My love affair with Sardinia.

I'm sitting in Piazza Matteotti.  In the heart of my adopted city Carbonia. In Sardinia. Outside UniCredit Banca di Roma. Waiting for my Italian true love. To complete complicated paperwork. Which will qualify her for an Italian government subsidy/rebate. To help pay for her just completed kitchen remodeling. Maybe up to half of the cost. In increments. Over the next 10 years. Believe me. Seeing will be believing. Because it's a procedure that must wind through the intricate Italian government bureaucracy. I'm not sure it's worth the time and effort.  To qualify. But my true love seems willing to jump through all the hoops.  For which I give her credit. For perseverence, gumption and faith. Anyway, she's coming out of this with a marvelous modern kitchen, Italian-style.  She's happy with the kitchen. And that's what counts most. Happiness. And I'm happy, too, because she's happy. Happiness is contagious here. Happy, too, that I'm in Piazza Matteotti. Named after a famous Italian socialist of the 1930s. Which is nice. Because I like leftist political gurus. Happens that Carbonia's main street, Via Gramsci, also is named after a leftist from the 1930s. Antonio Gramsci, a communist. Carbonia and Sardinia have a rich leftist history. Even today, communists get elected to the City Council. Carbonia is a relatively new city. Founded in 1938. As a model corporate town. For the purpose of mining coal.  Initially, 12,000 miners were brought in. Fortunately, the coal mines have been closed. For decades.  But not forgotten. There's a museum. Commemorating the mining. One can still tour the deep mines.  As I have. And my daily walks around town often take me to the sprawling mining property. Where I see the machinery and artifacts left over from the mining days. Of course, mining has a sad history. Many miners having died from black lung disease. Indeed, mining is still a perilous industry in many parts of the world. Including the U.S. Mining is a little safer than it used to be. But still, there are better and safer ways to make a living. And better for the environment, too. If one turns to other cleaner forms of energy. Not the least being solar and wind.
Some Sardinians wish that the coal mines were still open. If for no other reason than the jobs.  The economy is bad. And unemployment rates  have soared in recent years. Ever since Alcoa, the American aluminum manufacturer, closed its plant outside of Carbonia. That meant the loss of thousands of jobs. Hard to say what the future holds. For Carbonia and Sardinia.  But there ìs talk of revving up the tourist industry. With big hotels. And with focus on the wonderful Mediterranean seaside. Sardinia has 1,200 miles of coastline. Ranging from jagged cliffs to easily accesible sandy beaches. And a mild climate to boot. I stay here in the wintertime. Off and on. For four years now. And I have yet to see snow or a freezing temperature. On the coolest days, I need no more than a sweater. And if it gets too warm, I can sit in the shade beneath a palm tree or an umbrella pine. All this gives me an understanding. Of why Sardinians love Sardinia. Despite the economic problems. Still feels like paradise. --Jim Broede