Silvio Berlusconi and his (real?) bride

Monday, September 29, 2011. As Silvio Berlusconi's sex-trial approaches, a new girlfriend comes on stage, and the atmosphere gets pretty hotter.

During the last years, several girls and women were believed or claimed to have had a love story with the Italian prime minister Berlusconi:  German actress of Bosnian descent Sabina Beganovic, Italian model Roberta Bonasia and Italian actress Evelina Manna amongst the others.

Twin sisters Knezevic

But now a new pretender to the title of Italy's unofficial First Lady appears: the former Miss Montenegro Katarina Knezevic. The young model is 20 years old, but she claims to have been the 75-year-old tycoon girlfriend since she was 18. She also said that she used to live in Italian prime minister's villa in Arcore, near Milan.

The leaks about this affair came to light through the anti-Berlusconi Repubblica newspaper, just a couple of days ago, 5 days before the new hearings of one of the two parts of the trial regarding Italian prime minister's under-age prostitution charges. And Il Fatto Quotidiano had a interview with her just yesterday (though Katarina's lawyer - few hours ago - denied she realeased any interview at all).

Coincidences? And is it good news or bad news for Silvio Berlusconi? Hard to say.

Shoe manufacturer Tod's Diego Della Valle

Allegedly Berlusconi paid Katarina 750,000 euro (during the interview the Montenegrin replied replied: “So little? And if it was three million?”), and rumours spread that the two elder sisters of Katarina (Slavica e Zorica) might have attempted to blackmail the prime minister. The two were also linked to Montenegrin godfather Ratko Djokic, murdered in Stockholm in 2002.

To prove that something is not kosher in Italy, in the meanwhile – more precisely last Saturday – Diego Della Valle, owner of Tod's shoe maker and Fiorentina football club, decided to appeal to Italian politicians' morality through a newspaper ad calling on them to act in a responsible way to get Italy «out of this very preoccupying moment».

A hint of accusation from Cardinal Bagnasco

Few days ago it was the time of Italian cardinal Bagnasco to condemn “life styles not easily compatible with personal dignity, institutional decorum and public life”.

The whole story might appear funny to Berlusconi, but other people might think otherwise. and it looks like there's a few men in Italy that would like somebody else than Silvio Berlusconi to play the role of prime minister, isn't it?

Silvio Berlusconi is never happy with anything

Thursday, 22 September 2011. Silvio Berlusconi is enraged by the fact that only a narrow victory in vote saves his ally from jail.

Marco Mario Milanese

Here's the story.

Marco Milanese, lawyer, member of Italian parliament (his party is the PdL – People of Freedom) ally of the Italian prime minister and right arm of Giulio Tremonti (current Italian Minister of Economy and Finance), is accused of corruption, passing on state secrets, interference with appointments within Italy’s law enforcement agency (Guardia di Finanza).

He allegedly accepted inappropriately gifts including a Ferrari sports car, a 15-meter-long boat, free-of-charge travel and accommodation.

And he’s also suspected of being involved in the secret P4 corruption network (here's the Italian Wikipedia page about it).

Silvio Berlusconi doesn't like it

Friday, 1 September 2011 (Saint Giles). Silvio Berlusconi confesses he thinks Italy is a “shitty country” and vows to leave the country “that sickens him”. It might be a mutual feeling.

Though many Italians thinks Italy is not such a hospitable place to live in (and many have already left, for a reason or another), few of them thinks it's a “shitty“ country.