Advertising in Alessandria....

A few nights ago, Kim, Rita and I went out for pizza. Rita had been telling us about a pizza parlor where everything is organic and apparently it's quite the popular place. We were not allowed to go on the weekend because she said that it's too crowded. So, we went on a Wednesday night and when we arrived, she pointed at where, on the weekends, the line snakes out the door with customers anticipating their turn.

The pizza was good and we had a fun time. Everyone orders their own pizza which is about a 12 - 14" size and is on very thin (Sicilian style) dough. You eat it with a knife and fork and they don't offer additional condiments such as pepper flakes or grated parmesan. Mine was made of hot salami and pepperoncini (grilled bell peppers) with a sauce made up of gorgonzola and pesto. Both Rita and Kim's had a red sauce with eggplant. Lots of drizzled olive oil complimented each pizza.

JUST WHAT does all of this have to do with our topic of advertising you may be musing? Well, as we were leaving the restaurant and walking home, I spied the following poster advertising a cat (and snake!) show. The cat is a dead ringer for our cat currently being cared for in Seattle--Hermione. I did embarrasses myself by kissing the poster and whining about how much I miss her. Even Kim, who is attached to Hermione but not in my pathological way, was struck by the resemblance. The next day Kim dutifully accompanied me so that I could take a picture of the poster. We had our choice of locations because this poster is now all around the city plastered on billboards and every time I walk by I do a little, "ciao, ciao, meow, meow, Hermione...". (I know, it's time to get back to the real world!)

Advertising is done on billboards that are placed all over the city--along the main promenades or very often along the many long old brick walls- all at eye level. They are plastered one atop another and are usually big poster sized. Some are sponsored by the City of Alessandria and they tell us about city events such as musical performances, festivals, museum exhibits, etc. Others are political in nature or clearly advertisements to snatch up our Euros. When we take our walks, we always pay attention to them so that we can keep up with the local action as well as other events in nearby cities.

Grocery shopping ads

This is me now with my hair grown out.

And I finally found the right shoes for any occasion...

Local theater event....

The circus is coming....

This billboard is sponsored by the City and it carries death announcements. It's very common to see locals just standing in front of them reading and looking pensive. They also place these announcements outside of the various churches. As in the US, they tell the basic information and announce the funeral and visitation information.

Then, there are all the political ads and there are many of them. This one is sponsored by the Northern Political League which tends to be very conservative and anti-immigration. It reads, "Is this the future?" "With us, no!" It is a picture of Muslims praying. Both Kim and I were extremely troubled by it and everyday when we would walk by (it's now down) I kept thinking that it would end up a victim (well deserved) of graffiti; it never happened.

A hopeful politician with the backing of President Berlusconi.

So, while we take our walks, there's always much to see and much to discover, from new sights to new billboards. Thank you.