The View From Bologna - An Italian blog on Politics, culture, and society

Archive for February, 2008

Of buffons, fascists, and superstitious grasping

Friday, February 29th, 2008

Much sniggering has been done internationally (and here in Italy) at the recent judgement by the Corte di Cassazione (or supreme court) that grasping one’s ‘attributi’ in public is an offence punishable by a fine.
In a country where it’s a common superstition that grasping one’s ‘palle’ wards off bad-luck, this is bad news for many. [...]

No party for old men? Veltroni excludes De Mita

Friday, February 29th, 2008

Last week PD leader Walter Veltroni made a dramatic move, excluding Ciriaco de Mita from the list of candidates to be presented at the upcoming elections. De Mita, who turned 80 in february, first served in parliament in 1963, has long been a significant voice in the fuzzy waters best termed ‘the centre’, after the [...]

Jewish Professors singled out by right-wing blog

Sunday, February 10th, 2008

It’s not the Senate, you know

Monday, February 4th, 2008