Italy may be a nation founded on work but employers fear passion for World Cup soccer may lead to mass abandonment of the workplace.
Just about anything short of changing the first article of the Italian constitution will be tried to keep workers from cutting out to watch soccer matches.
If the June 2 match, in which Italy trounced World Cup debutante Ecuador broadcast midday in Italy, is any measure it will become increasingly difficult to find anyone at work when the games are on.
An estimated 30,000 rushed to the main square in Milan alone. We spotted mechanics, construction workers, business people and teenagers.
“I just took a late lunch and won’t go back until it’s over,” said security guard Salvatore G.,36, who asked not to publish his last name, standing in front of the maxi-screen in Milan’s piazza Duomo. “I’m not really worried about getting caught — pretty much everyone did the same thing.”
This year because of the time difference between Korea/Japan and Italy most games that see “the blues” (gli azzurri) in action air around breakfast time in Italy.
Workers at Fiat factories will be able to take short “soccer leaves” of a few hours, a solution also chosen by the regional government of Catanzaro. Fanatics will then make up the time after the tournament. In Val D’Aosta, the hours of city offices open to the public will change according to the schedule.
Some try to curb workers skipping out by installing TV sets in the work place — a survey by Milan’s Chamber of Commerce reported that 25% of local companies had set up a World Cup viewing area. Not all employers can let workers take time off, some are taking preventative measures like blocking sports websites and requests for vacation time.
Fortunately for some, the question doesn’t arise. “I really only enjoy the games with a huge crowd like this,” said Silvia Manin, 47, during the Italy-Ecuador match in the piazza. “But I only work part-time so there’s no problem. This time around, I’m World Cup lucky.”
In an unusual case of life influenced by art, Mafia boss Gaetano Badalamenti was condemned to life for killing Peppino Impastato, the subject of award-winning film “The hundred steps.” 
Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi is warming up the vocal chords for a benefit record. 
I’m happy when I can work in Italy, especially when I can choose projects I like and I believe in like this one,” says actress Monica.She was not, however, referring to her lead role in Giuseppe Tornatore’s latest film (Mal?na) but a bra commercial. The actress, blessed with Mediterranean good looks and stunning curves, has been a happy exile in France — where she’s better known for her acting than her sexy calendars and TV ads. Monica went Hollywood with “Under Suspicion,” where she made Gene Hackman a happy man, playing his wife. Married to French actor Vincent Cassel, met on the set of “Dobermann.”