The Dark Heart of Italy

Italy has been likened by writers to 'falling in love with a prostitute'. British journalist and writer Tobias Jones takes this as his starting point in his adopted home city of Parma. In celebrating the uniqueness and vitality of Italy, he also reveals its darker heart - highlighting the frustrations and characteristics of the country that both infuriate and charm. Alongside this, and as a further illustration of Italy's darker heart, Jones tells the story that has rocked Parma in recent times Parmalat - the dairy company and owner of Parma football club, which turned out to house the biggest corporate fraud in history.