YOU CAN STILL VISIT ITALY

ITALY, MY BELOVED COUNTRY (in the map ... red dotted in the north there is my home town, BERGAMO and in the center the capital, ROME) is often in the news for some political scandal ... in these days, unfortunately, the news have the taste of the insanity ... the insanity of our actual prime minister BERLUSCONI who is not accepting the outcome of the political elections (and the blessing of the Italian High Court) he and his coalition lost for ~ 25,000 votes two weeks ago ... thanks to the awesome help of the ITALIANS WHO VOTED OVERSEAS ... :o

Below a good article by the FINANCIAL TIMES which is summarizing in few words the situation ...

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Title: A SORE LOSER SULKS
Publisher: FINANCIAL TIMES
Published: April 21 2006 03:00

In spite of the decision by Italy's highest court this week confirming the narrow victory of Romano Prodi's centre-left coalition in the country's general election, the outgoing prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, still refuses to admit defeat. He seems to be calculating that by casting doubt on the outcome, he will destabilise Mr Prodi's coalition from the start, and thus shorten its life. If so, he is showing an arrogant dis­regard for the verdict of the ballot box, however finely balanced that may have been. He is contributing to international concerns about Italy's political stability. Indeed, as he has done all too often in the past, he seems to be putting the interests of Silvio Berlusconi ahead of those of his country.

To have an effective democracy, political leaders must learn how to lose gracefully as well as how to win. Al Gore, the former US vice-president, conceded defeat to George W. Bush as soon as the Supreme Court ruled on the question of disputed ballots in Florida. That is how democracies are supposed to work. But Mr Berlusconi is a sore loser. He refrains from comment, but Giulio Tremonti, his former deputy and finance minister, said there were still "things that need to be clarified". By questioning the outcome, he is undermining the system itself.

Mr Berlusconi's own record in office left much to be desired. On the political front, he reversed the electoral law that had produced a modicum of political stability (to his own advantage), returning to a proportional representation system that might have given him short-term benefit. Instead it produced a fragmented parliament, to the benefit of no one. During the election campaign, he continued to exploit his media empire to get disproportionate television coverage for himself and his party. As for the economy, his government proved a grave disappointment on the vital reforms needed to improve Italy's competitiveness. He has left the country languishing at the bottom of the euro-league.

All of this makes the task for Mr Prodi, at the head of a nine-party alliance, all the more daunting. Yet he has held together a disparate government before, and negotiated Italy's entry into the single currency at the same time. Reports that he may appoint Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa, former executive director of the European Central Bank, as finance or economy minister, should provide some reassurance to the capital markets. Mr Prodi needs to demonstrate that his is the voice of dispassionate experience, in contrast to the partisan posturing of Mr Berlusconi. The former is what Italy needs, not more of the latter.

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... I know it is a shame ... but don't worry ... YOU CAN STILL VISIT ITALY ... YOU ARE NOT RUNING IN ANY RISK OF POLITICAL STREET RIOTS ... THE ONLY RISK YOU ARE RUNNING IS TO FALL IN LOVE WITH THE ORIGINAL ITALIAN FOOD AND WITH THE MASTERPIECES OF ART ... :D