Tidbits about Rome and the EULAR convention

• Strikes in Italy are so common that tourist websites have pages devoted to strikes in the transportation sector. There was apparently a transportation strike at the beginning of EULAR but amazingly, taxi drivers seemed unaware of this.

• I tried to find a statistic of the frequency of strikes in Italy compared to France since when EULAR is in Paris, there is always a strike. However, the Internet let me down, so you can assume that the prevalence of strikes in a 5-day work week ranges from 0 to 5 and the median may be 1. This could apply to both Italy and France.

• The convention centre unfortunately is all that is not Rome. It is remote, lacks Corinthian, Ionic and even the unremarkable Dorian columns (which the Romans borrowed from the Greeks two to three millennia ago). It is an architectural wasteland. It can, however, double as airplane hangars.

• The food in bella Roma is spectacular – in the city centre there is gelato for sale in every square. There seems to be at least 20 flavours in each shop with many not identical. The standbys such as bacio (chocolate hazelnut translated as 'kiss'), pistachio, caffe, crema, fragola, panna, cioccolato, limone and nocciola (hazelnut). Strawberry, raspberry and melon seem to top the fruit flavours. Gelato has less fat than ice cream, less air as it is churned at a slower speed, and it is stored at a less cold temperature. With less fat, you can feel good about having a double scoop. When in Rome …

• At the convention centre, the snack was pineapple – ripe and tasty but individually wrapped in plastic with (to my surprise), the supplier clearly labeled… I never would have guessed it, McDonald's.

• The Pope said mass today to large numbers. At the Vatican, there is no VIP pass if you have the surname Pope (I didn't even try).

• Apparently Vladimir Putin of Russia was in Rome today. I don't know if he was affected by the strike nor do I know if he was at the Vatican, as he was quoted in 2013 in response to a letter to Putin from Pope Francis, that he might listen to the Pope when speaking about an international crisis.

• This meeting is off to a great start if you are interested in shopping as the Euro is not as strong as it once was. There are beautiful leather goods made in Italy. Acquisto felice!

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