RICCIONE – The registry of same-sex civil unions will soon become a reality. The mayor promised it yesterday. Daniele Imola during his speech at the Arcigay municipal congress. This is a commitment the mayor feels particularly strongly about, so much so that the association's president exclaimed: Davide Piccioni"Given the fervor with which Imola fights for our cause, he deserves the honorary president's card." "I confirm the administration's commitment to the creation of a registry of civil unions," the mayor explained to the audience. "It's a project I believe in, aimed at affirming civil rights—real rights that must be safeguarded, and which in many cases are not protected. I know this is something new: we're trying to start from the bottom up to encourage the state and the legislator at the national level. These powers may not be significant at first, but as the Municipality of Riccione, we want to send a signal. A process that perhaps follows the path of establishing neighborhood councils.".
Imola emphasized that the union registry is not just a pro-forma document but offers concrete benefits, such as the ISEE calculation extended to gay couples, with tangible economic benefits.
The Mayor of Riccione, Daniele Imola
Tourism Chapter
The mayor made it clear right away: "Events like Gay Beach Pride don't interest me: I'm against the ostentation that turns an emotional choice into a commodity. I don't believe in sex tourism; I hope they choose Riccione because it's a free city, it's fun, and it has a beautiful beach. I have no objection, however, to them having specific meeting places.".
Piccioni points to the lack of places. “Many of us go down to the beach on Fridays Senigallia and on Sunday they choose Bologna, and they don't do it because they like driving. As Arcigay, we have great difficulty finding suitable venues, even those associated with them. We know what's missing, but then we need private investors, perhaps working in harmony with our club." The idea launched by the congress was to start with small, targeted goals to be achieved one at a time, and then see how the city responds. The goal: to build customer loyalty.
Confcommercio President Lucia Baleani, who attended the meeting, pledged her full support. One proposal for night owls could be to extend hotel stays until 3:00 PM, rather than leaving by 10:00 AM or 12:00 PM. Or to create wellness centers.
Finally the refresher courses anti-bullying. There's a firm commitment to implementing them; among other things, these courses also provide teachers with training credits. And there are European funds covering 80 percent of the costs, which Arci wouldn't want to miss out on. The issue will be discussed again at the national congress in Bologna from March 4th to 6th.
