Some 60.8 percent of foreigners polled gave their level of life satisfaction eight or more points out of 10, compared to just 37.2 percent of Italians.

The number of small businesses owned by immigrants also surged 44 percent between April and June this year as they snapped up failed Italian firms at bargain prices.

http://www.thelocal.it/20141028/foreigners-in-italy-are-much-happier-than-italians

The Rome Opera House sacked its entire orchestra and chorus the other day.

The opera house board did something unprecedented: they sacked about 200 members of the orchestra and chorus, in a country where no one with a long-term contract can be fired.

Italian MPs are the highest paid in the civilised world, earning almost twice the salary of a British MP. Barbers in the Italian Parliament get up to €136,120 a year gross. All state employees get a fabulous near-final–salary pension. It is not difficult to appreciate the fury of the average Italian private sector worker, whose gross annual pay is €18,000.

http://www.spectator.co.uk/features/9349002/italys-in-terminal-decline-and-no-one-has-the-guts-to-stop-it/