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In this episode, we catch up with some renovations happening at the villa and Paul\\u2019s adventure in local small town Italian politics.

Topics we cover:

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0How we added three new bathrooms upstairs

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0How we saved a lot of time and money by using existing sewer pipes instead of adding in new ones and new construction to our first floor

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0How Paul loves using\\xa0Farrow & Ball\\xa0paints

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0Paul\\u2019s explanation between dyes and pigments

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0Impressionist paintings

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0One villa guest who stayed with us,\\xa0Natvar Bhavsar\\xa0who used pigments in his painting

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0Paul\\u2019s adventure in politics

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0Three strange rules (strange to us) that exist in Italian elections

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0First off there were 290 candidates for 17 city council seats

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0One reason is each of the parties, of which there are many, they have to nominate a certain number of people in order to be considered a \\u201clist\\u201d or a \\u201cparty\\u201d

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0All these parties then form coalitions, there were three this election nominating three men for mayor

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0The next rule that was strange was the fact that you have two votes for city council, and if you want to use both votes, one has to be for a man and one for a woman

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0While understanding the thinking behind this, it seems like a strange law

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0In a national election, you are voting for a party, not for a person

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0In Italy, people always lament about how people here get jobs not so much based on merit, but on who they know, etc.

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0However, when it comes to politics, most people don\\u2019t seem to be voting based on merits, but on the fact they are voting for their cousin, or their brother-in-law, or their neighbor, etc.

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0The election outcome

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0Why the one left wing coalition is not throwing his support behind the other left-wing coalition

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0What it will take for Paul\\u2019s party to win in the runoff election

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0Paul\\u2019s speech during the election

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0Steven\\u2019s surprise in the passion and dedication people showed for a small town election, holding debates and getting very fired up

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0How some of the people during the debates were spitting on the other candidates

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0How the whole town almost shuts down a few days before the election

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0There is a 48 media blackout before the election

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0What the incumbents did to win the election

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0The results of the election for Paul

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0How because there are so many candidates running, a guy who got 2% of the vote got elected to city council

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0Why this seems so confusing for us coming from a two party system

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0NOTE/UPDATE:\\xa0\\xa0Paul\\u2019s party did not win in the runoff election

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0Why Paul decided to run

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0How Paul uses Facebook to influence the government here

Some more about Italian politics

\\u2022 Italy is run through a Parliamentary Republic with a multi-party system.

\\u2022 Italy has been a Parliamentary Republic since June 2, 1946 when the monarchy was abolished

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0Executive power is held by the Council of Ministers which is led by a Prime Minister

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0Legislative power is held by two house of parliament primarily, and secondarily by the Council of Ministers which can introduce bills and holds the majority of the parliament

\\u2022\\xa0\\xa0The judiciary is independent of the executive and legislative and headed by the High Council of the Judiciary

Paul\'s Speech: