New York University’s Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, in conjunction with RAI, the Italian state television channel, is sponsoring an entire week devoted to Italian fiction. On Thursday, October 9, at 5 PM there's a roundtable discussion titled: "Politics and Show Business" with writers Gay Talese and Cathleen Schine, director Giorgio Capitani, and actor Alessio Boni.

Following the discussion that evening is a screening at 6 PM of "Sanguepazzo," the real-life story of Luisa Ferida and Osvaldo Valenti, two film stars whole lives became identified with the Fascist regime. Directed by Marco Tullio Giordana, the film stars Monica Bellucci, Luca Zingaretti, and Alessio Boni.

Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò: 24 West 12th Street (between Fifth & Sixth Avenues) / (212) 998-8730

The New York Times, in an article titled "Mozzarella, an Unlikely Star, Opens in Midtown," notes that "After more than a year of construction and red tape, the latest installment of Obikà, which opened its first mozzarella bar in Rome four years ago, will open on Sept. 22 in the sculpture garden of 590 Madison Avenue, the former I.B.M. building, between 56th and 57th Streets."

In what amounts to a mini-lesson on mozzarella (a DOP-designated cheese), the writer enumerates these cheesy delicacies:

burrata: a ball of mozzarella with a soft center of cream and stracciatelle, or "little rags" of mozzarella left over from the mozzarella-making process
burricotti: ricotta-filled mozzarella
scamorza: smoked mozzarella dipped in wax to lock in the flavor
ovalini: three-and-a-half-ounce balls
bocconcini: mini mozzarella balls

The word mozzarella, in fact, is thought to derive from the verb mozzare—to cut or chop off (in this case, the working of the cheese). And a mozzarellone is a giant mozzarella. The term, which includes the augmentative ending -one, is a type of nomi alterati.

Given the plethora of Italian scandals both recent and current (Tangentopoli, Calciopoli, the garbage crisis in Napoli, and the mozzarella dioxin scare, to name just a few) you might think Scandalo Italiano was a rap sheet listing disgraceful misconduct and moral outrage in Italian politics, sports, and public health. In fact, it's dedicated to just one current scandal: The inability of the Italian government to successfully launch a Italian tourist Web site after spending five years, and with a budget of more than €45 million, to create the portal.

There's nothing yet to show for all that time and money—the Web site www.italia.it is currently non-functioning. And given that over the past several years the country has lost ground as a tourist destination to France, Spain, the U.S., and China, it has to be frustrating to those in the Italian tourism industry to witness a missed business opportunity—think of such branding successes as I Love New York, 100% Pure New Zealand, and España. The litany of ineptitude, incompetence, and idiocy, as chronicled by Scandalo Italiano, should make Italian tourism professionals, government watchdog groups, and Internet Web site developers alike all cringe.