Naturist News from Italy

As promised, here is an overview of what I read in the latest issue of Info Naturista, the magazine of the Italian naturist association Fenait. Top  man Gianfranco Ribolzi returns to the old debate of naturism vs. nudism, are both different, how are they different, and can they coexist in the same organization. Naturists follow a philosophy, nudists just take off their clothes, is the usual explanation for the difference. 'The nudist gets nude to get a tan, the naturist gets a tan because he is nude,' is a quote from Ribolzi I will use again.
Fenait participates in international travel fairs each year where local naturist groups already have a stand, Utrecht and Brussels for example. The group says it distributed more than 500 flyers at those events as well as thousands of copies of its magazine. Do travel fairs outside of Europe also feature or even allow naturist associations to participate?
I already discussed the article about tattoos and piercings in my previous posting on this blog. The magazine continues with news from the local and regional naturist groups in Italy. Interesting to know: the Venice region might have a naturist beach at Jesolo, near the Laguna del Mort. According to the magazine, talks were going on earlier this year between Jesolo's city government and naturists, and optimism was the predominant tone of the talks. Naturism is apparently allowed, but the beach is not reserved for naturists only.
The Jesolo beach web site is here.
Other naturist activities include of course naturist hours at swimming pools and saunas, a frequent elements of naturism around the world, as well as beach-cleaning operations. Naturist groups also have stands at exhibitions on environmental and tourism themes.
As usual, Info Naturista ends with a bit of tourism and history, this time introducing the history of Turin with pictures of its churches and palaces.

Nudity, Tattoos and Piercing: The Italian Debate

Tattoos and piercings are one of the fads or fashions growing around the world these days, but I never thought they would touch off a stringent debate, least of all inside the naturist community, at least when I read the Italian naturist organization Fenait's magazine, Info Naturista.
To me, tattoos and piercings are like flipflops and those frames women in East Asia wear now without glasses inside. They're fads, they come and go, I don't like them, I won't participate in them myself, but I wouldn't feel offended by them or want to ban them.
Yet, the tattoo and piercing craze has caused antagonism within the naturist movement. In the latest Info Naturista, a writer named Daniele Agnoli lashes out at people who cover themselves in 'brass farthings' because they consider themselves a tribe different from ordinary people. The  authors also describes them as 'anti-social' and 'un-naturist' because they cover their body with something.
My personal opinion here is that he goes too far. Yes, a tattoo or a piercing 'covers' a piece of one's body, but only in the sense that say, a suntan lotion would. Or a wedding ring. It's different from clothes, it doesn't really hide any body parts, it just changes their color or adds to them. Even if you go to naturist resorts, like I have, you will see true naturists wear hats to protect themselves from the sun, or shoes to protect themselves against pebbles or sharp or dirty objects on the road. Does that violate naturism?
Of course, the answer is no. While I am not taking sides in the debate of whether tattoos and piercings are esthetic or not - I don't like them, but as the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder - I certainly disagree with the premise that 'real naturists don't wear tattoos and piercings.'
I can live with naturists having tattoos and piercings, even though I would never think of having them applied to my own body.
I'm sure we'll hear more about this issue in future editions of Info Naturista. The magazine also provides information about naturist events from the recent pasts, such as international travel fairs and local activities. I will try and bring you some of that information in a next posting on this blog, if my slow laptop and Internet connection allows, within the next few days.