Italy is also a country where the desire for change does not necessarily contradict its conservatism: The change many want involves prosperity and freedoms, especially from taxation and restrictive laws.
Neither Berlusconi nor Veltroni offered creative plans for rescuing Italy from its spiral of high inflation and anemic growth. Even Berlusconi, known for outrageous and politically incorrect comments, ran a fairly tepid campaign.
Numerous voters said they cast their ballot based on lifelong party affiliations, not attraction to one candidate or another.
At the Leonardo Da Vinci High School in Rome, Alessandra Sordini, 74, said she was voting for Berlusconi because as a businessman he stood a better chance of fixing the economy.
"We have been drowning and we need to stay afloat and begin to work and produce," she said. "It's a hope, a hope that he can change something."
"Besides," added Sordini, a housewife and great-grandmother, "he makes me laugh. These others made us weep."
Her husband, Amedeo Rosa, 81, a retired jeweler, said he also supported Berlusconi. "Worse than now it can't get."
But some Italians said it could indeed get worse.
"I'm really scared of Berlusconi and the right getting back in power," said Laura Fano, 32, a Veltroni supporter who works with an international aid agency. She said another Berlusconi government would be a reprise of all the moves he made purportedly to bend laws in his favor and for the benefit of his myriad business interests.
"Quite a few of my friends decided not to vote; they say it's all the same," she added. "I don't agree. The system is rotten, but Berlusconi made it worse."
Other Italians said they supported Berlusconi and the right because of their Roman Catholic faith. Although the powerful Catholic Church did not interfere directly in this election, it has made well known its opposition to many policies of the left, such as abortion and rights for same-sex and common-law couples.
"Only Berlusconi can make things right again. Just look at the mess of the left," said Gabriele De Sanctis, 60, an employee of the Ministry of Transport. "I believe in family and certain Catholic values, and he represents them. . . . Italy is fundamentally right-wing and that's what people finally should realize."
Berlusconi, 71, is one of Italy's wealthiest men and is ostentatious in his embrace of plastic surgery and hair plugs. He was one of the rare Italian prime ministers to complete a full term.
In his campaign, he promised to cut taxes and expel illegal immigrants. A key allied party that was decisive in giving Berlusconi a surprisingly strong mandate, the Northern League, is based in northern Italy and is especially virulent in its rejection of immigrants.
Veltroni, 52, less charismatic but popular as Rome's mayor, also promised to seek modest tax cuts and to reform Italy's jumbled immigration laws.
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wilkinson@latimes.com
