Page 16 - police world Edition 1 2013
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Police World
Vol 58 No.1 2013
16
Article
Karen, the Belfast reception officer for 2
Region - Northern Ireland, takes up the story.
I
received an invitation to this celebration
from friends whom I had met at a
National Council Meeting in 2012 and
kept up contact with on Facebook. The event
was being held in La Spezia, the capital city of
the province located between Genoa and Pisa
on the Ligurian Sea. Mark Bullen and Pearl
Devonshire, from 9 Region, were also there
and we ran into some friends from
Luxembourg and Hungary. One day we had
time to get familiarised and to get our
bearings. We were ready to get involved with
some serious sightseeing prior to the
celebrations starting at 6pm that evening.
Paulo Cariola, the IPA member from La Spezia
branch who had invited us was particularly
enthusiastic to promote the beauty of his
home region which certainly has a lot to offer.
When the formalities commenced there was a
minute’s silence to remember the victims of
the October 2011 landslide in Verazza which
claimed four lives.
As it was a formal occasion Mark, Pearl and I
were all in full uniform which caused great
interest amongst the tourists and bystanders
who were intrigued by these strange looking
threads! People kept asking who we were and
what we were doing there. After the speeches
had finished there was a presentation of
certificates to us to mark our participation in
the celebrations and we learned that not only
was it a great honour to receive one of these
but it was equally so, to be selected to do the
presenting!
The next day brought us the pleasure of a boat
trip along the Cinque Terre coast, affording
magnificent views of the rugged, mountainous
landscape with beautiful quaint little villages
clinging precariously to the slopes. There are
no cars in this part of the world, just boats.
Making our way ashore we spent some time
negotiating the famous Via del Amore, (Lovers'
Lane) which is a well-paved coastal path
linking Manarola with Riomaggiore. Studded
with picnic areas and stone beaches
embedded in the cliff side, it affords stunning
ocean views. An interesting feature of the walk
is the hundreds of padlocks festooned along
the gates and railings, left there by lovers who
‘lock their love’ together and throw away the
key, thus cementing their love forever. You can
see the same phenomenon on the bridge over
the Rhine in Cologne if you should visit the
IPA’s training facility in Gimborn.
More socialising in the form of a lovely meal
hosted by the local IPA branch, with speeches
and presentations brought Sunday to an
exhausting close. I think that evening was the
first time I have ever been brought home on a
powerful Italian motorbike whilst wearing a
long blue dress, but then travel is all about
new experiences! Stories of the shoe
shopping Italian style, martial arts training and
quantities of mouth watering gelato (ice
cream), will I’m afraid, have to wait for another
day or another article.
Should Cinque Terre be on your list of places
to see? I would say a resounding ‘yes’. If you
were planning a trip to Italy you might not
immediately think of this area as a
destination. But the rugged beauty of the
region coupled with the outstanding
hospitality and friendliness of the locals and in
particular the local IPA folk, make it very
worthy of your attention.
“Ho lasciato il mio cuore in Italia”. I left my
heart in Italy and I can’t wait until the next
opportunity to visit this most beautiful and
soulful of countries.
Making the most of photo opportunities
A great opportunity to meet members
from all over the world
On display for the tourists
It would be difficult to turn down an invitation to visit the beautiful and
rugged Cinque Terre region of the Italian Riviera. So when the
opportunity to attend the 160th Anniversary of the Italian State Police
in Vernazza presented itself - Karen Gannon grabbed it with both hands.
Editor’s note:
The IPA house ‘Casa Vacanze’ in
this region of Italy is situated in
Manarola and details can be found
at
La Spezia Invitation
