William Langewiesche

[on crime in Italy] The thing about being murdered, it usually comes as a surprise. Even in Naples, where the criminal clans known collectively as Camorra are again struggling violently for control of the streets, no victim wakes up expecting on that given day to die. He shaves carefully, dresses in his beloved clothes, slips on an expensive watch, and maybe squeezes his wife before heading out to meet with his friends. If he suspected his fate, he might at least kiss his wife goodbye. But the neighborhood has been home for generations to everyone he knows who counts. He deals there in extortion, protection, narcotics, and counterfeit goods. he abides by alternative rules. Fo this he is respected. He rarely carries a gun. His experience until now has been that murder happens only to others. Then someone comes along and kills him. Show less «