giovedì 21 maggio 2015

"El Pedocin", a separate beach for women and men

Trieste, the town where I live, is an old conservative spinster, living only with memories and without any plan for the future. This makes her a little sour, tedious and sniveling. At the same time, her age (more than 2015 years) allows her to be a little crazy and this makes life here a little more exciting.
One of the things that makes me freak out is the so called "Pedocin", a public bathing site that's one of a kind in Europe. Why? Because it's a gender-separated beach: women on the left side of the wall, men on the other. Isn't that crazy? Yes, it is.
Now, don't get me wrong, we are not ruled by any kind of religion, it's just a tradition dating from 1890, when the bathing site was opened, under the Austrian government.
Legend has it, after the town was occupied by Italy in 1918, italian soldiers adopted the habit to go there and delouse themselves: hence the name "Pedocin" (the louses place). But this is just one side of the story and you are free to believe the version that suits you best (if you're interested in, search the web for "Bagno comunale Lanterna Trieste").
Sometimes I need to remind myself that this place still exists, so I go there every now and then. For obvious reasons I can't go in the men's part, which seems to be a very relaxing place, as I could see by peeking out of the entrance. Peace and quiet reign there, unlike the ladies' part, that looks more like an overcrowded chicken coop, covered with sun beds and towels instead of cages.
At 8 in the morning, when the bathing site opens, there's always a queue to get in. But that's nothing compared to the crowd of bodies in bikinis that fill the place at 10.30 A.M. At that time there are only a few empty little stretches left… in front of the toilet.
Once you have put the towel on the pebbles, the only thing you can do is lay down and lie: there's not enough room to do anything else. Would you like to get in the water? Feel free to snake through crowded bodies, kids' toys, umbrellas, chairs, sun beds, clothes, shoes but it's at your own risk. I prefer not to move from my towel and to hold out as much as possible.
Usually I feel the need to escape after two hours and not just because of the high temperature, but also because, believe me, there's not even a second of silence there. There are those who talk about their affairs with friends or relatives, those who chatter on the phone, those who speak about local politics and those who gossip about anybody (movie stars, acquaintances and work colleagues). Finally, there's never shortage of screaming kids and yelling mothers.
What if you'd like to read a book? In a few words, that's not the right place. Earphones cannot help against the continuous background noise that never stops.
"So, why you go there?", you may ask.
Simply, because that howling mob of semi-naked women has something revolutionary. It seems to say: "Women of any size/shape/age/country/color/religion unite. Organize all that noise you make on the beach and make your voice heard."
This is the reason why "el Pedocin" is today's winner.





Pedocin Trieste
Pedocin Trieste
Pedocin Trieste
Pedocin Trieste
Pedocin Trieste
Pedocin Trieste
Pedocin Trieste
Pedocin Trieste
Pedocin Trieste
Pedocin Trieste
Pedocin Trieste
Pedocin Trieste
Pedocin Trieste
Pedocin Trieste
Pedocin Trieste
Pedocin Trieste

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