Advertisement

Crisis-hit Italians call on fortune tellers for help

The Local Italy
The Local Italy - [email protected]
Crisis-hit Italians call on fortune tellers for help
Photo: Kate Farquharson/Flickr

The economic crisis has prompted a rise in the number of Italians seeking help from fortune tellers, in turn helping their fortunes to boom, according to figures from Italy’s consumer association, Codacons.

Advertisement

Fortune tellers and psychics seem to be among the lucky few people benefiting from Italy’s economic crisis, raking in an estimated €8.3 billion from the black economy during the first six months of 2013 alone as an increasing number of Italians call on them for assurance in times of need, according to the Codacons report.

An estimated 13 million people sought help from psychics and a myriad of other 'occult' specialists in 2013, a rise of one million since 2011.

They pay anything between €50 and €1,000 for a consultation - mostly in cash - but also through ‘payments in kind’, such as with food or jewellery, which is later sold.

The reasons behind it range from a job loss and matters of the heart to health concerns and fear about the future.

Many are business executives or entrepreneurs seeking guidance on how to navigate the economic crisis, Codacons said.

An estimated 160,000 people work in Italy's ‘occult’ sector, including fortune tellers, psychics, magicians and spiritualists.

Don't miss a story about Italy - Join us on Facebook and Twitter.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also