STOCKHOLM

Paolo Zambaldi, March 2007

The actor Mads Mikkelsen, dressed here in a Hugo Boss dinner jacket, is comfortable in any North European capital at any time of day. The villain of the then latest James Bond film – he played the haemolacria-suffering, chemin-de-fer-playing Le Chiffre in Casino Royale – was found by LÕUomo in the Swedish capital of Stockholm. Sweden in general may be known for its popular music scene; for Ikea (which, along with the members of Abba, is surely Sweden’s leading national treasure); for a generous welfare state; and for the supreme kindliness of its 10 million inhabitants (960,000 of them in Stockholm). Sadly, in recent years the Swedish crime rate appears to have escalated, in ways that might draw the attention of Le Chiffr e.

Swedes have grown accustomed to headlines of violent crime, witness intimidation and gangland executions. In a country long-renowned for its safety, voters still cite law and order as the most important issue and, despite everything, Stockholm still remains one of the safest capitals. It is also one of the most picturesque, with some of the best-preserved mediaeval neighbourhoods in Europe. Stretched out over a dozen island districts connected by 54 bridges, Stockholm is compelling and irresistible.“Beauty in the Water”. Unfortunately for Le Chiffre – whose skill at games of chance and probability made him fortunes – Stockholm turns out to be a damp squib for gamblers. In the third largest EU country by area, there are only four officially sanctioned casinos.