Italian Beach Paradise
Welcome to fair “Punta Marina” where we lay our scene. This small town on northern Italy’s Adriatic coast is located just outside Ravenna and 50 miles from Bologna. It’s pretty much exactly what you’d expect from an Italian beach town. There are classy hotels, little seaside eateries, and — of course — miles upon miles of beautiful Mediterranean sand. Punta Marina has also become famous for its peacocks. Initially, that might sound good. A resort town and fancy, exotic birds just go together. The thing about peacocks, though, is that they’re only nice if you can look at them for a while and then get away from them. Punta Marina’s residents don’t have that luxury. Over the last 15 or so years, an ever-growing horde of peacocks has slowly been taking over the town. The invading birds have turned life in Punta Marina into a flamboyant take on Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. The peacocks are ravenous and constantly on the lookout for something to eat. They’ve stripped locals’ gardens clean of vegetation. After they’re gone, nothing remains but a barren yard full of peafowl poop.
So where did the horde plaguing Punta Marina come from? The same place these kinds of invasions always come from: a neglectful pet owner. Years ago, an area resident purchased a few peacocks. Perhaps they thought tourists would pay to see them, or maybe they could sell their feathers and meat. Whatever the original owner wanted, they didn’t get it. Eventually, they decided they no longer wanted the birds. Around 2010, they released the peacocks into the wild and the peacock population has exploded. You have locals who are more than sick of the birds; on the other side, the animal lovers who don’t want the birds to go. After all, the birds have been caught on video by Italian influencers and singers filming in Punta Marina. Amazon Music and Spotify also both feature “relaxing” playlists inspired by the birds’ calls in the town. Once in town, people started feeding them, especially in 2020 during the Covid-19 lockdowns. This has made the birds dependent on humans – and, with no natural predators in the urban area, the peacock population has exploded. In 2023, there were just 30 known birds.
“That number is now outdated. Now we have people talking about 100-120 animals. We need to do a methodical count,” Francesca Impellizzeri, councilor of animal rights for Ravenna. “We’re currently working on a census, which will begin in a few months, to determine how many males and females there are in the area. Then, once we have an idea of the numbers, we’ll try to figure out, together with the community and animal rights organizations, what actions to take,” she added. The CLAMA Association signed an agreement with the municipality two years ago to help manage the colony. The animal welfare non-profit has posted informational signs around Punta Marina warning people not to feed the birds… In Florida, the village of Pinecrest has turned to vasectomies to curb peacocks’ reproduction in recent years.
Itsa too much feathers
If you keep peacocks in a petting zoo:
You’ve got to expect some fowl-play.
I want to open an all-you-can-eat Italian restaurant…
I’d call it “Endless Pastabilities.”
To impress his date, Ron took her to a very chic Italian restaurant.
After sipping some fine wine, he picked up the menu and ordered for the both of them. “We’ll have the Giuseppe Spomdalucci,” he said.
“That’s the manager.” said the waiter.
What do you call a sketchy Italian neighborhood?
The spaghetto
What do you call an Italian Jedi?
Obi Wan Cannoli.
May 21st Birthdays
1964 – Carol Lawrence, 1991 – Sarah Ramos, 1993 – Olivia Olson, 1987 – Ashlie Brillault
1952 – Mr. T., 1998 – Kevin Quinn, 1993 – Hutch Dano, 1996 – Josh Allen