Pro Loco [Tourism Board and Employment Office]

[Tarot]

Octagonal in shape, the limestone building stood across from the Thanal Tower in the Piazza del Mare, the focal point of Port Chelseanna. Its size was unassuming, being only two stories high, yet to have a study inside this particular building was the wildest dreams of most Chelseannans. These were the offices of the Pro Loco, the Tourism Board of the Island, doubling as Employment Center for those wishing to acquire a job in the Port.

It was not easy to describe what the Pro Loco (literally meaning 'for the place') did as part of its competencies, as their mandate was extremely broad and sometimes purposely vague. Their duty encompassed the well-being of Chelseanna as a touristic destination, and they were rumored to be the ones behind the return of tourists to Chelseanna after the economical crisis, through skilled political maneuvers and inspired business deals with cities on the mainland. The Pro Loco was nominally headed by the Podesta, who served as Director, but the Vice-Director, also Assistant Thane, ran most of its brightening to brightening business with help from the four members of the Board. Mainlanders were often told to think of the Pro Loco as a Town Council, except that this organization had decisional powers rather than a purely advisory role.

The building had a door on each of its eight sides, the largest being the one facing the Thanal Tower, flanked by two columns shaped like two women in flowing togas. However, that door, as well as six of the others, was a faux one that did not really exist. The only actual entrance was three sides away from the obvious one - the acute observer would notice that it was the only one with the symbol of the Pro Loco above the doorway. It was a cross formed by four arrows pointing towards its center, symbolizing its duty - to bring everyone and everything to Chelseanna. Tourists, fame, wealth, glory. The same symbol was painted on the flat, octagonal roof, and could be seen from the battlements of Castle Chelseanna: the Thanal Tower did not obstruct it from view, in a calculated display of architectural foresight.

The interior was simple-looking, but warm and friendly. A bespectacled female clerk sat at her desk, dealing with an endless amount of bureaucracy. A plaque identified this as the Reception and Employment Office. A wooden staircase led upstairs, a larger plaque listing the offices to be found there. It was always better to ask for an appointment, as none of the members worked here full-time, and some of them had their own businesses and workshops to run.

PL Board
Laertes Vidocai, Director (offices at Thanal Tower)
Gianni Verbozza, Vice-Director
Aris Laperla, Promotion
Saverio Alberti, Craft
Pietro Doni, Tradition
Ibizia Kalpas, Improvement