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| Italy votes: home-again migrant hits out at business 'troubles' | Italy votes: home-again migrant hits out at business 'troubles' |
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| Andrea Favale owns an elegant wine bar in the Puglian town of Lecce. Mamma Elvira, as it is called, doubles up as a local produce store, selling delicacies from organic pasta to artisanal beer to mouth-watering bags of almond biscotti. When Favale came back to his home town from London three-and-a-half years ago, his idea was to capitalise on the growing touristic image of this beautiful but neglected region in the heel of Italy. But the experience of setting up a new business here has given him pause for thought. | Andrea Favale owns an elegant wine bar in the Puglian town of Lecce. Mamma Elvira, as it is called, doubles up as a local produce store, selling delicacies from organic pasta to artisanal beer to mouth-watering bags of almond biscotti. When Favale came back to his home town from London three-and-a-half years ago, his idea was to capitalise on the growing touristic image of this beautiful but neglected region in the heel of Italy. But the experience of setting up a new business here has given him pause for thought. |
| "To the point," he says, "that I'm planning probably to leave the country again simply because all I have here, from a business perspective, are troubles. Bureaucracy, corruption, intimidation, unfair competition, crazy regulations, taxation: all these issues are too much. It's not worth it." | "To the point," he says, "that I'm planning probably to leave the country again simply because all I have here, from a business perspective, are troubles. Bureaucracy, corruption, intimidation, unfair competition, crazy regulations, taxation: all these issues are too much. It's not worth it." |
| Favale's headache is not so much the recession, although that has made itself felt here in the past year. While Lecce – dubbed by guidebooks as the "Florence of the south" for its stunning architectural heritage – is considerably more well-off than some of the surrounding countryside in Puglia, local businesses have been suffering. He says five bars or restaurants are for sale on his street alone, and that in the central square of Piazza Mazzini, "every three shops, there's two closed". | Favale's headache is not so much the recession, although that has made itself felt here in the past year. While Lecce – dubbed by guidebooks as the "Florence of the south" for its stunning architectural heritage – is considerably more well-off than some of the surrounding countryside in Puglia, local businesses have been suffering. He says five bars or restaurants are for sale on his street alone, and that in the central square of Piazza Mazzini, "every three shops, there's two closed". |
| "The economy is suffering. Everything has stopped," he says. "We will probably struggle through because as summer comes we'll get tourists and the city will survive somehow. But the problem is at the moment local people aren't spending any money – they have no money, they have no jobs, they have no shops, they're losing everything." He is particularly scathing of the Monti government's move to reinstate a widely loathed tax on first homes, which he blames for making his customers stay at home at the beginning of summer last year and leaving him with crates of unbought wine. | "The economy is suffering. Everything has stopped," he says. "We will probably struggle through because as summer comes we'll get tourists and the city will survive somehow. But the problem is at the moment local people aren't spending any money – they have no money, they have no jobs, they have no shops, they're losing everything." He is particularly scathing of the Monti government's move to reinstate a widely loathed tax on first homes, which he blames for making his customers stay at home at the beginning of summer last year and leaving him with crates of unbought wine. |
| Above all, however, it is the general business culture which is driving Favale to distraction. He speaks at length about the dense and quasi-impenetrable bureaucracy; the heavy cost burden; the staffing restrictions. Would it have been easier for him to set up a similar business in Britain? "Setting up a business in London is a million times easier than it is here," he says. "We are in two completely different worlds: Italy, and the rest of the world. It's very sad." To some extent, he admits, his problems resulted from the fact that Lecce is a reasonably small town, but criticises institutional weakness for failing to protect him from those problems. He claims that regular police visits to the bar – which never resulted in any reprimand or fine – during its first two months were prompted by the business concerns of a local competitor. | Above all, however, it is the general business culture which is driving Favale to distraction. He speaks at length about the dense and quasi-impenetrable bureaucracy; the heavy cost burden; the staffing restrictions. Would it have been easier for him to set up a similar business in Britain? "Setting up a business in London is a million times easier than it is here," he says. "We are in two completely different worlds: Italy, and the rest of the world. It's very sad." To some extent, he admits, his problems resulted from the fact that Lecce is a reasonably small town, but criticises institutional weakness for failing to protect him from those problems. He claims that regular police visits to the bar – which never resulted in any reprimand or fine – during its first two months were prompted by the business concerns of a local competitor. |
