These are some of the facts and figures, ranging from the horrifying to the hilarious, about wasteful Italian governance known locally as lo spreco documented by two new books aimed at the Christmas market.
There's even the "Little Lebowski Shop" in New York that sells merchandise ranging from shirts and mugs to action figures and a life-size cutout of The Dude.
In 2004 (the most recent available figures) the national average of new homes built on the site of old ones was 15% but in our region the figures are much higher, ranging from 40% to nearly 70%.