“We’ve always been a poor island. But our people never minded. If we were poor in the eyes of the world, we were rich in other things. We had good food in abundance. We had good families. We didn’t need much. The island always provided for us. But the invaders who ruled us wanted money for their beautiful cathedrals and their wars. There were taxes and then more taxes. Only once we were taxed did we realize that we were poor in terms of money. The invaders and foreign rulers also bled our land dry. And then when Italy became one kingdom—”
