After a two-months stall, in only two days Enrico Letta presented Italy with its best government ever. Enrico Letta has no easy task in front of him, but the brilliant way he quickly passed the first test gives good reasons to hope.

Italian politics has become a shadow-boxing contest between the clownish populist Grillo, the maestro of Internet politics, and the clownish television mogul Berlusconi, who still looms large in Italy despite his many legal cases and his appalling personal life.

Italy is thus at a crossroads. Between operetta and drama, let's hope Italian leaders opt for the first and finally give Italy a happy ending.

Previously published in Metro http://www.readmetro.com. Until recently, Beppe Grillo was simply a successful comedian. But these days, the powerful i...

Previously published in Metro www.readmetro.com. Nobody takes the European Parliament seriously, right? Well, they didn't use to. But since Martin Sc...

This is an encouraging sign as it shows Italy's ability to face its crisis not just by falling back on technocracies or populism, but by injecting new meaning in institutions citizens had progressively lost their trust in.

If Grillo's party comes to power and follows through with his platform, those shackles on the Italian economy might actually be released.

By Gavin Jones ROME, March 7 (Reuters) - Beppe Grillo stirs strong feelings. His supporters believe he can clean up Italian politics ...

Italians face the spectacle of continued political gridlock with the old elites, many tainted by corruption scandals, still holding the balance of power. What this shows more than anything else is a profound crisis in the relationship between the governed and their rulers.

In the real world, the alternative to this "chaotic" election isn't a business-friendly utopia; it's weeks of rioting shutting down Rome, or even worse, the Arab Spring. So who cares if the Italian people voted for the 'wrong' parties?

By Barry Moody ROME, Feb 27 (Reuters) - An Italian political crisis that has rattled the euro zone deepened on Wednesday when two par...

Italy's convoluted electoral outcome marks a period of protracted economic instability and political fragmentation. The electoral impasse may result in a short-lived grand coalition government focused on a narrow legislative agenda with new elections before year's end.

The gist of all these arguments is that we can't not have a government, yet we can't figure out how to build one. This is the catch-22 that currently dominates our politics.

By Sudip Kar-Gupta LONDON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - European shares tumbled on Tuesday after an Italian election stalemate threatened a rene...

* Beppe Grillo's 5-Star Movement stuns Italy * Centre-left coalition wins lower house but fails to control Senate * Fin...

ROME — Italy faced political paralysis Monday as near-complete results in crucial national elections showed no clear winner and raised the possi...

It's a tight race to the finish today -- some polls show Pier Luigi Bersani's Center-Left party with a strong lead over former Prime Minister Silvio B...

* Global markets shaken by fears of new euro zone instability * Vote is stunning success for populist movement * Berlus...

In truth, the only thing that is really surprising in this electoral campaign is the level of removal that, once again, we as a people are capable of.

Six coalitions and a myriad of political formations. Career politicians and new faces. An electoral law that has been described by the man who created...

As one of Italy's best-known comedians, Beppe Grillo had often exposed political and business scandals as part of his routines, but in 2005 he published his first post on his blog, which established him as a public figure focusing on political and societal issues.

Finally they've said it. Finally they've admitted that political infighting between men is essentially based on who's got the biggest... beanpole.

Shaggy haired, vulgar and notoriously independent, Beppe Grillo is far from the typical image of an Italian politician. Yet here he is, taking on a p...