My wife and I spend a fair amount of time in Italy. I'm writing a book on the Canadian campaign in the Liri Valley leading to Rome, and my wife's 10 large paintings of the campaign will be exhibited by the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton next year. Lord Beaverbrook started the war artists program in WW1.
South of Naples gets gritty in places but much improved over five or 10 years ago. Last year we spent three weeks in Puglia on the east coast mostly from the heel to the toe, allegedly Mafia country, poor and uninviting. Can't speak about the Mafia but it was beautiful and tidier than most places in North America.
If it's not local or federal governments, who makes it look good? It's probably all you say about corruption and bad government but it's still a mystery to me that it works so well for visitors. For authentic warmth and generosity in all of Europe, I don't think there's a better place than Italy.
As an aside, I said to Nancy years ago, Why are people so good to us? Is it because we're old (in our late 50s at the time). She said, No, it's because we are polite. On a whimsical note, black and white gets boring. Maybe it's the mystery that keeps us going back!
Regards, King
