Changing Italy

The Italian political system provides a constant source of stimulation and entertainment. It features uneasy coalitions, shifting cabinets, and always the possibility that the government may fall tomorrow.

In last month’s elections, the most was made of opportunities to engage the voters’ attention and stage a show. The small Radical Party was in particularly fine fettle: One of its candidates was a nightclub porn star, who, in the course of the campaign, frequently displayed her beautiful breasts. Italy is, after all, the country of the Renaissance, not of the Reformation.