police world Edition 1 2013

Article

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. La Spezia Invitation

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.

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

On display for the tourists

Editor’s note: The IPA house ‘Casa Vacanze’ in this region of Italy is situated in Manarola and details can be found at www.ipa-laspeziacinqueteree.it

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A great opportunity to meet members from all over the world

Making the most of photo opportunities

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Police World Vol 58 No.1 2013