Understanding Italians

This is from the Secret Agent, the nom de plume of a high-end real estate agent in London who writes a column (details are changed) about how he deals with the unique challenges of a very select and demanding clientele. It's always fascinating; it's like a mini soap opera every week. This week, a client explains Italians:

"You have to understand, Italians don't like things to be easy," she told me. "What they love is the polemic. If you can talk about it, great. God forbid anyone should offer a simple solution to a problem."

I'm not quite sure if that applies to Italian-Americans, but it's very funny.

This week, he's dealing with one of his clients that he calls the Mattress, because she's a model/actress. The Mattress is apparently quite charming, but a ruthless negotiator. The Mattress has spent a lot of time in Hollywood.