Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Vesuvius erupted, and when it failed again in 1980 an earthquake struck the city that year.
Coincidence? Perhaps. But even the most cynical Neapolitan would rather San Gennaro
perform his magic trick…just in case.
There are 12 minority languages officially recognised in Italy, consisting of native languages
Friulian, Ladin and Sardinian, and the languages of neighbouring countries, including French,
Franco-Provençal, German, Catalan, Occitan, Slovene, Croatian, Albanian and Greek.
It's Not What You Know…
From your day as an Italian, this much you know already: conversation is far too import-
ant to be cut short by tardiness or a mouthful of toothpaste. All that chatter isn't entirely
idle, either: in Europe's most ancient, entrenched bureaucracy, social networks are essen-
tial to get things done. Putting in a good word for your barista isn't just a nice gesture, but
an essential career boost. As a Ministry of Labour study recently revealed, most people in
Italy still find employment through personal connections. For better or worse, c
lientel-
ismo
(nepotism) is as much a part of the Italian lexicon as
caffè
(coffee) and
tasse
(taxes).
Just ask former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who in 2009 chose a
Grande Fratello
(Big Brother) contestant, a soap-opera starlet, a TV costume-drama actress and a Miss
Italy contestant to represent Italy as members of the European Union parliament. In a case
of art imitating life, Massimiliano Bruno's film
Viva L'Italia
(2012) features a crooked,
well-connected senator who secures jobs for his three children, among them a talentless
TV actress with a speech impediment. The Italian film industry itself came under attack in
2012 when newspaper
Il Fatto Quotidiano
accused several members of the Italian
Academy (which votes for the prestigious David di Donatello film awards) of having con-
flicts of interest. As the satirist Beppe Severgnini wryly comments in his book
La Bella
Figura: A Field Guide to the Italian Mind,
'If you want to lose an Italian friend or kill off
a conversation, all you have to say is “On the subject of conflicts of interest…” If your in-
terlocutor hasn't disappeared, he or she will smile condescendingly.'
