THIS WEEK IN ITALY….

SCANDAL AS 94 YEAR OLD EARTHQUAKE VICTIM IS KICKED OUT OF HER TEMPORARY HOUSING.

A national scandal that has disgusted even the most cynical of reporters is filling the pages of newspapers and many minutes of Tv footage. 94 year old widow, Giuseppina, from the Macerata province in Marche, central Italy, who saw her house destroyed in last years earthquakes, had recently moved into a temporary house built on her own land by her own children at their own expense, only to find that the local authorities have ruled that the structure has been built illegally and will have to be demolished.

In shocking developments the 94 year old who wanted to live out her remaining days on her own land, was evicted by force as the Carabinieri seized the property and forced  her to move to one of the scarce temporary units  supplied by the government for the earthquake victims, (there is a shortage leaving many victims still over 12 months from the disaster in campsites along the Adriatic coast.)

 

PENSIONERS LEFT BROKE AS STATE RECLAIMS DEBTS

Many pensioners have been finding themselves with pensions of €0.00 as the Agenzia delle Entrate, the Italian tax collector reclaims money it declares as owed. In yet another scandal the State has showed itself to be completely insensitive to pensioners (amongst others) desperate situation, leaving many over a period of months with little or no pension as it recovers its debt, despite the law stating that no entity or  combination of creditors can claim more than ONE FIFTH of any persons pension, a law designed to protect pensioners from this exact situation. The Agenzia delle Entrate has yet to comment on the declaration by the Pensions agency (INPS), that they are obliged to pay the debt in full as quickly as possible, leaving some pensioners without any money for a number of consecutive months.

THE STATE REFUSES TO CHANGE ITS WAYS.

The story of a 57 year old builder, ex self employed who closed his business after more than 30 years of paying taxes and  contributions, only to find himself abandoned by the State is not unusual, the Italian State does not pay any kind of social welfare to the previously self employed, the unofficial line being that they have probably stolen from the State for years and are hence Ok for money! Whereas state workers and private workers with a certain amount of hours or a certain type of contract, if they are sacked or made redundant are entitled to a welfare hand-out, albeit for a limited time, (if one leaves their job for any other reason than health issues, then they also are NOT entitled to anything, which is why no-one leaves their job in Italy and the fabled contratto indeterminato, is the aim of all employed workers). The reality is that tens of thousands of small businesses that struggle to make ends meet, with the hefty fiscal pressure (currently 55%), and the continuing economic crisis eventually forces many to close. The problems then begin in earnest, as the State not only abandons but seeks to recover any debts, seizing property and goods wherever possible, leaving many destitute and with no choice other than to search for work in foreign lands, or live, as in this case in a cemetery, where he at least has a place to wash. The question arises as to whether Italy, if it was to apply today for membership, would be allowed to enter into the EU with its current record on social welfare let alone national debt and some dubious human rights issues, not to mention its terrible record on corruption , whereas other countries now applying who would seemingly have a worse record are in fact socially and economically better than Il bel paese, yet are audited and made to jump through hoops and improve social welfare in a manner that Italy would be entirely incapable of doing for many, many years, if ever. Surely the EU has an obligation to improve itself from within as well as improve any hopeful new members?

A VINTAGE YEAR FOR WINE?

The summer of 2017 has been one of the hottest in recent years with no less than 10 heat waves hitting the Italian peninsula during its course. The higher temperatures, longer than usual hours of sunshine, and lower rainfall all combine to alter the sugar content in the grapes used for one of Italy’s biggest exports, wine. Many experts are declaring 2017 as one of wines vintage years, a year to buy bottles and put them into storage, however there are those who are more cautious, declaring that the earlier than usual harvest, may have effected the quality of the grape, the jury is out and we wait for the first wines to be ready and tasted this autumn. Watch this space!!

ON A LIGHTER NOTE….

Reality TV season has started in earnest…again. With Grande Fratello VIP, (Celebrity Big Brother), boasting a shrinking audience as the c list celebrities that nobody has heard of or seen of for years- if ever, get to grips with them selves in front of 24 hour cameras,

Master chef Italia is well under way, with hosts Carlo Cracco , Bruno Barbieri – the chef with most Michelin stars in Italy, ‎alongside Antonino Cannavacciuolo and ‎Joe Bastianich  tasting the wares of the contestants,

but Reality in Italy doesn’t end here, there is also Pechino Express which follows teams of 2 with little or no money, this year travelling through the Far East after  visits in previous years to Latin America and China, it’s all thrilling…zzzzzz… stuff!

OTHER NEWS

Bad weather and storms have pounded Italy as the summer comes to an end, causing flooding and landslides, followed with, the by now usual scaremongering of more potent than ever flu viruses making there way to Italy.  The immigration crisis has slowed down, bad weather or rumoured payments made by the Italian government to the people traffickers halting the majority of “shipments”, fortunately it means less deaths in the Mediterranean too.

The political parties are arguing once again over changes to electoral laws, an argument that has been used in elections for the last 15 years at least. In the next elections it is hoped the Italian people will choose their own government, the last government that served as an elected government in Italy was Berlusconi’s way back in 2008- 2011, since then there have been 4 non elected governments (Monti, Letta, Renzi and Gentiloni) which have been installed by higher powers than the will of the people, in what is now commonly referred to as a political dictatorship.

In the first year since the disastrous earthquakes that struck Central Italy, killing 299 people, only 10 % of the rubble and masonry from the destroyed buildings has been removed, temporary housing is still not available and many are still staying in hotels and campsites along the Adriatic coast.

31 million euros collected in the wake of the series of earthquakes by appeals on TV and elsewhere for sms donations has disappeared, investigations are under way.

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

PASTA ALLO SGOMBRO CON POMODORINI – PASTA WITH MACKEREL AND CHERRY TOMATOES

INGREDIENTS FOR 4 PEOPLE

2 tablespoons of E.V.O.O

1 clove of garlic –chopped,

3 anchovies

1 tin (125gr) of mackerel in olive oil,

1 teaspoon of fresh parsley

10 -15 cherry tomatoes, chopped in half,

¼ glass of dry white wine.

METHOD

In a large frying pan, lightly fry the garlic with the anchovies in the olive oil over a low to medium heat, do not brown or burn the garlic, add the drained mackerel and break up with a fork, allow to cook for a further 2 minutes, then add the parsley, chopped tomatoes and wine and cook for further 5 minutes, remove from heat and cover.

Cook your favourite pasta as you normally do, plenty of salted boiling water and until al dente would be the traditional way! When the pasta is nearly ready re- heat the sauce adding in 1 small ladle of the pastas’ cooking water, drain the pasta and add into the pan with the sauce, heating through for 1 minute, garnish with fresh parsley and basil if you like. ENJOY!

PER ULTIMO! -AND FINALLY…

Un onorevole chiama un idraulico a casa sua per una piccola riparazione urgente. Fatta la riparazione l’idraulico chiede 6 mila euro e l’onorevole: “Però mi permetta di dirle che questi sono soldi rubati”. E l’idraulico replica: “Guardi, della provenienza dei soldi non mi interessa niente!”