Today was had a tour of the Carabinieri station in Venice. The Carabinieri are part of Italy's police and military force, and train accordingly. They are similar to our National Guard, but with more police duties. We asked the officer who gave us the tour what the most common crime they dealt with, he said that petty thefts and drunk driving in the canals occur the most. He showed us their impressive fleet of police boats, which is their only way to respond to a call other than by foot in Italy. One of the big problems for police in Venice is the response time, as it's time consuming to drive down the canals in a boat, especially if the location doesn't have direct access from a canal. Also they have issues with finding locations, as the house addressing system in Venice is chronologic, so directions are usually given with respect to the nearest landmark or Campo (square). One fact that I found interesting was that not all Carabinieri have boating licenses. I though that would've been a requirement. Most Carabinieri officers, unless unmarried, are not offered free housing in Venice. Because the cost of living is so high, many cannot afford to live on the Island, and are forced to commute from the mainland everyday, along with shop workers, vendors, and a large portion of the Venetian working class.
Tonight we leave on the night train for Vienna, Austria. We will be spending the weekend there, before returning to Venice for our last week of study abroad.
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