How can a nation that gave us the Renaissance have produced the Mafia? How could a people so concerned with bella figura (keeping up appearances) have chosen Silvio Berlusconi as their leader—and not just once but three times? Sublime and maddening, Italy is a country of seemingly unsolvable riddles. In The Italians, British journalist John Hooper explores the fascinating story of a country divided by geography and dialect, by politics and history. Overrun by invaders at intervals for 1,500 years, Italy’s people may have an uneasy relationship with foreigners. But foreigners love them. Digging deep into their history, culture and religion, Hooper offers keys to understanding everything from their bewildering politics to their love of life and beauty, football and freemasonry, sex, symbolism and the reason why the Italian language has twelve words for a coat hanger, yet none for a hangover.
• By 2005, 82% of Italian men between the ages of 18 and 30 were still living with their parents. The equivalent figure for the United States was 43% and in none of the three biggest European nations—France, Britain, and Germany—was it higher than 53%.
• In Rome, every establishment that serves food has gnocchi on its menu on Thursdays. And, in most cases, they are not to be found there on any other day of the week. This tradition exists nowhere but in Rome, and no Roman knows why it exists.
• Vodafone, the UK-based cell phone operator, has had huge success in Italy. Why? It offers a service, only available in Italy, known as “Alter Ego” that enables customers to have two numbers on the same SIM card. Perfect for cheating husbands or wives, and very useful for anyone who wants to make him or herself temporarily unavailable.
• Sir Winston Churchill is credited with having said, “Italians lose wars as if they were football matches, and football matches as if they were wars.” Italy has taken home four World Cups, more than any other country besides Brazil.
John Hooper’s entertaining and perceptive new book is for anyone seeking to understand contemporary Italy and the unique character of the Italians. Here, he reveals the Italians so few travelers ever get the chance to know.
John Hooper is the Rome-based correspondent for The Economist and The Guardian. He has also written or broadcast for The Economist, The Guardian, The Observer, BBC, NBC, and Reuters and has reported from more than 30 countries, including various war zones such as Kosovo and Afghanistan. He brought to light the so-called “Ship of Death” migrant-trafficking disaster of 1996 and was part of The Observer’s award-winning team that investigated its aftermath. His book The Spaniards (1986) won the Allen Lane Award for a best first work of non-fiction in 1987. It has since been revised and updated as The New Spaniards (2006). He speaks six languages.