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