RED FACES IN NAPLES

As I reminded Lidl Italia [because I want to know when they are going to get some dried cranberries in] on twitter this morning, it is nearly Christmas and that means it is time for Il Sole 24 Ore to publish their annual Quality of Life in Italy survey.

The figures, which came out on Monday, ranked Italian cities according to six criteria: standard of living, business and work, environmental and health services, population, public order and free time. According to the results, the top ten cities to live in in Italy are:

1.  Trento

2.  Bolzano

3.  Bologna

4.  Belluno

5.  Siena

6.  Ravenna

7.  Florence

8.  Macerata

9.  Aosta

10. Milan

Rome is in 20th position and Turin, surprisingly, in 52nd. These are the Sicilian results, with last year's ranking in brackets:

84.  Ragusa  [81]

88.  Enna  [87]

89.  Siracusa  [88]

91.  Messina  [94]

96.  Agrigento [95]

98.  Trapani  [103]

100. Caltanissetta  [105]

101. Catania  [90]

106. Palermo  [99]

Ragusa at least has the comfort of being top of the Sicilian list! There is little comfort for Naples and its province, coming in last at 107th, and still less for the city's beleaguered Mayor, Luigi de Magistris who, on the same day as the figures were published, was hosting Transport and Infrastructure Minister Maurizio Lupi and other dignitaries at a ceremony to open the new Garibaldi metro station. Just as the party were taking the escalator to the top level of the station, the wretched contraption decided to break down, leaving all to walk up the many stairs and not a few red faces.

Never mind, Napoli - I'm sure Julia still loves you: