Italy is burning (+104% hectares destroyed by fire in 2012, fraudulent in 90% of cases), but the offenders usually stay free and risk very light penalties (288 people accused until 10 August are gently called ‘pyromaniacs’ by media and Authorities), and the Municipal land registers of burnt areas have never been activated (they are necessary to list the damaged areas and prevent new buildings for ten years).
In the same days of August, the Italian government ceased funding Istituto Italiano per gli Studi Filosofici (a heritage defined as ‘unique’ by UNESCO), its library will be evicted from its venue and 300.000 rare books are going to be transferred in a depot. Always in Naples, thousands of ancient books (at least 2.200) of Girolamini Library have been stolen by its director and at least other five people.
These news sound alarming and show the decay of a Nation, but politicians choice to keep on talking about more important issues like the big sale of Italian assets to reduce debt and their marvellous plans for development full of promises and poor of funding. As it is clear Italy has just entered a new electoral period, and since anybody knows culture and nature could be the top bread-winner sectors in Italy, why the BBC trio (Berlusconi, Bersani and Casini) does not spend a word with the government they strongly support, or act in the Parliament, to introduce some effective protection of natural and cultural assets among its many announcements? In this way, they could at least bring a couple of voters back among the millions who have already left them.
