![]() Played by the marvelous Marcello Mastroiianni, Ferdinando (Fefé) Cefalù, a Sicilian baron, longs to rid himself of Rosalia, his insufferably suffocating wife, and fantasizes about her dying (see clip below). The plight of unhappy couples trapped in miserable marriages prior to this vote inspired the delectable 1961 movie Divorce, Italian Style. But it wasn’t until 1974, after decades of controversy and despite stiff opposition by the Catholic church, that Italians voted for il Referendum sulla legalizzazione del divorzio (the referendum on the legalization of divorce). "Il divorzio,” no linguistic newcomer, entered the Italian language in the 14th century, according to my etymological dictionary, which defines it as “ scioglimento legale del matrimontio durante la vita dei coniugi” (the legal termination of a marriage during the life of the spouses). From 1995 to 2008, separations increased by 61 percent and divorces raddoppiati (doubled). more people are becoming divorziati (divorced). ![]() Times have changed. An Italian marriage now lasts an average of fifteen years. According to a new report on the state of Italians’ unions. Lo stato delle unioni matrimoniali in ItaliaĬlassic Italian love stories end with the words, “ E vissero felici e contenti” (And they lived happily thereafter).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |