Silvio Berlusconi: An Italian Mirror

MICHAEL SOHN / AP

What do Italians make of Silvio Berlusconi? Easy. Most think: "He's one of us." He loves his family, his football, his friends, his food. And his money, of course. He praises the church in the morning, family values in the afternoon and hangs around with young women at night — at 72, that's quite an achievement. He is fun, no doubt. On the left, most politicians are boring. Beating them? Piece of cake, for Silvio the maverick.

Many Italians don't care about his conflicts of interest (who hasn't got a few?) or his problems with the law (defendants...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!