If you follow the Italian news, then you will know something of the amnesty designed to recoup the billions Italians have stashed out of the reach of Italy’s taxman in comfy offshore accounts.

Said amnesty has, so far, seen some 80 billion Euros return to Italian banks.  A not inconsiderable sum, I’m sure you will agree.  As a consequence of its success, the amnesty has been extended well into 2010 to encourage even more of Italy’s tax dodgers to bring their gains back within the grasp of Italy’s cash starved taxman.

Offshore Banking

Now, the odd thing is that some of those who have taken advantage of Italy’s amnesty will be more than a little relieved to place their dosh in the coffers of honest Italian banks.  Indeed, from what I have heard, some are literally scrambling to move their offshore fortunes onshore.

Why?It’s amazing what parents end up chatting about at children’s parties, isn’t it?  Well, it can be.

Yesterday, while at a party, I chatted with a parent, I will not say who, as I do not have this person’s permission.  Said person just happens to work for a rather large international bank.  I did ask him about his multi-billion Euro bonus, and was told that he was not one of the lucky beneficiaries and that he was glad to still have a job.

Diminished Fortunes

Anyway, we got talking about the crisis, and he told me that a number of the Italians who wanted to take advantage of the tax amnesty and had attempted to transfer their offshore funds back into Italy had been faced with a nasty surprise.  At the moment of transfer,that ten million offshore nest egg had, somehow, become around a million.  And this was despite account statements through the years saying that all was hunky dory.

Nobody Can Steal What You Have not Got

The people who discovered that their offshore fortunes were not quite as substantial as they had thought could do nothing.  After all, it’s a little difficult to make a report to the police concerning the disappearance of money you never had.

Funnily enough, not many stories of dodgy goings on within offshore banks have made it into the press, as not many people are willing to admit to their embarrassing misfortune.  My friend who works in Italy’s banking sector told me that stories of mysteriously diminished fortunes are legion.

Those who have suffered from the effects of offshore piracy have, in the meantime, being spreading the word.  Which is why, apparently, others have been rushing to put their cash back into the relative security of an Italian bank.  There is a possibility, but this is pure speculation, that another reason for extension of the amnesty was to help a few friends of friends.

No Proof

Can I prove that any of this has happened?  No, I cannot, aside from having heard the story from a person who works in a bank.  You could, though, attempt to find out if this tale holds any (sea) water by trying this. The next time you dine with a banker, or a wealthy friend, mention this story to them.  If your wealthy friend should gag on his Montepulciano red, or appears to turn a whiter shade of pale, then you will know that he was one of those poor individuals who suffered at the hands of an unscrupulous offshore bank.

Sometimes avoiding tax evasion can pay.  Moral of the story: Make sure that offshore bank you choose is not run by pirates.

If anyone knows of other stories about this, or is aware someone who has suffered from offshore piracy, such as a friend of a friend who you heard about via an ex-acquaintance of an old school friend while you were holidaying on the Cayman Islands perhaps, then do spill some indirect hearsay beans.

Some further reading:

Financial Times: 23 December, 2009 – Italy tax amnesty yields record €80bn

Italian music blog ChartItalia which follows the contemporary Italian music scene, recently published a list of the top 100 hits in Italy for 2009.  So what, I asked myself, was the top Italian music hit of 2009?

Interestingly, for me anyway, it is not an Italian track which made it to the top of the top 100 for 2009, it was instead, those Black Eyed Peas people with their number ‘I gotta feeling’.

Were there any Italian tracks in the top 10 of the top 100 for 2009?  The answer is yes, there were, and the highest ranking track is significant in that it reflects an event in 2009 which touched the hearts of many Italians.  Indeed, ranked at number 4 is the track Domani 21.04.2009.

Quite a number of well-known Italian musicians got together to make Domani 21.04.2009 as a fund raiser in the aftermath of the Abruzzo earthquake.

Here is the track for you to listen to, and seeing as this is a karaoke version, you can either sing along, or, if you don’t feel up to singing, you can simply read the words and listen.  This may well help anyone out there who is learning Italian, even if not all the words are Italian.

Happy listening!  You will also find the names of rest of the top 10 tracks in Italy in 2009.

Domani 21.04.2009 – Karaoke Version

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Top 10 Hits of 2009 in Italy from Il Blog di ChartItalia

The numbers in brackets show the chart position and the week in 2009 in which the position was reached.

