NationStates Jolt Archive

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/Quirinal.palace.in.rome.arp.jpg/800px-Quirinal.palace.in.rome.arp.jpg

The Quirinal Palace, 2 May 2008

The Quirinal Palace had been the site of many, many history events in Italy. As the official residence of the President of Italy, it held a certain amount of prestige, but moreso throughout history.
The magnificent building sat on Quirinal Hill, the tallest of the seven hills of the Adrienne Mountains that surrounded Rome, and it overlooked the entirety of the city. Rome had been a focal point of Western culture for hundreds of years,and indeed, one could argue that Rome was the single, most important city in European history; and the Quirinal Palace got a bird's eye view of it all.

The estate had originally been build to house the King of Italy, during the reign of the Holy Roman Emperor King Ferdinand I, and had been used as the official seat of the Papacy before the creation of the Vatican. It seemed fitting, then, that the meeting to unite the two historical giants; unite them as they were so long ago, would take place in the very building that stood for the unification of Italy and the Catholic Church.

And in the expansive, stark-white and slate gray room that was the Quirinal conference room, that very goal was going to be strode for. At the head of the large banquet table was Savatore DiSano, a tall man but whom never seemed to tower; a thin man who never actually seemed "fit", and a stubborn man who did not relent when he wanted something bad enough. He also was the President of the Mediterranean. Beside him was his colleague and most trusted political ally, Samuel Schmidt, who had been appointed Minister of State in Switzerland. Samuel Schmidt was shorter, though still lean, with a sort of awkwardness that he never outgrew, even at 49 years of age. He still stuttered when he was real nervous, and he still adjusted his glasses preceding most things he said. Talking to him was a visual exercise as well as an intellectual one. Today, they were coming face to face with the newly-elected Pope Benedict XVI to ask him to dissolve Vatican City as a nation and integrate it with Rome, and hence, Italy. It would surely be a stuttering occasion for Mr. Schmidt.

bumpity.

The papacy had been fairly disappointed that the Mediterraneans had declined the request to hold the meetings at the Vatican itself - after all, how much danger did a religious city have? - but a request was a request. The official popemobile - under a guarded convoy of sorts - had made its way to the presidential palace of the Mediterranean leader.

The convoy pulled up to the Palace, Swiss Guards lining up to take out any troublemakers - and the papal transport itself moving directly behind the arc of defense to unload the pope, with several more guards following behind and in flank.

The papal leader slowly ascended the steps, taking in the scenery and wondering if the progress would make headway on a unified Italian state, or whether the flag of the Vatican would reign over the Catholic city for yet another day.

President Salvatore DiSano was sitting at the head of the conference table, gazing at the last of the Amaretto that a butler had brought to him. He hadn't requested it, and indeed, wouldn't have dreamed of asking for it so early in the day, but once he laid his eyes on it, he welcomed it with open arms.
Samual Schmidt sat beside him, mindlessly thumbing through documents that he had brought. DiSano had no idea what documents they were; the only document that was important today was the Treaty of Quirinal, the title of the document that would unite Italy with the Vatican. Any other documents were not important today, yet Schmidt seemed enthralled with the ones he had brought. More than likely a nervous habit, the President dismissed the odd mannerisms of his colleague and focused again on his almost-empty double-shot glass of Amaretto.

Nervous. The word didn't seem to capture all of it, really. What the President DiSano felt today could not be summed up with just a meager word as nervous. "Anxious" was a little better phonetically, but it still lacked the power to convey the somersaults that were being performed in his stomach; the thought process that interrupted itself for no apparent reason, barring him from thinking straight, or the subtle trembling in his hands that had nearly caused the Amaretto to spill over the treaty of Quirinal. He'd downed the rest of the liqueur promptly.

A secretary entered through the grand white doors of the conference room. "Signore Presidente, the Pope has arrived."

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One more for good measure

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OOC: AP testing going on, so I'll be kinda slow. Me getting on is crazy...

IC:

The pope walked slowly into the room, making eye contact with the president and with Schmidt. Both seemed somewhat antsy, but their nation was the one that was trying for the larger role of integration, so he would let them break the ice. The pope stayed in silence, walking to a seat as he was shown by the assistants to the front of the room.

The building was grand, indeed, but not spectacular like the grandiose settings of the Vatican, God's city on Earth. If anything, the pope would make sure he could still maintain the Vatican's image as the world's most pristine urban location, if also a religious one, without falling too far under the hand of any Italian.

(ooc: Crap, I forgot all about this. I know AB is busy, so in the interests of speeding this up, I'll post my offer now.))

President Salvatore DiSano welcomed the Pope to the Quirinal Palace, hoping talks today would be very productive.

"The following is a list of what we are willing to offer you to integrate with Italy;
- 6 seats in the Senate. This is more than even the most populous city in Italy, Rome, whom has 5 seats. This will make you the most influential body in Parliament.
- Segregation from the city of Rome in its entirety. As such, Vatican City would be the recognized as a free and independent city within Rome and would not be subject to Roman taxes, legislation, or statutes.
- Exemption from Italian "separation of church and state" laws; Vatican City may continue as a theocratic city.
- Exemption from Italian income taxes for citizens of the Vatican; all 558 being workers of the Papal States or foreign ambassadors.
- Integration of the Holy See into Italian diplomatic ministries.

These are the offers we are prepared to make to the Papacy to Unite with the rest of Italy. If there are any other requirements, we are open to hearing them."

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