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:

SICILIANS' FAVOURITE SMELL

If I asked you what you think Sicilians' favourite smell is, what would you say? You might think it was the scent of jasmine or orange blossom wafting through the air at this time of year or one of these in perfume form. Or, talking of perfume, perhaps the island's women finish their toilette with a generous spray of Acqua di Parma's almond fragrance or D&G's Sicily.

Then again, maybe the way to a Sicilian's olfactory nerve is through the kitchen and you might imagine that the unmistakeable scent of vanilla as numerous pasticcerie set to work in the morning or the aroma of freshly prepared foccaccia, pizza or arancini in the evening would be at the top of every Sicilian's good smell list.

All of the above would make the list but I can tell you with certainty that none of them would top it: I recently  had to visit a non-medical establishment which had been spring-cleaned with particular vigour and everyone - man or woman - who came in while I was there stopped as they crossed the threshold, sniffed the air and declared joyfully, 

"Che bel profumo di pulizia!" ["What a beautiful smell of cleaning!"]

And that, dear reader, is Sicilians' favourite smell.  What's yours? Just for fun, do please vote in the poll in the sidebar. Thank you.

Image: WP Clipart

SABATO MUSICALE [AND A POLL]

One of my favourite Italian singers, Albano Carrisi [Al Bano], was disappointed on Wednesday when the priest  of the Church of San Nicola in Cisternino [Brindisi, Puglia] forbade him to sing the Bach / Gounod Ave Maria at his friend Michele Placido's wedding, on the grounds that it is not a "religious" song.

An exasperated Al Bano told journalists that he had sung this song all over the world, including at the Vatican for Pope John Paul II, so he found it absurd not to be allowed to sing it in his own region.  In the end the priest's objections were overruled and Al Bano sang the song in the church, but only at the end of all the religious proceedings. 

If the Bach / Gounod Ave Maria is not a "religious" song, I don't know what is but that's just my opinion.  What's yours? I'd love to know, so if you would take a moment to do the poll in the sidebar, I'd be grateful. The poll will remain open for one week.

Meanwhile, never mind, Mr Carrisi - you are welcome to sing the song here on Sicily Scene! 

Al Bano [al Vaticano] - Ave Maria [Bach/Gounod]

POLL RESULTS - WHAT WAKES YOU UP?

Many thanks to all who voted and / or left comments. The results are these:

No takers for passion or breakfast. Alarm / radio - 11, coffee / tea - 5, noise - 5, a pet - 7.

In the comments birdsong and light were mentioned, as was force of habit. [I'll remember to put an "Other" category next time!]

Me? I'm woken by a lovely kissie from a beautiful doggie!

WHAT WAKES YOU UP?

Spotted in a window display in Modica today.

I thought it would be fun to have a poll about what makes us wake up, so please take a moment to do the poll in the right sidebar if you can.

UNEMPLOYMENT AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE IN SICILY

Ellee has an interesting post about the plight of unemployed graduates in Britain and I thought that readers would be interested to learn a little about the situation here:

First of all, what are the unemployment statistics for Italy as a whole? According to Eurostat, in 2008 the number of unemployed shown as a percentage of the total labour force was 6.9%, 5.9% among males and 8.4% among females. The figure was 21.3% among the under-25 age group. If we look at Sicily, where the total unemployment rate is said to be 25 - 26% but is probably higher, the figure rose to a staggering 42.9% among young people in 2001. In 2007, Eurostat calculated the figure for 15 - 24-year-olds to be 32.2%, still the highest in Europe.

The reasons for this are many and complex and the situation cannot be blamed solely or even mostly on the global recession: the fact that young people now enjoy better access to higher education and tend to prolong their studies is cited as a reason in one article I have read [not online] but surely many prolong their studies precisely because they fear, or know, that there are few jobs to be had?

The major factor is far more likely to be the way that the system works in Italy and particularly in Sicily: When I tell my Italian students that in the UK it is possible to apply directly for a professional job, they are flabbergasted, as in Italy they have to put themselves through a complicated series of "competitions" and the job is usually awarded on the results of these, with no interview. Apply this already flawed arrangement to Sicily, where, alongside a young generation obsessed with the technological revolution and social networking sites, the old ways persist, and you can imagine what happens - or maybe you can't: in some spheres it is impossible to get a job without a "recommendation" and in others it is even possible to "inherit" a job! The EU can bring in all the equal opportunities policies it likes and abundant are the pieces of paper on which these are circulated to all employers; it makes no difference.

