Strong New First Lady of
The
ANNOTICO Report
Clio Napolitano, the new first lady of
both have
very close relationships with their husbands, accompanying their husbands to
many public events, earning the Ciampis the
nickname "the presidential couple". (Sort of like Bill and
Hillary Clinton)
NEW
PRESIDENT'S WIFE, LAWYER AND POLITICAL ACTIVIST
(ANSA) -
Clio Napolitano, the new first lady of
While most
Italians will know her as the wife of
"I
remember once my husband and I attended a political gathering and I heard these
farmers whispering among themselves: 'Look - that's the husband of our
lawyer!'," she recalled in a book interview .
"I have
to say, it was very satisfying" .
A new book by
Paola Severini, looking at the wives of prominent
Italian politicians, paints Napolitano as a strong and determined woman. The
daughter of a Communist ! father
and a Socialist mother, politics has always played a central role in her
personal and working life .
"I could
never have married a man who didn't share my ideals - it would have been
impossible," she said of Giorgio .
The same
principles prompted her career choice. She graduated in law from Naples
University, finished her training in Rome and then started practicing in
Naples, where she focused on helping farmers in need .
"Irrespective
of what I earned, any work I have done has always had to have some political
meaning," she said .
Napolitano
continued practicing until the birth of the couple's first son, at which point
she took up a post within the legislative office of the National Association of
Cooperatives, eventually becoming its director .
In the
interview with Severini, which took place after her
husband was appointed a life senator last year,
Napolitano recalled some of the problems she'd encountered as the wife of a
well-kno! wn
politician. The biggest shock, she said, came when Giorgio was appointed House
speaker, a role he held from 1992 to 1994 .
Napolitano
refused to let her husband handle his new responsibilities alone and
accompanied him when he moved to the speaker's apartment in the parliament
building in central
Her first
hurdle was the chauffeured escort that is traditionally accorded important
political figures and their families .
"If
you're really determined though, no one forces you to use it," she
recalled. "I know this for a fact because I always used public transport
or taxis to get around" .
Another
problem were the neighbours, who didn't approve of
her down-to-earth habits, such as taking out her own trash .
One
particularly funny memory, she said, was sneaking out the garbage, hidden in
fancy boutique bags, and being caught by a neighbour,
who made a snide remark .
While
Napolitano and her predecessor Franca Ciampi come
from very ! different
backgrounds, both are strong women who refuse to take a backseat .
The outgoing
first lady earned something of a reputation for her impromptu comments, causing
a particular stir when she called for an end to the "idiotic rubbish"
that appears on Italian TV .
Similarly,
both women have very close relationships with their husbands
.
Ciampi accompanied her
husband Carlo Azeglio to many public events, earning
them the nickname "the presidential couple" .
This was
something of a break from previous heads of state, such as Alessandro Pertini and Francesco Cossiga,
whose wives didn't even live with them in the presidential palace. "I
think this strong tie with our husbands is definitely something that we
share," concluded Napolitano. "
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