1. I gotta feeling – Black Eyed Peas (1 / 26)

2. This is the life – Amy MacDonald (1 / 26)

3. Poker face – Lady Gaga (1 / 52)

4. Domani 21.04.2009 – Artisti Uniti per l’Abruzzo (1 / 35)

5. Indietro – Tiziano Ferro (1 / 35)

6. Come foglie – Malika Ayane (1 / 35)

7. When love takes over – David Guetta feat. Kelly Rowland (1 / 32

8. Sincerità – Arisa (1 / 19)

9. L’amore si odia – Noemi feat. Fiorella Mannoia (1 / 17)

10. Ti vorrei sollevare – Elisa con Giuliano Sangiorgi (1 / 12)

To see the rest of ChartItalia’s list, click on this link:  La Top 100 del 2009: i brani di maggior successo dell’anno – The Top 100 of 2009: the most successful tracks of the year.

I’m sure music fans will recognize plenty of international names.

Fascinating Hit Parade Italia

Italian readers who would like to know more about the music scene in Italy will find the information on ChartItalia’s ‘mother’ site, Hit Parade Italia quite fascinating, I imagine. And it’s not some site thrown together by a hormonally challenged Italian teenager, at least I don’t think it is.  No, it’s does appear to be genuine attempt to follow and record, if you’ll excuse the pun, which music is being listened to by Italians through the years.

If you are into this sort of thing, Hit Parade Italia will keep you occupied for hours on end!  Even if you are not a music fanatic, but you would like to get to know Italian music better, then the Hit Parade Italia site will help you unearth new and interesting stuff to listen to on YouTube.

Hey man, I dig ChartItalia. It’s well groovy. Yes, I know I’m getting a bit too close to the big five oh to be writing such words, but one has to try to sound hip and trendy every so often. Even if one fails miserably…

Hey, I can feel a mid-life crisis coming on.  Well, I did go and buy a guitar. Pass me my plectrum, man.

This week’s Guess Where in Italy? photo quiz on BlogfromItaly.com features a photo courtesy of @pixiebisous, whose colourful image caught my little eye when she posted it on Twitter.

Ninja obsessed Italophile @pixiebisous thinks that people, especially Italians, will find it easy to guess which picture postcard Italian seaside village has been immortalised in her photograph.

Now, although I have some idea as to where the place in the photo is in Italy, I’m not 100% sure.  All I know is that I have not been there, but after having seen the photograph, I’d quite like to.

Over to you dear readers: Can you guess where in Italy this seaside village is? And what its name is?

Just one little favour. As this should be easy for Italians, can you please wait until Sunday before guessing?

Guess Where in Italy this Scenic Seaside Village Can Be Found?

Guess Where this seaside place is in Italy.

Try to name of the place in the photograph.

With thanks to @pixiebisous’ boyfriend, Dennis, for letting me use his photo.

Give Away Next Week

This quiz is just for fun, although next week, the first person who gets the correct answer will receive a €25 (c. $34 USD and just shy of £22 UKP, as at today’s exchange rates) Amazon Gift Voucher, or a one year subscription to Flickr Pro.

The Answer to Last Week’s Guess Where in Italy? Quiz

Last week’s Guess Where in Italy Photograph was of the Italian city of Mantua – Guess Where in Italy? – Part 9. And Italy expert Nora of Enchanting Italy guessed correctly.  Well done Nora!

I’ll be writing more about this intriguing Italian city soon.  If you follow @newsfromitaly on Twitter, you’ll find out when the Mantua post is published.

Legitimate Impediment is not, as one might expect, the name of the latest Hollywood blockbuster courtroom drama about to burst onto 3d screens in cinemas around the world near you.  Instead, it is the latest ruse by Italy’s colourful leader to get himself off embarrassing legal hooks.

The most recent card in the get out of court free pack is a law based on something called ‘legitimate impediment’.  What this new law will mean, if it slips all the way through Italy’s parliament, is that if Italy’s premier decides that he has important government business to attend to, he can have any court cases he is called to appear in postponed for six months.

By repeatedly making legitimate impediment claims it will be possible for an Italian prime minister in power to keep himself out of the range of Italy’s courts for a total of up to 18 months. Very neat.  Somebody is probably preparing the invitations to a series of legitimate impediment parties to be held at Berlusconi’s party paradise on Sardinia, as I write this.

