In Love with France, At Home In Italy

An article by Rachel Donadio in the Jan. 22, 2011 New York Times caught my eye: "Surreal--a Soap Opera Starring Berlusconi." These lines particularly hit home: "Italy remains a land where complex networks of connections and family ties can still, as in feudal times, count more than merit or position, whether in getting a job or a bank loan. In my experience, Italians have a highly sophisticated understanding of power dynamics, a keen sense of whom you have to say yes to, and with whom you can get away with saying no." We have been learning this the hard way, but we are lucky to have Italian friends who are generous enough to teach us how things work here.  Another entertaining source of wisdom on the subject is Beppe Severgnini's "Bella Figura." He says that Italy is neither hellish ("too much style" for that), nor heaven ("too unruly"). "Let's just say that Italy is an offbeat purgatory, full of proud, tormented souls ...