Air Cons

The air wars are here:

Until a few years ago, the installation of AC units was entirely banned in Portofino, and while the rules have been slightly relaxed, homeowners must ask permission for the privilege and obtain official authorization before mounting a unit. Installing air conditioning without permission entails stiff penalties, with fines for the offense reaching nearly €50,000. Local police have been combing the town’s narrow streets for unauthorized air conditioners and have reportedly been abetted in their search by local residents who tattle on each other. According to the Italian daily, Corriere della Sera, police received reports of 22 illegally installed AC units on various rooftops and terraces between January and May, and another 15 units since June, when Italy’s proverbially hot summers are just getting into high gear. Local officials have received anonymous tips as well as emails with attached photos of offending units on balconies and roofs. Some of the more devious vigilantes have reportedly even accepted an invitation into the home of a neighbor, only to secretly take a picture of a unit that then gets forwarded to police. “It all began last winter when someone put in an air conditioning unit that covered a big part of a very narrow street,” Portofino mayor Matteo Viacava told the Guardian newspaper. “The summers have been getting much hotter and July and August have been sweltering and very humid.”

Viva la ac...