Pisa Mayor Says Erotic Souvenirs Must Go

Daily Mail: Fines of up to €500 ($710) will be handed out to stalls selling erotic souvenirs of the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa in a new crackdown by the town's Mayor.

Marco Filippeschi has called popular tourist buys, such as underwear with the Tower resembling a penis, and aprons that show Michaelangelo's David in all his glory, 'trashy' and 'not the image of the city of Pisa we want to cultivate'.

The Catholic Church are also keen for a ban on the souvenirs which include clothing with famous erotic Roman art, calling it 'a complete lack of respect' and a 'disgrace'.

The stalls are a common sight around the famous 800-year-old Leaning Tower of Pisa which is in the central Italian region of Tuscany and visited by more than a million people a year. The puritanical blitz has been ordered by the city's centre left mayor Marco Filippeschi who has asked mayors in other popular Tuscan tourist towns such as Siena, Florence and San Gimignano - one of Tony Blair's favourite holiday destinations - to do the same.

Earlier this summer Deena Cortese from hit MTV show Jersey Shore was pictured wearing a novelty apron which is popular with tourists and which shows Michelangelo's David against a backdrop of the Italian flag.

Mayor Filippeschi said today: 'This material is offensive to public decorum and should be banned from souvenir stalls - people with young families should not have to see these shocking items. Some of the so called novelty souvenir items that can be found on these stalls are verging on the pornographic and this is not the image of the city of Pisa we want to cultivate. Laws already exist which allow city councils to impose restrictions on selling items which are regarded as inappropriate but for too long a blind eye was turned to these trashy souvenirs.'

But it’s not just Pisa council who is on the offensive - so is the Catholic Church which has a Cathedral just by the famous Tower on the square where the stalls are gathered. Monsignor Enzo Lucchesini, of the Pisa diocese, said: 'Those souvenirs are a disgrace, not just for the faithful who come to the cathedral but also for the locals.

'It shows a complete lack of respect - these sort of things are a sign of the decadence that exists in these times. We fully agree with what the council are doing and call for these offensive items to be removed.'

One disgruntled stall holder near the Leaning Tower, which was first built in 1177 and has recently been renovated and leans at 3.9 degrees, said: 'It's just a bit of harmless fun. The tourists snap them up - there is a crisis on how do the council expect us to make a living.'

Italy has a number of bylaws introduced by council to improve public decorum and these not building sandcastles on a beach near Venice, not hanging beach towels over balconies in the Riviera town of Lerici. In Castellammare di Stabia, south of Naples, the council has even outlawed miniskirts, low-cut jeans and too much cleavage with offenders facing a €300 fine.

Souvenirs Flying Off Shelves at SEAL Museum

SEAL Poster

TCPalm: Since the successful mission against Osama bin Laden, SEAL souvenirs and memorabilia are flying off the shelves of the National Navy UDT/SEAL Museum (Fort Pierce, Florida), said Capt. Michael Howard, SEAL, U.S. Navy (Retired).

"One man came in and bought 10 shirts, all alike," said Howard. Other items such as pins, hats, posters and post cards have also been in high demand.

And, on the flip side, the museum is being inundated with telephone calls, letters and post cards from all over the world. "They all are thanking the SEAL Community for the bin Laden mission," Howard said.

The increased interest has been brought about by President Barack Obama's announcement that Navy SEALs killed bin Laden in a daring mission into Abbottabad, Pakistan on May 2.

Howard said he expects the heightened image of the SEALs, will increase the number of people coming to attend the Second Annual Memorial Day Service at 10 a.m., Monday, May 30, at the SEAL Memorial. "This is only our second service, so we don't really have a way to estimate what might happen," said Howard, "but there is a lot of interest."

The National Navy UDT/SEAL Museum is the only such facility dedicated to the Navy SEALs and their predecessors, the UDT or "frogmen" of World War II. It stands on a portion of what was the U.S. Naval Amphibious Training Station, Fort Pierce, where thousands of sailors, soldiers and Marines were trained in amphibious strategy and tactics that paved the way for every amphibious operation during World War II.

SEALs stands for "Sea, Air and Land," the environment in which the highly trained, secretive and elite fighting force may operate. SEALs have been used in a number of high-profile missions, such as the rescue from Somali pirates of the captain of the Maersk Alabama cargo ship. as well as secret missions in many theaters of operation.

Howard said the museum is hopeful that some of the paraphernalia used in the raid on bin Laden's hideaway will be loaned or donated to the museum for public display. "We are trying to make arrengments to make that happen," said Howard.

SEALs Memorial Day Ceremony

WHAT: Memorial Day at the National Navy UDT/SEAL Museum, wreath-laying ceremony at only national memorial to fallen SEALs.

WHEN: Monday, May 30, at 10 a.m.

WHERE: 3300 N. A1A, North Hutchinson Island, Fort Pierce

ADMISSION, SEATING: Museum will be open free of charge all day. Large tent will be provided with seating.

MASTER OF CEREMONIES: Retired Navy Chaplain, Dr. Robert Bedingfield

GUEST SPEAKERS: Rear Admiral Thomas Brown, a SEAL who commands Special Operations Command, South, in Homestead, and Arnie Schwichtenberg, 90, of Sebastian, Navy veteran of attack on Pearl Harbor.

OTHER PARTICIPANTS: U.S. Coast Guard Station, Fort Pierce; Treasure Coast High School Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, bag pipers.