Berlusconi's paradise has led him into political hell
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Saturday June 06 2009
Those pretty or powerful enough to enter the gates of the fabled Villa Certosa describe being dazzled by the paradise they find inside.
They speak of a place of wonder, whose owner is no longer simply the man charged with running the country but a singer, botanist and generous host -- a magical place where girls dance freely and world leaders bathe as nature intended. A place, in short, where it is considered entirely normal for a prime minister to build himself a fake volcano.
Yesterday, the world was shown some of the other delights at Villa Certosa, courtesy of the Spanish newspaper 'El Pais'. In the photographs, which Mr Berlusconi tried to ban, a naked man enjoys the scenery from his patio. Topless girls recline by the pool while others relax in thongs as modest as a string of spaghetti.
Exactly what goes on inside Mr Berlusconi's private paradise on the Sardinian coast has come under intense scrutiny since it emerged that an aspiring model attended one of his parties when she was 17.
Although the prime minister has insisted that the parties are innocent, he has been embarrassed by the publication of photographs showing some of his semi-clothed and unidentified visitors from the past two years.
While the public waits for a coherent explanation of his relationship with Noemi Letizia (now 18), questions are being raised over the carousel of aspiring models, television hostesses and showbiz wannabes who are being flown in and out of his holiday home on private and military jets.
Flavio Briatore, the Renault Formula One manager who has attended Mr Berlusconi's parties in Sardinia, defended his friend: "[Berlusconi] loves to surround himself by young people: they are less boring, they give you inspiration, they are the future."
Lele Mora, Italy's top talent scout and a longtime friend of Mr Berlusconi, said that he would often bring along friends and clients when invited to parties by the prime minister. He denied being a fixer who facilitated meetings between the girls and Mr Berlusconi.
He said: "Power is attracted to power. Beautiful women like to be around important figures. Yes, Mr Berlusconi loves sex and women -- he wouldn't be a man if he didn't. But he can compliment women without wanting to have sex with them. He can give them advice on how to look good... without there being anything dirty about it. Ugly women, beautiful women. He... treats them all the same."
Elisa Alloro (33), who was at the villa at the same time as Ms Letizia in January, was among the glamorous young women with little or no political experience whom Mr Berlusconi put forward as candidates for the European elections. They were dropped after prompting the fury of his wife, Veronica Lario, who derided her husband's interest in young women as "entertainment for the Emperor".
Ms Alloro also said that Mr Berlusconi liked to advise girls on their appearance, suggesting that Mara Carfagna, a former topless model who became Equalities Minister, get a serious bob to "distance herself from the calendar girl stereotype", and that another female member of his party, Michela Vittoria Brambilla, should cut her hair to "soften her profile".
Asked whether these were matters that should really be concerning the head of the government, Ms Alloro said: "He is a very hard worker. I am only remarking upon his natural inclination towards order and coherence. I think they are both important talents that can also be used to govern a country." (© The Times, London)
- Lucy Bannerman
