Italy And France Gurdwaras

[raj008]

folks

i'm trying to find gurdwaras in rome and florence and got a website but tried calling them and nobody answered. Previously, I've been to addresses and found nothing. Is there an official source which maintains phone numbers and maybe even email addresses of the gurdwaras around the world?

http://www.worldgurudwaras.com/world-gurudwaras/europe/italy/gurudwara-gurunanak-darvar-roma

Does anybody know if this one exists and has the right address?
Gurudwara GuruNanak Darvar - Roma
Circonvallazione Orientale 4530/A, Rome, Lazio, Rome, Italy,
+39-3282089063

Also, does anybody know if there is a gurdwara in paris city

Thank you

 

[spnadmin]

Veer ji

This is a special problem for several reasons. The worldgurdwara site made true headway a few years back however it is not maintained. The next thing is that Italians are not highly motivated to answer the phone just because it rings - I am only half joking, because that is my own background. Some gurdwaras run completely on the sewa of only a few families making it very hard to touch base, and that is a problem here in the US also.

I do know that the sangat in Brescia is very active, and there you may have more success making contact. It is very far from Rome and Florence but they might be able to put you in touch with someone closer to Rome.

This web site gives a list sangats in northern Italy. You may have tried some of their phone numbers, but it is the best I can do at this time.


http://sadiitaly.webs.com/gurudwarasitaly.htm

p/s If you can connect with one of the sangats on the list, someone there may be able to help you with your original question. I will get in touch regarding Paris --- I know someone there who could help. Good luck.


Two more possibilities - one in Rome and one in Paris


FRANCE

GURDWARA SINGH SABHA
(PARIS ASSOCIATION)
LOI 191 9 NO. 85-386
16,18 RUE DE LA FERME
P3000 BOBIGNY, FRANCE
Tel: (48) 31 13 22


ITALY

Shri Guru Hargobind Sahib Sewa Society
Via Arturo-Pompeati Luchini 70, Maccarese,
Rome, 00057, Italy
Telephone: +39 06 6674052

When do you need to know? I might be able to check more things out for you.

 

[spnadmin]

One of our mentors has a son in Paris right now. I just wrote to him to find out for you.

 

[raj008]

you made my day with your joke about italians or sikh italians and phones This is what makes the world so interesting

Thanks so much for reaching out to a friend about paris. I'll wait to hear back from you. There is no rush

 

[spnadmin]

Here is another joke, a digression, while we wait for solid information. Maybe you have heard this one before:

Sikhs in Italy

About a century or two ago, the Pope decided that all the Sikhs had to leave Italy. Naturally there was a big uproar from the Sikh community. So the Pope made a deal. He would have a religious debate with a member of the Sikh community.

If the Sikh won, the Sikhs could stay. If the Pope won, the Sikhs would leave.

The Sikhs realized that they had no choice. So they picked a middle-aged man named Harbinder Singh to represent them.

Harbinder asked for one additional condition to the debate. To make it more interesting, neither side would be allowed to talk. The Pope agreed. The day of the great debate came.

Harbinder Singh and the Pope sat opposite each other for a full minute.

Then the Pope raised his hand and showed three fingers. Harbinder looked back at him and raised one finger.

The Pope waved his fingers in a circle around his head. Harbinder pointed to the ground where he sat.

The Pope pulled out a wafer and a glass of wine. Harbinder pulled out an apple. The Pope stood up and said, "I give up. This man is too good.

The Sikhs can stay." An hour later, the cardinals were gathered around the
Pope asking him what had happened.

The Pope said, "First I held up three fingers to represent the holy trinity. He responded by holding up one finger to remind me that there was still one God common to both our
religions.

Then I waved my finger around me to show him that God was all around us. He responded by pointing to the ground and showing that God was also right here with us.

I pulled out the wine and wafer to show that God absolves us from our sins. He pulled out an apple to remind me of original sin.

He had an answer for everything. What could I do?

Meanwhile, the Sikh community had crowded around Harbinder Singh.

"What happened?" they asked. "Well," said Harbinder,

"First he said to me that the Sikhs had three days to get out of here. I told him to f**k off and not one of us was leaving.

Then he told me that this whole city would be cleared of Sikhs. I let him know that we were staying right here."

"Yes, and then???" asked the crowd. "I don't know", said Harbinder, "He took out his lunch, and I took out mine! !

http://www.nidokidos.org/threads/3703-Sikhs-in-Italy

 

[angrisha]

Im pretty sure the one that comes up in Rome is accurate but just to be clear its located outside of the city. You will have to cab it if you are in Rome (it can be pricy). They do answer their phone, im pretty sure I called before I went. However that was in 2010, so things may have changed.

Ill double check, but if thats the only one listed it does for sure exist. I feel like the one SPN Admin Ji has written is the one I went to. I will check for you....

The Pairs one again is located south of downtown, you can drive it. Its fairly large. They do not answer their phone...

Im not sure about Florence honestly, but Barcelona has a fairly large one as well. Theres also one in Berlin. Are you traveling?

