Category Archives: italy

Health

Posted on December 20, 2007 by Charles Lambert

There’s an interesting piece today by Peter Popham, the Independent’s Rome correspondent, about his experiences with the Italian health system. Under an unnecessarily gloomy headline (Thinking of travelling to Italy for treatment? I would think again), the article kicks off … Continue reading →

Posted in italy, language | 3 Comments

Chequebook politics

Posted on December 13, 2007 by Charles Lambert

Berlusconi’s famous for the lavish gift he bestows on friends, colleagues, employees, visiting heads of state. He’s fond of inscribed gold watches but anything flashy and expensive will do, so long as it encourages (or rewards) loyalty and impresses his … Continue reading →

Posted in berlusconi, corruption, italy, politics, television | Leave a comment

Hate (crimes) postscript

Posted on December 9, 2007 by Charles Lambert

Come on, you don’t need me to translate this for you. Make an effort. Sweat a little. After all, you never know how useful these very words might be on your next trip to Italy. You might bump into a … Continue reading →

Posted in bigotry, binetti, homophobia, italy, PACS, politics, religion | Leave a comment

Hate (crimes)

Posted on December 9, 2007 by Charles Lambert

The Italian government is in one of its periodic kerfuffles about gay rights and the lack of them. A clause introduced into the long-suffering security bill currently passing through parliament aims to impose sentences for acts of violence or discrimination … Continue reading →

Posted in berlusconi, binetti, gay, homophobia, italy, politics, very dark cave | Leave a comment

Gazebo madness

Posted on December 5, 2007 by Charles Lambert

While I was away last weekend, Silvio Berlusconi got up to one of his customary wheezes. The jape was a replica of the one he organised a few weeks ago, when the corrupt buffoon (Mail on Sunday) covered the country … Continue reading →

Posted in berlusconi, corruption, italy, politics | 1 Comment

Shadows

Posted on November 23, 2007 by Charles Lambert

One of the most important, and useful, books to have come out recently in Italy isn’t a novel, but an exposure of the role played by the Camorra, the international Mafia-style structure with its base in the organised crime of … Continue reading →

Posted in italy, mafia, saviano | Leave a comment

Noblesse oblige

Posted on November 20, 2007 by Charles Lambert

One of Italy’s longest standing jokes, the ex ‘royal’ family Savoia, hits the front page again today. No, Vittorio Emanuele, the pudding-faced capo famiglia, hasn’t tried to hire a few hookers for one of his ‘business dinners’; he hasn’t peppered … Continue reading →

Posted in berlusconi, emanuele filiberto, italy, savoia | 2 Comments

Mud

Posted on November 7, 2007 by Charles Lambert

One of the saddest aspects of the way Silvio Berlusconi has skewed political and civil life in Italy is the arsenal he’s chosen to vilify and discredit his adversaries. As long as these are politicians it’s part and parcel – … Continue reading →

Posted in berlusconi, information, italy, journalism, politics | 2 Comments

Italy rules OK. OK?

Posted on October 26, 2007 by Charles Lambert

Two reminders yesterday that the autonomy of the Republic of Italy isn’t a given. One. Rome’s court of assizes decided that there was no case to be made against the murderer of Nicola Calipari, the Italian secret service agent who … Continue reading →

Posted in freedom of speech, italy, USA, vatican, war | Leave a comment

What it says on the packet

Posted on October 24, 2007 by Charles Lambert

Suffering from what is almost certainly post-party flu, I’ve been a recent visitor to our local chemist’s and I’ve been struck, as always, by the subtle, and not so subtle, cultural differences between the UK and Italy. In England, medicines … Continue reading →

Posted in customer care, england, italy | 3 Comments