What is it in the operatic Italian psyche that allows-indeed, forgives, even applauds-Italy's premier for conducting a lifestyle as decadent as a Fellini extravaganza, while organizing an ongoing string of questionable behaviors and politically incorrect gaffes not seen since the days of Nero? All this, and yet Mr. Berlusconi remains completely "understood" by so many of his countrymen-some of whom keep coming back for more! Best-selling writer Beppe Severgnini, who by explaining America to Italians humorously immortalized American behavior in his book Ciao, America!, now trains his sights on his own countrymen. Through witty yet substantive anecdotes touching on Italy's current political and economic climate, Severgnini decodes the Italian premier's style and appeal, exploring his rise to power and creating a compulsively readable portrait of Italy today.

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Beppe Severgnini is one of Italy's best-known journalists. A columnist for Italy's leading newspaper Corriere della Sera and a contributor to Time magazine, The Financial Times, and The Economist, he is the author of the bestsellers La Bella Figura: A Field Guide to the Italian Mind, and Ciao, America!: An Italian Discovers the U.S.