post. Is it really that bad?
ReplyDeleteThe Beatles show sounds rather interesting...but I don't know why it would be held at midnight.
ReplyDeleteYour description of "Notte Bianca" is quite humorous. And fireworks at 4 a.m. is simply stupid. Hell, fireworks at any time is stupid!
What a great caleidoscope view of life in your place - maybe time to create a "black night", offering silcence and alike.
ReplyDeletePlease have a good Wednesday.
p.s.: now a quarter to four in the morning over here, the garbage was just collected ...
daily athens
Fireworks at 4:00? That is so cruel.
ReplyDeleteI hope there were more people in the audience than what I can see in your photo. We have discovered here that providing tables and chairs for people around the performance area, where you can sit only if you order food and drinks, drives up sales a lot. But then, you may have noticed that we love eating anytime and anywhere.
ReplyDeleteIn no way do I want les bretons associated... :-)
ReplyDeleteOh man, why have loud music and shops open all night with no sales and then fireworks at 4AM only to make people grumpy all the next day. Yawn! MB
ReplyDeleteI love fireworks, but at 4am even I wouldn't appreciate!
ReplyDeleteYour turn to be funny, VP. But I can't say I disagree at all with what you and most commentors say.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Joo about the fireworks at 4am, I need to confess that I Love sleep well and for me it's necessary at least 8 hours.
ReplyDeleteYour words here make me laugh.I hope you could rest a little bit during the day after "this night" LOL
hugs
Léia
I would plan to be out of town during this event.
ReplyDelete@ Robert - I like the idea of a Black Night of silence and rest.
ReplyDelete@ ciel - I was joking!
@ B SQUARED - This is one of the reasons behind our July holidays, but this year they changed the dates.
Why Across the Beatles???
ReplyDeleteI really love your honesty about these so-called "events" of the past few days. It's refreshing to find travel blogs that reveal everything, the good, the bad, and the ugly! Makes a place more interesting.
ReplyDeleteHopefully, you'll catch up on your sleep. Fireworks at 4 am is not the smartest idea, not to mention downright uncivilized!
That is a strange time to have a fire work!!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, nice to see the superb building and some Italians. Style!!
I think you need some new leadership in Livorno! Maybe you should run for mayor. :)
ReplyDeleteThey have white nights in Paris and Berlin where the museums stay open all night (or at least until 2am or so). It's quite an interesting idea and I sort of like it. But I can see how it wouldn't really work in a smaller place like Livorno.
I know you were! ;-)
ReplyDeleteSounds a noisy event.
ReplyDeleteWell, at least the setting was great! The Mercato building looks fantastic.
ReplyDeleteWell, if you can't fight them, you might as well join them!
ReplyDelete