The Italians (50 page)

Po, descent of, 67–68

Poland, 15, 121, 134

police forces, 42, 77, 212

politics, 30–31, 36, 45, 127, 198

age factor in, 112, 116

appearance and personal style valued in, 72–85

business and commerce in, 219–22

Church and, 108, 117, 127–31, 175, 203

corruption in, 82, 219, 220–21, 238–39, 241–48

distaste for change in, 104–5, 108–9

factions in, 202–4

fantasia
in, 59–60, 67–68

ideological ambiguity in, 37–39, 48

Jews in, 123

language and, 32, 38–39, 78, 82, 84–85, 145

mafia protected in, 231

moderation in, 38–39

opera and, 66–67

restrained media coverage of, 47–48, 191

resurgence of candidates in, 257–59

violence in, 104–5

women in, 150

see also
specific parties and politicians

Po River Valley, 6, 8–9, 28, 67, 198, 202, 203, 270

Porta Pia, 1–4, 22

Portugal, 38, 76, 108, 110, 122, 197, 201, 222, 235, 237, 240

poverty, 6, 7, 9, 124, 196, 233, 277, 288

Church charities for, 132–33

corruption and, 237, 240, 246

in Mezzogiorno, 275–77

pregnancy, 89, 152–53, 162–63

pretrial custody, 265–66

Prezzolini, Giuseppe, 33–34, 97, 237

privacy, 190–91, 198

Processo del Lunedi, Il
(“The Monday Trial”), 209–10

Prodi, Romano, 32, 48, 59, 73, 175, 179, 221

Project MOSE (MOdulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico), 45–46

prosecutors, 262–63, 266–67

prostitutes, 79–80, 144, 160–61

transgender and transexual, 167, 199

Provenzano, Bernardo, 225–26, 232

Puglia region, 6, 26, 27, 168, 196, 216, 229, 232

raccomandazione,
244–46

racism, 28, 211, 281–85

ragazza,
ragazzo,
158, 180

Rai television network, 51, 78, 84, 151–52, 209, 212, 220

Ravenna, 14–15, 159

referees, contempt for, 213–14

Reformation, 124, 137

Reggio Calabria, 27, 230

Renaissance, 3, 12, 17, 19–22, 28, 76, 180, 189–90, 271

Renzi, Matteo, 113, 150, 290, 292

Repubblica, La,
56, 122, 124, 193, 226

resistance, Italian, 34–35, 50–51, 58, 139–41

retirement, 94–95

revolution, 35–36, 52

Risorgimento (Resurgence), 3, 22, 27
n,
37, 123, 165, 236, 269

Roma, 284–85

Roman Catholic Church:

absolution and forgiveness and, 258, 260

antiliberal stance of, 219

Christian Democrats and, 38, 127–29, 158, 220

concept of truth in, 44–45

declining power of, 118, 128–29

on disabilities, 89

on divorce, 174

in education, 274

in everyday life, 131–33

on family, 173, 185

food restrictions of, 106

holidays and observances of, 93–94

influence on Italy of, 119–38

in international diplomacy, 133

and Italian state, 119–21, 219

nepotism in, 243

oppression by, 122–24

as point of commonality, 273

politics and, 108, 117, 127–31, 175, 203

Protestantism vs., 20, 137

restrictive practices within, 218–19

rituals of, mimicked by ’Ndrangheta, 229

and sanctity of life, 92–93

on sex, 156–69

unthinking acceptance of, 134–35

on women, 143

see also
papacy

romance, 155

Roman Empire, 3, 67, 99, 275, 276

death masks in, 64–65

fall of, 4, 13–14, 16, 22

Italian pride in, 3, 28, 56

Jews in, 122

meaning of
Italia
in, 270–71

Romania, 146, 195, 222, 239

immigrants from, 280, 284

“Roman Question,” 127

Rome, 1–4, 5, 7–8, 28, 44, 50, 53, 59
n,
63, 70, 97, 104, 106, 122, 126, 133, 190, 194, 229, 232, 269, 280, 285

