Naked Ladies

  There is a building next to our house in Rapallo that has a lovely fresco on the outside full of pretty pastel naked ladies. Nudes have always been a classic subject in art and when they are in public like this then it seems that the naughty-ness is taken away and even children will see that it's art and boobs are well, just boobs. But I know that this fresco would never find a place in the States. I can see it now, fresco goes up. A thousand religious and modesty protest groups are formed. A Janet Jackson-like witch hunt on every talk radio show until the pressure forces the powers that be to form an art committee with a fine for every nip slip that might come in contact with an elementary school trip. This is a lesson that we can take from the Italians, who by the way sun tan nude when ever possible, boobs are just boobs.