Saturday, November 11,

US Air Force in Aviano Italy, Good Neighbors, but Distant

The ANNOTICO Report

 

Aviano Air Base is located in the northeastern part of Italy, at the base of the Italian Alps, stretched between the village of Aviano and the city of Pordenone, nine miles away.(population approximately 50,000), provincial capital of Pordenone province. Both are in a region called Friuli Venezia Giulia. In 1420,  it came under the influence of the Venetian Republic, and became a part of the Italian State in 1866.

There has been an airport facility in Aviano since 1911.  There has been an American presence in Aviano since 1945.  

One wonders whether the lack of interaction between the US  Air Force Personnel and Family and the Italian towns people is due to the Americans spending their sight seeing in more "culturally rich sites" in Italy, or the Americans have a MacDonald Cultural mentality and are willing to be insulated, or whether the townspeople need to make a greater effort to welcoming the Americans to their events.

 

Americans not bad neighbors, Aviano area mayors say

 

Stars and Stripes

European edition
By Kent Harris

Saturday, November 11, 2006

AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy  How would people in Kansas feel if about 8,000 Italian military personnel and their families descended into a small town and started working at a base they couldnt gain entrance to?

Thats the kind of question some Italians pose when the question of the Air Forces premier air base south of the Alps is brought up.

But ask the mayors of three communities surrounding the base about how they feel about their American neighbors, and there are few negatives.

In fact, Riccardo Berto, the mayor of Aviano, and Giovanni Baviera, the mayor of Fontanafredda, both say theyd like to see more American interaction in their communities. They say Americans carry the reputation of working, shopping, eating and spending most of their time on base. And only sleeping in the homes they rent from Italian landlords.

Baviera said Thursday that hed like Americans to participate in local festivals and shop at local businesses more. He said he thinks the base needs to do a better job of letting Americans know about activities they could enjoy locally.

He said his relationship with Brig. Gen. Robert Yates, the 31st Fighter Wing commander, is very good and that the base has responded with volunteers to work on several projects in his community. But he said hed like to see airmen and their families get to know the local community better.

Both Berto and Baviera, who come from conservative political parties historically friendly to the U.S., cite the base populations contributions to the local economy as positives, especially in terms of rent. Landlords can generally get an American tenant, funded by housing subsidies, to pay more than an Italian.

The base also employs hundreds of Italian nationals.

Renzo Liva, the mayor of Roveredo in Piano, comes from the leftist Labor Party. Some members of the countrys center-left coalition want the American military out of Italy. But Liva doesnt have a lot of bad things to say about the people who make up about 20 percent of his citys population.

He said communication is always a factor, whether trying to explain garbage collection policies or just interact. Americans generally dont pay taxes to maintain local roads and infrastructure either.

But he shakes his head when asked if hed like to see the base close.

Its not the worst neighbor you could have, he said, smiling.

 

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