Lately we’ve felt a bit like we’re under attack.
First it was the Attack of the Teen-Age Firebombers. Well, ok, that’s overstating it: it was just little fire-crackers. But it was almost midnight, I 
was up alone, and they made a big flash of light and then a loud bang when they landed on the front terrace. And there were 17 of them, which seems excessive, and that doesn’t count the dozen that were set off in our mailbox. I finally woke up the Captain who went outside and shook his fist and shouted at the departing figures, lads from a nearby settlement we surmise. That was harmless, all in all, but it was unsettling because they were not throwing the flash booms anywhere except at our house.
A week or so later we went to our parcheggio to find that our sweet little Mini had been ‘keyed’ from stem to stern. It wasn’t casual, because it’s very clear that whoever did it started on the front fender and decided he wasn’t going deep enough, so he started over, deeper, and did the full length of the car, ending at the back of the rear fender. We have insurance, but that’s hardly the point – it’s the wanton defacement that is upsetting. Were we singled out? Who knows. The trattoria across the street had over 150 guests that evening, and some of them were pretty drunk by the time they left. But we have no way of knowing who did the deed or when.
The most recent insult is a large stone that was thrown on our roof from the road above. That sounds harmless enough, and in fact it was harmless. But our roof, like most of them here, is made of clay tiles, and it is reasonable to assume that if you throw a large rock from above it will break some of the tiles, leading to the inconvenience, expense and risk (it’s a high roof) of repairs. We were lucky that either the rock was too small or the tiles too strong for any damage to occur.
Nonetheless, I’m feeling paranoid. It’s always such a shock to see or suffer from an act that is just purely mean. It happens the world over, I guess. The firecrackers were probably just kids goofing around. But the car and the rock are on a different order – those were done with intent to damage. And I’m thinking about surveillance cameras… what a way to live. Or maybe… maybe we’ll call Cugino Rino in Genova. He has a menacing laugh that would scare the devil – we’ll just get him to come over here and laugh around the neighborhood a little, and then no one will dare harm us or our property again!
An Ex-Expatriate 
You’ve probably done something to upset the neighbourhood… perhaps the outcropping you’ve built to park your car or something? Maybe they don’t like how it looks?
I’ve heard Rapallo is considered a very special place, and residents go out of their way to keep it beautiful. So they might believe you’ve made changes they consider ugly or something.
I’ve asked my Italian partner, who says you’ve more than likely done something to upset folks, and this is their way of handling it.
Any recent renovations, or paint-jobs that don’t fit in with the rest or anything like that?
Just throwing around some suggestions for you to think about. Although I might be entirely off base!
Actually, we get along with the neighbors pretty well, and no one’s ever complained about our restoration (7 yrs old now). But some very good friends bought a place nearby, and their neighbors have their knickers in a twist over the sale (nothing to do with our friends, family vendetta)… so they may be taking it out on us. Or… it may all be our imagination! That’s what I’m hoping, anyway.
I too hope the events were a series of coincidences and nothing deliberate – that would not be a pleasant state of affairs at all.
My partner thinks your friends’ involvement in the sale of that particular home may be the problem – it’s possible they’ve blamed their presence on you. As you are friends, they might imagine you have encouraged them to live there. If that’s the case, it will have to blow over sometime, and I wouldn’t be too worried. Just as long as you do nothing to escalate the situation.
My partner advices against the surveillance camera, if the culprits are identified, and the police do their thing – your problems could multiply. Tolerate it for now and wait for them to get bored of your lack of reaction.
If indeed this is what is going on at all….
Fingers crossed for both of you that it was random harmless kids who’ve since moved on. 🙂
Thanks for the input – good ideas all. No trouble of late, so fingies crossed!
So sorry to hear about this! Hopefully they are bored teenagers who already have enough of their actions! Is it already time school starts again? I actually don’t know what to say and hope for you both that there are no further actions needed (like cameras – you are right: what a way to live). Hope we can meet soon. Xxx
Very unsettling report. You have portrayed Liguria and Rapallo as near-idyllic, with customs that can perhaps be described as fanciful or quirky. But then this. It really is jarring to read that you may be living among folks who – for whatever reason – seem to believe it’s ok to intrude in your space in such a mean, despicable way. I hope you and Louis can find serenity and peace once again in your part of the world.
But it’s still entirely likely that we’ve had teen-age pranksters and a passing drunk in a completely random short bit of time. We’ll see. Meanwhile we’ve learned that it’s illegal to surveil public property. In an entirely Italian solution to this problem it was suggested that we hide the camera… never a dull moment, and it is frequently near-idyllic here, especially at meal times.
I’m so, so sorry to hear about this, and hope that the vile imbeciles are already satisfied with their spiteful actions. Ever since we moved into our place, the neighbors (father and sons) that live up the hill have always creeped me out. Firstly because the owner invited me to visit any time and that he addressed me in the familiar form of tu instead of lei. I figured that he was just an ignorant mountain-billy, but my “instincts” have never betrayed me. I’ve found dead rats, small rocks and other tell-tale signs in our yard/on the terrace which say that someone has been throwing things into our yard, but I have never caught anyone in the act. The rats I could justify as perhaps they fell off of the roof but long-dead and dried rats? So they were already there and the wind blew them down? My gut says the idiots are anti-american, or worst, racists due to my asian looks.
Cugino Rino looks like he has a laugh alright!
Ugh – dead rats. That would undo me. I sometimes think there is a visceral dislike of strangers here – not all over here, for sure, but – well, I like your term mountain-billy. Some of the mountain-billies seem to dislike us on general principles, without knowing us at all.