The difficulties of getting a foot in the door in Italian academia.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/27/europe/schools.php

It's certainly tough but not some people ARE interested in academic excellence and trying to bring a culture of research to Italian academia - I know because I'm married to a very hard-working one I am also currently studying for a PhD and hope one day...one day to get a foot in the door!

Well... put it this way, my partner is almost 35 and hasn't even gotten a position as a ricercatore yet! He is really starting to freak out about his career, as are almost all his friends. It seems at least with philosophy you must either publish an important book, or even better have a really important and powerful professor pulling for you! Hate to say this... but I think the real reason most people who make it in academia in Italy are wealthy is because its the only way they can 1. support themselves while waiting for a tenured position, 2. academia doesn't pay well, anyway, and 3. in order to attend all the conferences and do the necessary traveling you must have resources. Just my impression, the question is, at what point do you give up and what kind of marketable skills do you have in other job markets?

Well you certainly don't get paid that much even when you do get in. My OH gave up the possibility of a really well paid job to become an academic and I don't think his dad has ever forgiven him!