The Berkeley Guides:
Berkeley Guide to Europe:
Italy
The turmoil that characterizes life in Italy may not be apparent when you first arrive. It's easy to be seduced by the country's beautiful and varied scenery, incredible food and wine, warm people and climate, and stunning architecture and fashion--not to mention the most concentrated collection of artistic masterpieces in the world. Like countless others who have "discovered" Italy through the centuries, you'll take your first lick of gelato or your first peek inside the Pantheon and realize, suddenly, what you've been missing all your life. But there's more to "the most sensuous country in Europe" than meets the eye. You'll probably be introduced to the underside of Italy on a sweltering summer afternoon, thirsty and tired, as you consider the many contrasts of 20th-century life here: traffic jams, Roman ruins, pollution, baroque cathedrals, and Vespa drivers swerving through narrow streets as they chat on cellular phones. These kinds of contradictions have led many Italians to raise some difficult questions. Can the clash between past and present ever be resolved? How will the information revolution fare in a country where it takes six months to install a phone line? And should a country accept, or even exploit, its role as a cultural theme park? Even traditional Italians have begun to wonder whether their country is prepared to cope with its many problems or if it's doomed to become a third-world museum of antiquity.
Northerners jump at the chance to blame all problems on the southern half of the boot, though political disorder and corruption have recently been found to be nationwide plagues. When former judge Antonio Di Pietro took charge of uncovering the Tangentopoli (literally Bribesville) scandals in 1992, he exposed corruption in nearly every nook and cranny of Italian politics, and there hasn't really been a functioning government since. The last nearly successful attempt at a cohesive governing party, headed by media mogul Silvio Berlusconi, resulted in more investigations and consequently, more arrests. This political intrigue would not be surprising from many of the so-called third-world nations of Africa, Asia, or Central America, where food is scarce, political freedom unheard of, or where poverty and illiteracy are rampant. But people in Italy are not hungry. They are free to argue, criticize, and publish any manner of things regarding their country and government. Almost everyone manages to afford a nice pair of shoes and a holiday by the sea. Still, for a country producing such luxuries as Ferrari automobiles, Valentino fashions, and nearly priceless black truffles, much of Italy retains a rustic atmosphere and provincial attitude that may seem primitive to foreigners.
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