To start with I'd like to point to this description of Italy on wikipedia which explains ths country's position as one of the richest and most developed in the world:
Modern Italy is a democratic republic. It has been ranked the world's twenty third most-developed country[11] and its Quality-of-Life Index has been ranked in the top ten in the world.[12] Italy enjoys a very high standard of living, and has a high nominal GDP per capita.[13][14] It is a founding member of what is now the European Union and part of the Eurozone. Italy is also a member of the G8, G20 and NATO. It has the world's seventh-largest nominal GDP, tenth highest GDP (PPP)[15] and the sixth highest government budget in the world.[16]
Having read that it is simply astonishing that this is also the country that for several years has suffered from a growing waste management problem in Naples and Campagnia without ever making the slightest inroads into cleaning itself up.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11851657
What is most astonishing is the blatant shameless corruption of the country, a country that decided to use 720,000 euros of EU funding to hold a pop concert rather than clean up the city. Naples is unbelievably filthy and disgusting and a cause of embarrassement for the country as a whole. Piles of rubbish can be found all over the city and no-one has lifted a finger to solve the problem. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi apparently seems more interested in hosting bunga bunga parties with underage Moroccan hookers than cleaning up Naples.
The how and why the problem got this bad and the role of the local mafia in obstructing attempts to find a solution is relatively irrelevant. The country's government should have done something about this a long time ago. They should have been stronger in tackling the mafia influence and imposing their authority. But why haven't they? Because Italy as a whole is a country populated by selfish and dishonest people. A wild and unsubstantiated generalisation I know, but I live here and that's my feeling. People simply don't care about the environment or each other while government officials are too happy to take a bung to turn a blind eye. How can this happen in the 27th most developed country in the world? Because people only care about themselves and as long as the rubbish isn't piling up outside your own doorstep, then why should you do anything about it. If Italy is to solve the waste problems in Naples it won't come from any sort of government policy or action, it will have to come from a general change of attitude in the population as a whole.
