Date: APR. 26

Hi free people!! This is Jimmy.
I am incarcerated at Mule Creek State Prison.
I am interested in anyone who would like to talk back and forth.
If you are interested in emailing me then contact gettingout.com.
I look forward in meeting you over some shared interests.
I am not looking for any relationships, just a voice that I can enjoy to take away from the hard edge of prison life.
Hope to hear from you soon.

Hi I am Alberto from Italy, we can talk on between the bars site if you wish. Regards

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Hi James,

I am 57, single, Catholic and I live in North Italy. As you told me that it would be cool to learn a little about my country, I will tell you something about it.

Although Italy was unified in 1861 there are still differences between its twenty provinces.
Mainly the differences are seen between the regions of the north, those of the center and those of the south. The northern regions are more industrialized and wealthier.
However, in the northern regions there are not only industries and companies, there are also beautiful historic cities that have interesting monuments.
The main and largest city in northern Italy is Milan which has 1.4 million inhabitants.
Milan is also the economic center of the whole of Italy, it is certainly the most important Italian city from an economic and financial point of view.
Geographically, North Italy is divided in two parts, in the northernmost part, on the border with France, Switzerland and Austria, there are mountain ranges (the Alps with the highest mountain in Europe, Mont Blanc).
The central part of Northern Italy is flat, there is a large plain crossed by the river Po.
Historically, Northern Italy has been divided for centuries into three states: the kingdom of Piedmont, the Duchy of Milan and the republic of Venice.

Before the global financial crisis of 2008/2009, the local Government provided good services, especially in Northern Italy, but since then things have gotten worse. Previously the health service was excellent, now you have to wait months for a medical examination.

I've told you something about northern Italy, maybe, if you're interested, in the next messages, I'll tell you about central and southern Italy.

In your letter you said that you are a big fan of Japan, why are you so attracted to this country?
I haven't travelled a lot, I've seen many places in my country and some places in other European countries, but I've never had the opportunity to go to another continent.

Now I finish this first letter, I hope you enjoyed reading it, I send you my best regards.
Alberto

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Ciao (Hi in Italian) James!
Thanks for your reply. I hope you are reasonably well, although I can imagine it is hard living in a prison.
I am pleased to hear you like what I wrote about Italy.
In the previous letter I told you of the Northen part of Italy, this time I will tell you something about Centre Italy. In central Italy you can truly breathe Italian culture. It is the place where the Italian language and literature was born. Central Italy is made up of four regions: Tuscany, Lazio, Umbria and Marche. It is the narrowest part of the Italian peninsula, flanked by the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west and the Adriatic Sea to the east (there are nice tourist towns along the coasts with lovely beaches). In addition, there are many historic cities full of precious monuments, such as Rome, Florence, Siena, Assisi, Urbino, just to name the most famous. It is also the part of Italy where the Catholic religion was born, Rome is the seat of the Pope and furthermore central Italy for centuries was a State controlled by the Pope.
Although I live in Northern Italy and my family has Northern Italian origins, I have no problem in saying that central Italy is the most beautiful place in Italy to live. I would like to live there.
I don't know much about the Italian school system because I don't have children, however school is compulsory until the age of 16.
Unfortunately, there have been many deaths from Covid in Italy, particularly in Northern Italy where I live. A region called Lombardy was especially affected.
It's amazing that there are 32 prisons in California. It is a shame that there are so many crimes, given that people's desire is to have a peaceful life.
The summer in northern Italy was very hot and sunny this year, until Sept 17th I was able to go out for a walk with just a t-shirt and shorts on. The temperature is cooler now.
Best regards.
Alberto