[Panjam]

I'm not Italian, but I love the country and have Italian cousins. These things surprised me: 1. The need for licenses to build anything. I seem to recall the figure of 100,000 euros licence to open a small chemist. 2. The need of support from the local big families for your business to thrive, ie you need to be anointed to make it. 3. The cost of housing relative to income. Who the fuck owns all the housing.

I feel sad for Italians, they are some of the best people I know.

For the Americans reading, young Italians have not been dispirited by socialism, but by rampant crony capitalism.

[qubex]

Relative to point (3), housing is owned by families as a method of saving because historically inflation was high and home ownership is a coveted value.