Bologna is basking in the glow of attention afforded by American writer John Grisham, who has chosen to ambient most of his latest novel The Broker in its medieval city centre.
The story revolves around an imprisoned, high-profile lawyer (obviously) who receives a controversial pardon in the dying days of an administration. On his release he is spirited out of the country, by the CIA, to a new anonymous life in Bologna. Of course there is skullduggery afoot, and in truth our hero has been placed out of American Jurisdiction in order for the rest of the world’s baddies (Mossad, the Saudis, and Red China) to get a shot at eliminating him.
While Bologna basks, in Milan a row has developed over the last three weeks between the Italian magistrature and a number of Government ministers over a case against three supposed Islamic militants.
The late, great, Italian singer-songwriter Giorgio Gaber understood perfectly well that left-right labels were about more than mere politics, as he satirised in Destra-Sinistra (Right – Left):
I blue-jeans che sono un segno di sinistra
con la giacca vanno verso destra,il concerto dello stadio
In Jorge Luis Borges’ short story The Lottery in Babylon, the lottery evolves from a simple game into a complex system of punishment and reward, in which every free man is entered automatically. It becomes a metaphor for fate, with a mysterious company drawing numbers to decide which citizens of Babylon should be happy, and which sad.
In Roberto Benigni’s film Johnny Stecchino, Benigni arrives in Sicily and is introduced to Palermo by a gangster. The mafia man talks about the great “piaghe” or curses that blight Sicily in the eyes of the world: Etna, the volcano, that, however destructive, is a part of nature and beautiful in its own way; drought, which again is a natural burden that has to be put up with; the final curse that blights Sicily, though, is a man made curse, and one which inspires fear in all those who encounter it, pitting brother against brother, family against family – (drum roll!)… the traffic!
News from the frontlines in the war against smoke, and smokers, here in Italy is relatively subdued. Fines have been few, and the streets are crowded with smokers. It may just be coincidence, but Bologna has been obscured by fog for the last couple of days! Of course there are some exceptions to the rule. […]
As he guided Lazio to a conclusive victory over hated Roman rivals Roma, Paolo di Canio couldn’t resist celebrating by racing over to the Lazio Ultras and saluting them, with his right arm stretched at an angle, with palm flattened. The debate of the week then has been as to what the gesture meant, was […]
And so, after much talk (it’s been proposed on and off for years), Italy has followed Ireland’s example and banned smoking in public places. As of today Italy’s bars and restaurants, as well as workplaces, will be theoretically smoke free.
There’s a certain sense of d
Berlusconi continues to blaze a trail in maverick thinking, inspiring awe and confusion in all he encounters. In his end of year press conference he was asked about this year’s “Lifting” episode and his much talked about hair transplant surgery. He smiled and replied “I like to see myself young, and it’s a form of […]
New Year’s Eve celebrations across Italy are being hastily changed, from traditional noisy and riotous affairs to quiet vigil like ceremonies, to show respect for the victims of the South East Asia Tsunami disaster. Here in Bologna, for example, the city council have cancelled all fireworks and are urging the public to follow suit. The […]
On the day that the European Parliament debated the opening of accession negotiations with Turkey, parliamentary party members of the Lega Nord unfurled a banner in the Italian parliament which read “no to Turkey in Europe”. Berlusconi has been one of Turkey’s biggest allies in its attempts to receive the green light for accession talks. […]
