Italy: Storm Over a Love Garden

Maurizio Cardano, a city councilman in Naples, where housing is in such short supply that many newlyweds have to live with their parents, had an idea. Why not set aside a few acres of police-protected parkland overlooking the Bay of Naples as a giardino dell’eros, or love garden, where young couples could park their cars and safely enjoy a bit of privacy? But Cardano’s suggestion has drawn a storm of protest, especially from the Roman Catholic Church. A Catholic weekly grumbled that it would “legitimize fornication and extramarital adventures.” Corrado Cardinal Ursi told a crowd of 2,000 that instead of such “absurdities,” the city should be creating playgrounds for children. Cardano, standing his ground, maintained that 84% of his fellow Neapolitans think the love garden is a good idea.