½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

hi stephanie,

i've read it as well - and in part I can share his frustration with the paradoxes of Italy. On the one hand this gret traditiono of "saper vivere" as they like to call it and on the other hand all this ½ûÂþÌìÌà mysteries, unresolved scandals and constant tension between legality and illegality.

there were some parts that I found a bit overboard and some parts where I think it would be confusing to get the picture without a better understanding of the scars left in Italy by the second world war and the tensions between those who were fascists, or communists or simply in between.

overall, however I would advise anyone to read it.

Yes we read this back in May 2003 while we were planning our move and it certainly did not put us off. Agree that it is worth reading, if only to try and understand a liittle more of what the tourists do not see. The author clearly loathes Berlusconi , but he is merely doing what ½ûÂþÌìÌà politicans have always done, except he does it in the open and not furtively!

I read this earlier this year and it did give me more understanding of the different cultures without putting me off too much - much more useful than the books about people having wonderful times in Tuscany or eating their way up Italy (Matthew Forts book)..
I liked the way he describes how ½ûÂþÌìÌÃs see things as 'bella' and how it means so much more than just superficially good looking.
Would recommend it too.

M

read and enjoyed yonks ago - nice to get a book that is not all rose tinted glasses

The book has been enjoyed also by my italian Tutor and some friends in italy so cannot be all bad

Thank you all for your comments. I'm glad that there seems to be overall agreement over the contents.

Yep, I've read some of the more popular books like Extra Virgin, No Way Back - Tuscan Living, etc as well, which are useful to an extent... but they only show personal experience. Well, Tuscan Living was more of a diary but it also shows their financial struggle and unexpected hiccups in a more realistic light.

While reading about personal experiences is very important to most readers and wannabe buyers, I prefer to see the overall picture and make my mind up from there...

Cheers,
Steph

Hi Steph,

this is Ian of 'Ian and Sandra' - Sandra hasn't contacted youyr mother as yet so i'll chase her!!.

but about The Dark Heart - I wrote posted a thread some weeks ago so I've copied it here for your thread on this book. It was posted in the section about holiday reading

How about 'The Dark Heart of Italy' - Tobias Jones (Faber and Faber)

What Tobias Jones does well is observe. He has noticed that all is not as it seems - hence the book's title - but then that's true of most countries. His eye for detail is good, his frustrations with ½ûÂþÌìÌà bureaucracy mirrors my own, he notes the corruptible system of government, the chaotic legislature, the favours and contra-favours that form invisible bonds and he often repeats the theme of ½ûÂþÌìÌÃs belittling their own culture and customs. His point is that they feel free to say these things because deep down they believe it's not true and it's the very strength of their self-belief that allows their self-deprecation. He's done his research well. The book covers most aspects of daily life from family and home to the forums and public spaces of football, religion and Art, and is as entertaining as it is deadly serious.

Thank you, Ian! :)

Somehow missed that post... silly me!

Steph

Thought I would flag this thread up again.

'The Dark Heart of Italy'

A must read, helps remove rose tinted specs without removing the dream! :)

[QUOTE=trullomartinafranca]Thought I would flag this thread up again.

'The Dark Heart of Italy'

A must read, helps remove rose tinted specs without removing the dream! :)[/QUOTE]

Yup, it's a nicely sarcastic insight into the machinations of present day ½ûÂþÌìÌà politicians... not wanting to name any persons... ;);)

Macchiavelli would be proud!

Read it and very much enjoyed it. Tricky to get the balance between describing the mucky underbelly and keeping it in perspective. i think he got it right, I'd buy a sequel......

I read the book and found certain bits interesting but felt a lot of the arguments and avenues that he followed were too closely related to his own experiences and not truly objective as one might hope for in a book with such a title.

Also there was a muddled-headidness about it that I found disappointing but I suppose this could be just a reflection of the difficult subject matter.

A book that I found more illuminating some 20 years ago was John Haycraft's ½ûÂþÌìÌà Labyrinth.

I've not yet read [I]Dark Heart[/I] but plan to do so. I have read a book written about 10 years ago by Matt Frei called [I]Italy: The Unfinished Revolution. [/I]It may not that easy to get hold of but I think it deals with more of less the same topics.

Unlike others, I found the issues raised disturbing enough that, had we not already bought our house by the time I read the book, I might have seriously re-thought our decision to do so. I was particularly concerned to learn that Italy did not have [I]habeas corpus, [/I]but what a change has occurred in the last few years. These days that sort of thing thing has become an administrative nicety which loads of countries, including the UK, seem to be happy to dispense with.

Corruption doesn't seem to be something that other countries do any more either. So who knows. I guess the answer is I wouldn't want to fall foul of the authorities in either country - particularly if I was innocent.