Why Italy

A view of the Credito Emiliano bank temperature controlled vault

Summary: <p>A view of the Credito Emiliano bank temperature controlled vault stacked with aging Parmesan cheese in Montecavolo near Reggio Emilia Italy Thursday Aug 20 2009 Row upon row of 39 kilogram 85 pound wheels of straw colored Parmesan cheese stacked some 10 meters 33 feet high at a secure warehouse age for as many as two years under the care of bank employees trained in the centuries old art of Parmesan making Parmesan producers to pump cash into their business by using their product as collateral while it is otherwise sitting on a shelf for the long aging process While the mechanism was not born out of the current economic crisis dating rather from Italy s post World War II years producers say it is ever more important because it ensures that credit keeps flowing during otherwise tight times < p>

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