Worryingly, in 2001, 14% of young Sicilians about to leave school said that they would not hesitate to seek the protection of the Mafia if this would secure them a recommendation for a job. Another 34% stated that they would not but that they could understand why others would do so. In the same poll, 49.7% felt unready to face the jobs market and most blamed their schools, nearly half blamed society in general and 7% blamed their families.

"I feel I will have to leave Sicily because I can't get a good job here unless I know someone important. It would be different if my family was rich", a student told me a year ago.

THE EATING HABITS OF YOUNG SICILIANS

An interesting Demopolis poll regarding the eating habits of Sicilian students aged 13-19 was published in La Sicilia today:

Most main meals consumed by this age group are eaten at home but 25% of those interviewed admitted to skipping breakfast. 69% of those who do eat breakfast said that they take less than 5 minutes over it [which to me is unsurprising as the meal only consists of a biscuit or croissant with a coffee here for adults, whilst children might need only a minute longer to smear the biscuit or a piece of bread with the ubiquitous Nutella].

Bread, pasta and meat are the most regularly consumed foods, but younger children dislike vegetables [what's new there?] and, worryingly and surprisingly in this region of abundant fruit, 32% of the interviewees confessed that they hardly ever eat any.

Given a choice, most of the students would like to eat more pizza and sweet food [in the form of cakes and biscuits] and, when it comes to snacks between meals, they are more likely to choose sweet food over savoury sandwiches or crisps.

46% of the students are unhappy with their weight and the figure rises to 53% if we take the girls alone. 41% of the interviewees have dieted without seeking medical advice. Here we go again - I think it is such a pity that, in so many countries, the lives of even people as young as this are blighted by the body images pushed at them in the media. [I see very few obese youngsters here as compared with a town of similar size in the UK but still children worry unnecessarily about their weight.]

An encouraging 80% thought that healthy foods and local produce were best for them, but when asked the majority could not name many Sicilian food products. However, 50% did say that they wanted to learn more about food traditions and 72% wanted to know more about Sicilian agricultural produce.

So there you have it. How do these attitudes and eating habits compare with where you are?

SICILIAN SAGES

Uncertain: that is how most Sicilians feel about the coming year according to a Demopolis poll. Like others all over the world, they are worried about what the future holds for themselves and their children and 53% of those interviewed feel that their family financial situation is more precarious than it was a year ago. Sicilians have cut down their expenditure on clothing, accessories, travel and leisure activities, with many having decided to stay at home to celebrate New Year rather than go out. At Christmas the majority cut down on the amount they would usually spend on presents but did not spend less on food and technological goods. 66% of interviewees thought that the economic situation in Sicily and in Italy as a whole will worsen over the next 12 months.

Interestingly, when asked what important news events they remembered from 2008, the majority recalled national and international news stories: they could not think of a single important event that had happened in Sicily! Sicilians continue to derive their contentment from family and friends and it is this, rather than the promises of politicians, that gives them hope.

How does all this compare to the feelings of people in Italy in general? Well, according to this report on a separate, nationwide poll, the predominant mood expressed by interviewees was pessimism. 60% of respondents expected to be in financial difficulty in 2009 and 31% of those who have jobs live in fear of losing them. However, from my own observations it is impossible to be totally pessimistic in Sicily: frustrated, yes; resigned, yes and uncertain, certainly, for the simplest transaction can turn into a bureaucratic nightmare and you never know if, let alone when, it will be completed. In the rest of Italy you may be prepared for the bureaucracy but you do know that eventually your business will be concluded! But in Sicily, where family is everything and friends are cherished, you can, on most days, even in the middle of winter, at least sit in the sun and exercise your pazienza!

Finally, just to cheer up my fellow countrymen and women, the only people in Europe who feel more pessimistic than the Italians at the moment are reportedly the British!

SICILIAN IDENTITY

According to this Demopolis poll, the majority [77%] of Sicilians are proud of their heritage but, whilst recognising the economic problems of the region, are dissatisfied with the standard of living and with services on the island, above all public transport.

When asked the "eternal question" - "Would you leave?" - most [61%] said they would wish to remain here, whilst 22% said that they would consider living in another part of Italy. Only 17% of those interviewed stated that they would consider living abroad. [What a contrast to Brits!]

It appears that there is a specific Sicilian identity, as the majority of those polled [54%] would declare themselves "Sicilian" before European or even Italian. Interestingly, this figure increases in inverse proportion to educational levels. More women than men would also declare themselves as primarily "Sicilian".

When asked what they believe to be the defining characteristics of Sicilians, 71% put hospitality at number one. In second place comes disdain for rules, regulations and institutions.

Well done, the Sicilians!