Craxi's Happy Days in Hammamet, Before Exile: Friends, Arafat, and a Dalla Concert. His Son: 'It Was the Last Time I Saw Him Smile'

Bettino Craxi, the former Italian Prime Minister who lived in exile in Hammamet, Tunisia, experienced "happy days" there before his eventual downfall, according to his son, Bobo Craxi. Bobo Craxi recounted that Hammamet was suggested to his father by colleagues, who highlighted its proximity to Rome, beautiful sea, and low cost of living. He described the house his father built in Hammamet as legendary, a place constructed "stone by stone, slowly." In the early 1970s, the hill where the house now stands was reportedly infested with snakes and cockroaches, and lacked even a water supply, which was eventually found by a water diviner. Bobo Craxi also shared a poignant memory, stating, "It was the last time I saw him smile," referring to a concert by the Italian singer Lucio Dalla, suggesting a moment of peace or happiness amidst his difficult circumstances.

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Hammamet had been pointed out to my father by some comrades: an hour's flight from Rome, wonderful water, you spend two lire.