| Favale describes negotiations with the local authorities in the way that a warrior might describe going into battle. "I tape-recorded every single conversation I had with all the public authorities and all the policemen just because I knew they were going to say something wrong," he says. "That was to protect myself. I went to the mayor and said I thought your people, your institutions were here to help me do business, not to intimidate me." | Favale describes negotiations with the local authorities in the way that a warrior might describe going into battle. "I tape-recorded every single conversation I had with all the public authorities and all the policemen just because I knew they were going to say something wrong," he says. "That was to protect myself. I went to the mayor and said I thought your people, your institutions were here to help me do business, not to intimidate me." |
| One thing, at least, has been a relief: he had been half expecting to be contacted by a mafia organisation for some form of protection money but says he has not. If a business owner were to refuse to pay up, he says, they "might get troubles. But I don't think I could have more troubles than I do already." The Puglia region does not have the same kind of problems with organised crime as its southern neighbours Calabria, Campania and Sicily. | One thing, at least, has been a relief: he had been half expecting to be contacted by a mafia organisation for some form of protection money but says he has not. If a business owner were to refuse to pay up, he says, they "might get troubles. But I don't think I could have more troubles than I do already." The Puglia region does not have the same kind of problems with organised crime as its southern neighbours Calabria, Campania and Sicily. |
| Overall, the experience has been exasperating for Favale. He strongly believes that the area around Lecce – a picturesque land of whitewashed homes, sandy beaches and delicious food, as well as high unemployment and low growth – has potential for a tourism boom. But he claims the local authorities have no vision or strategy for how it should happen, and that Ryanair, with its flight to nearby Bari, has arguably done more for the region than its own authorities. His political disillusionment at this level is mirrored nationally, as well: he doesn't yet know if he will vote for anyone in the elections on Sunday and Monday. In fact, he probably won't. | Overall, the experience has been exasperating for Favale. He strongly believes that the area around Lecce – a picturesque land of whitewashed homes, sandy beaches and delicious food, as well as high unemployment and low growth – has potential for a tourism boom. But he claims the local authorities have no vision or strategy for how it should happen, and that Ryanair, with its flight to nearby Bari, has arguably done more for the region than its own authorities. His political disillusionment at this level is mirrored nationally, as well: he doesn't yet know if he will vote for anyone in the elections on Sunday and Monday. In fact, he probably won't. |
| "I haven't voted for anybody for the last 20 years, by choice, not because I just don't want to vote. I think the choice has always been very bad," he says. "Definitely, this time around, it's very different. I think it's time for a change; I don't know if we'll be able to make a change. But certainly, if I had to choose, I would vote for [Beppe] Grillo. Not because I necessarily agree with everything he says; not necessarily because I think he's going to do a good job. Simply because it would be a very strong signal against the establishment and against the usual suspects who have ruled the country for the last 30 years [during which] nothing has happened; actually we've been going downwards." | "I haven't voted for anybody for the last 20 years, by choice, not because I just don't want to vote. I think the choice has always been very bad," he says. "Definitely, this time around, it's very different. I think it's time for a change; I don't know if we'll be able to make a change. But certainly, if I had to choose, I would vote for [Beppe] Grillo. Not because I necessarily agree with everything he says; not necessarily because I think he's going to do a good job. Simply because it would be a very strong signal against the establishment and against the usual suspects who have ruled the country for the last 30 years [during which] nothing has happened; actually we've been going downwards." |
| Favale actually believes the best result for the country would be a strong majority for the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) and a strong opposition dominated by Grillo's Five Star Movement. But he does not think this is likely to happen, and predicts – like many – that Italy will be holding fresh elections before too long. In other words: it will not bring the huge, fundamental change he believes his country needs. "I probably won't vote because I don't believe in the game. It's not the candidates, the players; it's the game that is somehow not right. I think we need a revolution of some sort to change everything from the foundations," he says. "Probably we need a crisis; otherwise we're not going to change." | Favale actually believes the best result for the country would be a strong majority for the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) and a strong opposition dominated by Grillo's Five Star Movement. But he does not think this is likely to happen, and predicts – like many – that Italy will be holding fresh elections before too long. In other words: it will not bring the huge, fundamental change he believes his country needs. "I probably won't vote because I don't believe in the game. It's not the candidates, the players; it's the game that is somehow not right. I think we need a revolution of some sort to change everything from the foundations," he says. "Probably we need a crisis; otherwise we're not going to change." |
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