Bright Lights Shining in the Darkness

November 26, 2008 · Filed Under Good Italian Things · Comment

The Big M

Today’s newspapers are depressing, there is not a good story to be had what with Italian schools collapsing over the heads of pupils and equally saddening accounts from RAI’s Report documentary. But tunnels often have light at their ends.

This week’s RAI 3 Report investigated the mismanagement of waste disposal down in Rome which appears to be controlled by yet another Italian ‘entrepreneur’ who is out to make money whatever the cost to society. A worrying but by no means unique situation in sunny and beautiful Italy.

Then there is the final section of Saviano’s book Gomorrah which has brought about feelings which the words ‘disconcerting’, ’shocking’, ’saddening’ and ‘dire’ seem to sum up quite succinctly. Italy, it seems, has a distinct tendency towards self-destruction. What a great shame that the country’s political class does not seem to care one jot that vast areas of southern Italy have been and are being turned into vast toxic wastelands. Italy to a great extent seems to be destroying itself from the inside out.

Still there has to be some light doesn’t there? Luckily, there is. Read more

Tags: Italian wine, Italy, olive oil

Unhappy Families

November 25, 2008 · Filed Under Italians · 2 Comments

An Italian Family!

When people think of Italy, sooner or later, they will come across the closely knit nature of Italy’s families. Italy is, after all, a country dominated by families.

In fact just about everything in the Living Museum seems to be controlled by one family or another. A few examples? Well, there is Berlusconi for a start, then we have the Agnellis of Fiat fame, the Benetton bunch who run clothes shops and motorway service stations, and Versace is still a family operation. Then, at the other end of the spectrum there are the mafia families which hold the reins on Italy’s all encompassing organised crime business.

Yep, just about everything is run by one dynasty or another here. Italy is a big case of happy families. Or is it? Read more

Tags: family, Italy, life

A Battle Royal

November 24, 2008 · Filed Under Italian politics · 2 Comments

Watch What I Want - or Else

Over the last few months in Italy there has been an inordinately long battle for the chairmanship of a commission which is supposed to oversee the operation of Italy’s RAI state TV channels.

That there was such a battle reveals just how important it is for Italy’s politicians to control television channels here.

The battle began when Italy’s opposition parties proposed existing commission member, one Leoluca Orlando and a member of Antonio Di Pietro’s Italian Values party, for the chairmanship of the RAI commission. The prospect of having an ally of one of Berlusconi’s most outspoken critics at the helm must have been too much to bear for Italy’s trash TV magnate cum prime minister. Read more

Tags: Italy, Politics, television