WELCOME TO ITALIA!

Welcome!

At the time of writing, Mr Berlusconi has just received knowledge that he’s lost the Italian general election by the narrowest of margins – just 0.1 of one per cent. Not that he’s accepting that he’s lost, of course, by stating that the whole voting process consisted of ‘many, many, many murky places’;

suggesting, in effect, that the vote-counting couldn’t be trusted and that to get to the ‘truth’ the counting should be re-done, casting the Italian governmental process into turmoil for weeks to come. One can’t help but wonder if he’d be insisting on a re-count if it was his own party that had gained the two-seat majority in the Senate rather than his principal opposition – Romano Prodi. The whole election campaign was interesting to follow if you have a passion for Italy and all things Italian (I studied politics at university, which helped fuel my personal interest). It basically boiled down to a bunfight between the two chief protagonists – Prodi at one point likening Berlusconi to a ‘drunk clinging to a lamppost’ during a live TVdebate. Of course, Berlusconi didn’t exactly pull his verbal punches, either. What does this say about the state of Italian politics?It certainly suggests a deep-seated passion – though whether this is a passion for power or a true concern for the Italian socio-economic situation is debatable. Whatever, it will be most interesting to see how events pan out from here. But enough of politics. You’re reading Italia!to fuel your own passion for the country – and there’s plenty for all in this issue. Whether you’re looking to buy property on the Italian coast or to holiday across the country, or even if you simply like to check out the food and wine sections, I sincerely hope you enjoy the issue. I !

Paul PettengaleEditor

The wonderful world of Italian politics hit its latest nadir this month with the general election-results fiasco.

THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS

CAROLYN LYONS Last issue Carolyn was celebrating Easter in the pages of Italia!, now she’s getting into the party mood exploring the many summer festivals that take

place all over the sun-drenched peninsula. Carolyn’s been writing for Italia! since Issue 1, fitting us in between the likes of Condé Nast Travellerand theFinancial Times.

ALDO ZILLI Aldo Zilli is one of the biggest names in the UK restaurant trade, being chef patron of Zilli Fish, Zilli Café and Signor Zilli Restaurant and Bar, all in London.

He’s also a prolific writer of recipe books – many of the recipes straight from the menus of his restaurant. This month in Italia! he presents us with Zilli Fish.

FLEUR KINSON After her marathon writing efforts for the last issue of Italia!, Fleur’s been kicking back this month, travelling to choice spots on the Italian coast while

researching her feature on buying a place by the sea. She makes out that it’s hard work, of course, but we all know better... Find her article on page 36.

June 2006 ITALIA! 3