This clever, or ‘furbo’ little legitimate impediment move, will also give the legal team acting on behalf of the Italian prime minister lots of time to dream up new defences.

Not everyone though, is overly happy with what opposition politicians, and some members Italy’s population, regard as being a screenplay for yet another Save Silvio drama.

Italy is Not A Normal Country

During the reportedly rather heated discussions which took place in Italy’s Chamber of Deputies today, at least one senior Italian politician howled dramatically that “Italy is not a normal country”.

Despite such comments from critics, the bill passed without difficulty.

Next Stop the Senate

Next stop for this bill is Italy’s Senate, and provided the wording of the draft Keep Silvio Safe law does not change, Italy’s president Napolitano official stamp is next on the list.  Napolitano can send the bill back down to Italy’s two houses for discussion and possible amendment once and once only, then when it returns, he has to sign it and it will become law.

Legitimate impediments will become Reforms

Silvio Berlusconi has stated that once he is free from unnecessary judicial hassle; Berlusconi has always maintained he is innocent; he will be able to get on with ruling Italy.

There is a chance that the latest method of keeping Silvio safe law will be declared unconstitutional, as such legislation does tend to go against the ‘All are equal in the eyes of the law’ principle of the Italian constitution, albeit indirectly this time.

Berlusconi’s Star Lawyer

Nicolo Ghedini, Berlusconi’s lawyer, who also just so happens to be a member of the Italian parliament, is pretty good at what he does, one has to admit.  If I were Berlusconi, I’d give Ghedini a raise.  Ghedini is a star.

Actually, Legitimate Impediment would not be a bad title for a movie…  Direct me if I am wrong.

Further reading:

Ansa.it, 3 February, 2010 – House approves legal impediment bill

BlogfromItaly.com 27 January 2010 – How Laws become Laws in Italy

BlogfromItaly.com November 17 2009 – Saving Silvio Berlusconi

Most people know what a Vespa scooter is, even if not quite as many may be aware that Italian company behind the iconic Vespa is Piaggio. It looks as though Piaggio might be aiming to create another legend, only this time, it may bein the form of a city car, and new electric powered car at that.

Still today, Piaggio’s Vespa’s can be seen buzzing along the streets of Italy.

Nowadays though, the Vespa is no longer a form of utilitarian transport aimed at helping Italians weave their way safely around the potholes which littered post-war Italy’s roads.  Oh no.  Today, in much the same way as the humble Mini and Fiat 500 have been resurrected, and transformed from cars for the people into playthings for the wealthy, today’s Vespa’s are fashion accessories which cost about as much as an Armani suit.

A Modern Vespa

Piaggio’s clever transformation through the years has helped the company grow from its humble beginnings into an international organisation which makes around 600,000 vehicles a year and has operations in 50 countries around the world.

Ever the innovator, Piaggio is once again gazing into a crystal ball, and as with many vehicle makers, this Italian company appears to see the future as being green, environmentally amicable, and electric powered.

Electric City Car by Piaggio?

In a recent chat with journalists, Piaggio chairman Roberto Colaninno hinted that his company might well be working on an electric powered city car.  Colannino also named cities which would benefit from such clean green personal transport.  Cities such as San Paolo in Brazil, Cairo, Beijing, Bombay, as well as London, Paris, and Milan.

Piaggio Has Found Markets

It sounds as though Piaggio has already found markets, so now all it needs to do is to build an innovative product which will be liked by such markets.

Seeing as Piaggio’s foresight led to the legendary Vespa, it does look as though the company has the credentials to come up with what might well be the world’s first mass-produced, mass selling electric powered car.

Only time will tell whether Piaggio’s move into the realms of green transport will lead to an environmentally friendly product which becomes as iconic as the Vespa.

Piaggio’s Next Legend?

Sounds as though we should be keeping an eye on this Italian company.  I’m 100% certain Piaggio would love to repeat the success of the Vespa and in doing so create another Italian legend.

Time to watch this space!

Piaggio qualifies as a ‘Good Italian Thing’.

Links to More information:

Motori.it 26 January 2010: Piaggio farà un’auto elettrica? – Will Piaggio Make an Electric Car? – in Italian

Wikipedia: The Piaggio company

Vespa