ROME-The supreme court handed Silvio Berlusconi a 4 year prison term for tax fraud but his political future evidently hangs on a new trial to determine how long he is banned from public office.

  Thursday night’s final appeal verdict at the Court of Cassation marks the first time the 76-year-old media magnate has been found guilty definitively in more than 17 trials he's been accused in over 20 years. He risks not just losing his hallowed status as “Cavaliere” but of being unable to recover from the political humiliation and stigma of having a criminal record.

ROME – Controchiave, a cultural association in the San Paolo neighbourhood, is celebrating its 20th festival despite setbacks such as the death of a founder and a continuing struggle for funding.

 The organisation started somewhat unexpectedly in the aftermath of a play. A group of artists that had spent weeks putting on a show found that they wanted to continue working together, only to realise that the area in which they were based was totally lacking in cultural facilities.

ROME – Here's my recipe: buy a cheap ticket to Italy, wrap up your day-dreaming, take your four wheels (I mean your wheelchair, not your Ferrari), cram in ambitions, surround with inspiring people. If you follow that advice, you’ll find yourself within tantalising grasp of your Roman dream, which might just come true - like mine did.

The Eternal City enchants everybody and, in my case, its charm has driven me to the daring idea to write a not-so-mainstream guidebook.