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Dottoré!

All Insurance Scam Roads Lead To Turin

Of financial hardship, staged accidents — and calcio rivalry.

Street scene in Turin, Italy

Gran Torino...?

Mariateresa Fichele

“Dottoré, I’m having a horrible time. As soon as I get enough money for a ticket, I’m going to Turin to throw myself under a car.”

“Can you explain this to me? You’re telling me that not only you want to kill yourself, but that to do so, you have to go all the way to Turin?”

Dottoré, I don’t want to kill myself! I just want to get run over, break a couple of bones, and get some money from the insurance company. Without exaggerating either — just enough to get some peace of mind.”

“And why can't this whole thing be done in Naples?”

“Nooo! If I do it in Naples, surely I'll get myself and someone else in trouble. I'll throw myself under a car, maybe even break a hip, and then the driver will come out, start insulting me, and in the end it turns out that he's some kind of devil, even worse than me, and probably not insured.”

“I get it. It makes sense now. But one last question: why Turin, of all places?”

“Dottoré, you think I’m crazy, but I’ve thought this through. If I’m going to get hurt, there are two things that would comfort me: one is that the person who runs me over must pay, and it might as well be a soccer fan of Juventus.

____________________________

Learn more about Worldcrunch's exclusive Dottoré! series here.

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Dottoré!

A Matter Of Mind And Heart — And Maybe Something Else

Our Naples-based psychiatrist talks one of her patients through the possible source of his wife's discontent.

silhouette of man and woman sitting on ottoman.
Etienne Boulanger/Unsplash
Mariateresa Fichele

Once a patient asked me:

"Dottoré, is it possible that men and women are born with the same brain, and then it becomes different with age?"

Keep reading...Show less
Support Worldcrunch
We are grateful for reader support to continue our unique mission of delivering in English the best international journalism, regardless of language or geography. Click here to contribute whatever you can. Merci!
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