And when I passed Italian newsstands, I noticed that they offered R-rated movie videos for sale, with Natural Born Killers and Goodfellas apparently the two most popular choices. Well, throughout Italy there are crucifixes in public buildings, and it doesn t seem to have helped a great deal. The country is still beset with much corruption and plagued by a little outfit called the Mafia. On the corruption front, the Italian tolerance for wheeling-dealing was evident at the Palio in Siena. Twice a summer, thousands flock to the town to witness this wild bareback horse race.
Jockeys can whip each other s horses, and each other.
And right before the race after a parade of bands, drummers and flag-twirlers there s an official period of bribery. While on their horses, the jockeys, using money raised by the neighborhoods for which they ride, cut deals with each other as the crowd watches. One rider might be bribing another to block a third rider. A jockey might be accepting money to pull back at a propitious moment. When two jockeys from rival neighborhoods began to confer, the crowd hissed and booed.