Rome's 1st International Micro-Canvention
~ May 10, 1998 ~

On May's first hot Sunday, the historic city of Rome hosted the smallest (and shortest) international canvention beer can collectors will ever remember.

At 12:00 AM sharp, under a blazing sun, collectors from different continents gathered in the very heart of the city, by the charming Spanish Steps, meeting point of the venue. The expected attendance for this event was 2.
By 12:05 all the names in the list had been ticked; Mr. & Mrs. Fiscalini, from San Luis Obispo (California, USA) were hailed as the canvention guests coming from the farthest area of the globe.
After counting themselves once again to be sure that everybody had arrived, and that nobody would be left behind, participants strolled to the nearby trading area, located in the sunny S.Lorenzo in Lucina Square, a few hundred yards off the meeting point, where they were officially provided with a table.
Mr. and Mrs. Fiscalini, who
travelled 12,000 miles to attend
Rome's micro-canvention

Gene Fiscalini and Andrea Pollett:
a crucial trade in progress
Mr. Andrea Pollett, member of the canvention's organizing committee, proudly held a brief opening speech:
"A Campari, a glass of white wine and a cold coffee, please!...".
These words were followed by a warm applause.
Finally, the meeting was declared open, and everything started.
The air grew hot (30°C) as trading activities became more and more intense; the clinking sound of cans could be heard from the top of the Vatican's dome.
But time ran short too soon: the closing hour of the meeting was scheduled at 12:50 AM. By this time no less than 4 cans had changed hands.
On their way back home, everybody described the venue as a real success: "...a terrific experience", "...Rome's big event of the year", "...where are the toilets?" were the most frequent remarks.
So a big 'THANK YOU' to all collectors who attended this important meeting: see you again soon at the next micro-canvention in Rome.


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