ROUGH EDGES

Yesterday I was walking in an area in centro storico, better known as Maddalena.

This is a particularly lively part of town, practically in the backyard of Via Garibaldi, one of the main tourism attractions. It is full of character with  quirky little shops selling vintage clothes, bags and shoes (not necessarily cheap) and food shops with special pasta and olive oil to die for (try olioteca Le Gramole on Via dei Macelli di Soziglia).  Being a small and compact place, a casual stroll will soon lead to a particularly noteworthy church, the Santa Maria Maddalena, which is actually an active parish with a community feel, and not just a museum piece. I was on my way to another landmark in the area, Palazzo Spinola,  which does not look much from the outside but is rich in velvet, silk, antique furniture and paintings inside. The real depth of this area can only be appreciated with repeated visits as something new always catches the eye.

    But it does not take long before something else registers too: the number of prostitutes along the narrow alleyways. Groups of quite young looking girls stand idly in the street corners, in dresses, which would not look out of place in a disco or a nightclub, but are a slightly comical choice of clothes to wear in the full afternoon sun. Stylish jeans teamed up with generously open t-shirts,loud lipstick, smoky eyes and lots of mock gold jewellery were giving the same message to any passer-by. Loud popmusic was coming out of one open window. These streets may not be a pleasant place to be during the night time, but I was not feeling particularly threatened as it was only 4 PM, full day light and plenty of people around. I was surprised though to see so many girls, chatting or catching a dance step or two.

  Prostitution is legal in Italy, but establising a brothel or pimping is not. There are many sad stories of human trafficking and violence against women, drugs and desperation. In the Maddalena area, the local shopkeepers are not happy about having such an open display of a different kind of trade on their door step as potential customers for other than sex are inclined to take a quick shortcut to a safer looking side of town as soon as they see the girls. Neighbourhood action groups are trying to find a solution to the problem. For the time being the shopkeepers and the girls are forced to tolerate each other. It is an uneasy relationship.