Bologna vs., 23–25

chaotic traffic in, 249–52

EUR district of, 199–201

Mussolini’s march on, 56

papacy and, 14–16, 25

Sack of, 20–21

as seat of Italian government, 35, 43, 127

soccer rivary in, 211–12

Russia, 22
n,
52, 160, 228

Sack of Rome, 20–21

Sacra Corona Unita, 229

Saint Joseph’s Day, 93–94

Saint Mark’s Basilica, 4, 26

Saint Peter’s Basilica, 4, 12, 119–20

Sardinia, 5, 6
n,
15, 27, 196, 257
n

foreign domination of, 14, 19, 22

independence movement in, 273

independent kingdoms of, 18, 19

special constitutional status of, 10

Sardu (Sardinian) language, 27, 275

Saviano, Roberto, 124, 227, 233

Savoy, House of, 21, 22, 30, 125, 205
n

scandals, 125, 132, 256–57

of Berlusconi, 79–80, 150

of Bossi family, 243, 273

of Craxi, 78, 220–21

in soccer, 214–15

see also
specific cases

scudetto
(little shield), 116, 205

Second Vatican Council, 133

separatist movements, 67–68, 272–73, 275

sex:

age of initiation of, 156–57

Church on, 154, 155–69

in exploitation of women, 148

extramarital, 159–61

premarital, 158

in scandals, 80–81, 150

soccer and, 210

Shakespeare, William, 65, 76

shareholder pacts, 223–24

Sicily, 5, 6
n,
11, 26–28, 54, 68, 122, 168, 184, 212, 216, 232, 235, 236, 271, 272, 273, 279

cuisine of, 99–100

emigration to Americas from, 276

foreign domination of, 14, 18–19, 22, 26

Kingdom of, 18–19

Mafia of,
see
Cosa Nostra

special constitutional status of, 10

Siena, 8, 19, 202, 203

Sinti, 284

smorfia
(book of dreams), 136–37

soccer (football), 70, 83, 278

Calciopoli
scandal in, 214–15

fan power in, 211–12

Italian passion for, 204–15

power of big clubs in, 213–15

racism in, 281–82

risk aversion in, 115–16

violence in, 32, 211–12

Socialists, Italian, 23, 28, 78, 129, 144, 161, 219
n,
220, 263

Sofri, Adriano, 259–60, 267

soggiorno obligato
(“required stay”) law, 234

Sole 24 Ore, Il,
46

Sollecito, Raffaele, trial of, 49–50

“Somali-ization,” 233–34

Sordi, Alberto, 33
n,
111–12

southern Italy, 19, 23–26, 94

migration to north from, 9, 128–29, 234, 274–76

status of women in, 141–42

see also
Mezzogiorno

Soviet Union, 31, 38, 58–59, 203

Spain, Spanish, 19, 21, 30, 38, 60, 76, 86, 108, 122, 131, 145, 149, 157, 235, 228, 237

corruption in, 239–41

influence on Italy of, 20, 22, 26, 100

Italy compared with, 28, 87, 98, 110, 116–17, 130, 147, 161, 162, 172
n,
173, 176, 186, 195–98, 201, 202, 204, 222, 239, 240, 253, 272, 277, 283

sprezzatura
(studied insouciance), 188–89

SS Lazio, 211, 212

stem cell research, 92, 129, 137

stock market, 223–24

Striscia la notizia,
146, 152

student revolts (1968), 52, 108, 131, 133, 144, 174, 259, 267

Südtirol (South Tyrol),
see
Alto Adige/Südtirol region

Suleiman the Magnificent, Ottoman sultan, 20

sunglasses, 186–89

Supermoviola,
210, 215

superstition, 136–37

supreme court, Italian,
see
Court of Cassation

Swiss Guards, 119–20

Switzerland, 9, 12, 15, 20, 117

Tangentopoli
scandals, 214
n,
237, 256–57, 263, 265

taxes, 83, 127, 129, 275

evasion of, 33, 42, 81, 82, 239, 247, 255–56, 268

technology, 76–77, 109–11

television, 84, 173, 220, 274

Berlusconi’s holdings in, 70, 78–79, 84, 146, 177, 220

exploitation of women on, 145–46

fantasia
used in, 59–60

programs on, 111, 135, 136, 151, 198, 204

soccer on, 208–10, 215

see also
specific stations and shows

Tempa Rossa oil field, 6, 43

terrorism, 52–53, 104–5, 134

Terzo Corpo Designato d’Armata, 58–59

Thatcher, Margaret, 81, 220, 290

titles (terms of address), 192–95

tomatoes, tomato sauce, 98, 100

Totò (Antonio De Curtis), 33, 111–12

Totòtruffa
’62
,
33

Totti, Francesco, 70, 210, 212

tourism, 6, 7, 10, 44, 249, 250

trade unions, 218

tradition, adherence to, 103, 104–18

traffic, 249–51, 253, 289–90