Saturday, October 21, 2006
Forget the cappuccinos and chianti
It's true that Italy is the land of chianti and cappuccinos and leaves an indelible print on your heart but it's important not to forget the 'dark' side of Italy.
And Thursday night's edition of Anno Zero on Rai2 presented by journalist Michele Santoro made sure viewers didn't as he explored the link between politics and the mafia and the Calabrese 'ndrangheta', which means 'courage' or 'loyalty'.
The accusations were startling. For instance, in Calabria all 'imprenditori' have hand outs from the regional goverment, that 33 out of every 100 employees works in the public sector, that there are more than 400,000 employees than the number of residents in the region and that organised crime groups effectively run the ASL (local health authority) as this gives them the power over the whole region.
It's a timely reminder that when it comes to planning your move to Italy, make sure you aren't nostalic for the Bella Vita, which, while great on holiday, doesn't actually exist in real life.
Emma Bird is the director of www.howtoitaly.com
And Thursday night's edition of Anno Zero on Rai2 presented by journalist Michele Santoro made sure viewers didn't as he explored the link between politics and the mafia and the Calabrese 'ndrangheta', which means 'courage' or 'loyalty'.
The accusations were startling. For instance, in Calabria all 'imprenditori' have hand outs from the regional goverment, that 33 out of every 100 employees works in the public sector, that there are more than 400,000 employees than the number of residents in the region and that organised crime groups effectively run the ASL (local health authority) as this gives them the power over the whole region.
It's a timely reminder that when it comes to planning your move to Italy, make sure you aren't nostalic for the Bella Vita, which, while great on holiday, doesn't actually exist in real life.
Emma Bird is the director of www.howtoitaly.com
