Sometimes it just doesn't work

[vinceconaway]

Sometimes the law says I can't play (Trent, Pistoia, Prato, and recent regulations in Ravenna).

Sometimes the law requires burdensome permits (Florence, Venice, Bolzano, Milan).

Sometimes the law says no CDs (Brescia, Catania, Reggio Emilia, Padova).

Sometimes I can't find a good place to play (Palermo, Trani, Barletta, Patras).

And sometimes the busking is just lame (Brindisi, and Turin despite a legendary reputation). These are the most irksome, when everything looks good on paper. Even more frustrating, however, has been my experience here in Ancona, where I just don't know.

Because of a local festival this weekend, which I escaped for a fantastic Saturday of busking in Pesaro, I couldn't find a good place to play. Then it rained on Sunday. I guess that means I'll have to come back!

Comments

[apryl-knight.livejournal.com]

When you've found a good pitch (or two or three) in a city, do you try for those exact places when you come back the next year, or do you look for different promising spots?

[vconaway.livejournal.com]

It depends on the pitch. There are certain places I always come back to, and others that take advantage of local circumstances; vacant storefronts can be brilliant, and there's a pitch in Rome that rocked my world that may never happen again, as Sakura spent an entire spring gutting and remodeling the space.

[vconaway.livejournal.com]

Sephora, that was supposed to read.

[eliskimo.livejournal.com]

You're in Ancona? My brother and sister-in-law lived in Ancona for a couple of years not long after they were married (they live in Tuscon, AZ now). I'm sorry Brindisi was lame. That disappoints me. I'm also feeling a little bad that two cities that I feel personally connected to have been frustrating for you.

[vconaway.livejournal.com]

Lecce more than compensates, and Apulia in general has been extraordinarily hospitable. As for Ancona, I love Pesaro enough to forgive Le Marche :-)