 

[angrisha]

Im pretty positive this is where I went... and I just remembered there is a bus that heads out that way.

http://www.sikhnet.com/news/upcoming-gurdwara-rome-italy-needs-your-support

... I swear my memory isnt what it use to be

 

[spnadmin]

angrisha ji

I am pretty sure you are right. I checked the address for the Gurdwara Guru Hargobind Sewa Society in Rome and it is really in a suburb - Maccarese - as seen on Google maps. The address checks out. The sangat has a number of photo shots from different celebrations posted on the web.

raj008 ji Good question from angrisha ji. Are you traveling? And will it be a leisurely trip or are you on a time table?

About Florence

After some checking, there seems to be nothing in Florence. An SPN member may have better information. The closest to Florence and to the north is a Gurdwara in Cremona. I have the Google map and pictures if you are interested; however the sangat is about 150 miles from Florence.

I know the area very well, and you would be taking a scenic road trip. The countryside is rolling farmland on the high plateau at the foot of the Italian Alps. You might want to find a guest house and stay overnight because of the distance. It would be worth it. This is Templo Sikh Gurdwara in Pessino Cremonese, Cremona. The gurdwara is well-known and there have been articles written about it - we have some here at SPN - because the Sikh sangat is large and they specialize in dairy farming and making Italian cheese. Once again, a long way from Florence.

The next one up to the north and east is the gurdwara in Brescia, also in beautiful farm country.

 

[angrisha]

The address for the one in Paris is accurate provided by SPN Ji... I went on a Sunday, sangat was quite large even 3 years ago.

There are quite a few punjabi people around the Eiffel tower area, several of the shops along the way are owned by them. If you need to ask, they will point you in the right direction. But again, you will prob need to cab or drive it. I don't recall being able to bus or train it there... but again we were driving.

 

[spnadmin]

The address for the one in Paris is accurate provided by SPN Ji... I went on a Sunday, sangat was quite large even 3 years ago.

There are quite a few punjabi people around the Eiffel tower area, several of the shops along the way are owned by them. If you need to ask, they will point you in the right direction. But again, you will prob need to cab or drive it. I don't recall being able to bus or train it there... but again we were driving.

Bingo! That one is where it is supposed to be

 

[spnadmin]

From Google map, Earth view

 

[spnadmin]

raj008 ji

Gyani Jarnail Singh reports that the address for the Paris Gurdwara is correct, as per reported by angrisha ji. We have one questioned answered.

 

[raj008]

I will be driving and no car. The one in Bobigny may be possible and I'll try to make it there. Wish there was something closer to the city

 

[Gyani Jarnail Singh]

I will be driving and no car. The one in Bobigny may be possible and I'll try to make it there. Wish there was something closer to the city

USE the METRO Ji....If its one thing about PARIS its the excellent METRO TRAIN SERVICES..they cris cross the city and one needs to walk at most a few hundred meters at any place...in fact having a CAR in PARIS is a BIG DISADVANTAGE..serious lack of parking..narrow streets..etc etc..much better to use the Metro and just buy a Monthly ticket..easy and CHEAP...

 

[raj008]

For short story, just scroll down

Alright folks - Given I didn't find any gurdwara on street view with the address above, I gave myself an hour and left very early in the morning for Rome. I got to the address above but no gurdwara at the address. My investigative skills kicked in and I started scouting for desi-looking folks at bus stops, at gas stations and grocery stores. An English lady at a grocery store said she has seen some pakistanis in the area but hasn't seen a temple around at all. Then I started to be like a mailman and tracked down Via Arturo-Pompeati Luchini 66, Maccarese while the gurdwara has an address of 70. At 66, there was a a house with lot of cows outside. I knew it cannot be a gurdwara but decided to peep in anyways. At that time, a guy came out. He spoke no English and me, no italiano. I said loudly sikh temple - no response. Then I pointed to my head and said turban, and he said yes yes Sikh Sikh. He started using his hands to point me in the direction I need to get to. Then he said it's 7km away. I knew that wouldn't help. At that point, this guy was being smarter than me and asked if I had google maps. I brought out my phone, he pointed the approximate location and I navigated to it. There, no gurdwara yet but another lady who was pretty scared of coming towards my car with her kid but eventually did. I shouted temple and pointed to my head indicating a turban at the same time. And she again pointed the exact location of the gurdwara which is across the park.

Long story but thought I'll relay my adventure to you folks

-----------------------
Short story
The Rome Gurdwara moved 3 years ago and of course, all internet websites show the old address and in the paiji's words - hum sikho mein yeh hi kami hai

Old address - Via Arturo-Pompeati Luchini 70, Maccarese, Rome, 00057, Italy
New Address - Via Romano Guerra, 16 Massimina Roma

It's a nondescript location so please don't look for a gurdwara type of structure. Google street view shows the building before the gurdwara moved in. However, it's a nice gurdwara and I had some very good pakodas and super-sweet chai for the morning langar

I'll send an email to the folks who maintain those global list of gurdwaras - if someone has their address hands, please let me know


Wahe Guru

 

[spnadmin]

raj008 ji

You are remarkable!