The economic crisis in Italy has really reached crisis levels. We know this because now it is officially too expensive for Italian men to keep their mistresses. This must be one of the harder aspects to deal with because, if The Sopranos has taught us anything, it’s that the Italians like them some mistresses.

August used to be a month for wives to vacation with the kids, and for husbands to concentrate on “work” (entertaining girlfriends). Even the waiters and waitresses at restaurants were in on it, pretending not to recognize the philandering men.

Marco, a waiter at Café Delle Belle Arti, in Rome said there was a time when all the couples who visited the cafe were “lovers,” he added

It’s different now. We’ve got far more traditional couples in the summer months, and that changes the ambiance.

To add to the stresses of your wife being in town for the whole summer, the government has tougher tax regulations, meaning that it’s harder to hide that expensive holiday, or five star dinner, in amongst the other business expenses.

Italian psychologist Florinda Bruccoleri, wrote on her blog that,

Infidelity is at least as stressful as the original marriage because of economic concerns. It’s hard to reconcile keeping the equivalent of two wives.

Last month the World Atlas of Sex published survey that concluded Italians are the most unfaithful people in the world.

[Source: The Daily Beast]