A matter of principle?
Plus, water shortages and walking the Appian Way
Like most journalists covering Italian politics I’ve been writing on and off about the slow-motion break-up of the Five Star Movement (M5S) for years now. Well, this week the colpo di grazia finally seems to have arrived. On Monday, Luigi Di Maio, the 35-year-old Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a key figure in the movement, announced he was leaving the party to protest the current leadership’s ambiguous stance on sending weapons to Ukraine. Before departing, Di Maio offered a scathing criticism of his peers, insisting that it was time to “choose which side of history to be on; with the attacked or the aggressor,” adding that “staying on the fence is not an option.” The Foreign Minister has now launched an offshoot parliamentary group called Insieme per il futuro, and 62 of his M5S colleagues have already defected there. While this shift alone is unlikely to bring down the Draghi government, the timing, coming on the back of M5S’s huge defeat in the local elections, is rather suspicious. Was Di Maio’s move really a matter of principle - one wonders - or simply a desperate move to abandon the sinking ship? Whatever the answer, I do find it rather ironic, not to mention disturbing, that the Lega, the most pro-Putin party in the country, are currently the largest group in the parliament as a direct result of Di Maio’s ostensibly ‘anti-war’ manoeuvre… hum indeed.
Remember the ‘superbonus’? The 110% ‘green’ subsidy introduced in 2021 to incentivise property owners to renovate their homes in a sustainable manner? Well, after months of hype, I’m sorry to report that the initiative is now on the brink of collapse. The main reason, according to this report by Reuters, regards widespread fraudulent behaviour. The superbonus, if you don’t know, is awarded though a complex system of tradable tax credits that are reimbursed when inspectors ascertain that a given property has improved its energy efficiency or seismic resilience. The Revenue Agency, however, has apparently been finding numerous irregularities, from false paperwork to non-existent houses, and as much as 4.4 billion EUR is apparently now “missing” from the public accounts. The state - obviously - is continuing to investigate, but in the meantime builders are being left unpaid and, as a result, they are unable to pass the tax credits on to suppliers and consultants. The result is a kind of “domino effect” which could, apparently, lead to the loss of thousands of jobs as well as compromising the nation’s green targets. It’s a sorry tale indeed. But if you’ve any interest at all in how the cocktail of corruption, opaque bureaucracy and political ineptitude so often blights things in Italy, I’d really recommend checking out the full report.
After two months of negligible rain - and temperatures this week topping 40 degrees in some parts of Italy - the government is preparing to announce an official “state of emergency.” The worst hit area, by far, is the Po Valley, which is facing its driest spell for 70 years. I shared images of the Po’s scorched riverbed a few months ago during a heatwave back in March. Today the situation is even worse, to the point that the Zibello, a barge which was destroyed during WWII, and which is usually submerged under the water, is now fully visible above the surface. Elsewhere, in Lombardy, Piemonte, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Lazio, hundreds of towns and villages are implementing restrictions including night-time water rationing, as well as bans on refilling swimming pools. Nationwide measures, and protocols for the months ahead, are due to be announced in the coming days - though I have to say I do find it unnerving to see how few media outlets are foregrounding the clear links to climate change and the environmental emergency that is unfolding in front of our eyes…
Arts and culture: forgotten pilgrimages
Earlier this month a new art space opened within Rome’s Baths of Diocletian which will be dedicated to hosting artefacts that have been “repatriated” from foreign collections. The Museum of Rescued Art, as it is called, is currently home to over 100 ancient works that have recently been returned to Italy, including Etruscan and Roman statues as well as some impressive ceramic pieces produced in Magna Graecia. Italy’s national “art squad” - a division of the carabinieri known as the “blue helmets”, who have been working with UNESCO to track down and organise the return of the works - has celebrated this new opening as the culmination of a long decade of diplomatic negotiation. Meanwhile, politicians such as Dario Franceschini, the Culture Minister, have been insisting on the “moral importance” of the space for filling-in gaps in the “Italian identity.” While I personally have some serious concerns about that particular phrasing, it is, without doubt, good to see these items back in the Mediterranean, and presented in such a spectacular setting too. For more info and tickets visit the website.
National Geographic recently published a luscious long feature about the ongoing efforts to restore the Appian Way that’s well worth reading. The piece - with words by the journalist Nina Strochlic and images by Andrea Frazzetta - traces the fragmented route of the ancient ‘superhighway’, starting from a McDonalds in Rome and winding through 360 miles of graveyards, tobacco fields, industrial estates and olive groves to an end point in the Puglian port city of Brindisi. As a matter of fact much of the 4th Century road remains un-excavated; buried under the concrete of the huge Strada Statale 7. Yet the route sounds beguiling nevertheless, taking those who walk it through beautiful cities such as Benevento, Gravina and Taranto to name just a few. It’s true, the itinerary, for now, includes some rather rough and ready landscapes, but having read the piece I too am convinced that the Appian Way could one day be re-established as a historic pilgrimage to rival, say, the Camino de Santiago. As one of the interviewees put it, in borderline-jingoistic terms: “the nature is even better, the history is 200 times better. And at the end, you reach the pope!” Click here to read the full essay, or listen below for a bonus ‘sonic postcard’ which the authors recorded during their journey.
Recipe of the week: Zucchine Ripiene alla Romana
This is a classic Lazian recipe that, to my mind, makes a perfect centrepiece for a simple, convivial Sunday meal with family or friends. Think meatballs in red sauce, but elevated by an extra vegetable dimension and a bit of creative spicing. The procedure is more or less as follows: grab a kilo or so of zucchini from the market, hollow out the insides, stuff with a mix of mince, breadcrumbs, herbs, cheese, egg and nutmeg, then simmer away on the hob in a garlicky tomato sauce for 40 minutes or so before serving with some bread and salad. I like Katie Parla’s recipe, with veal, which you can find on Food52, but the meat element is up to you; pork, chicken and beef would all work fine I think. Otherwise you could omit entirely, and just double the breadcrumbs. Whatever else you do, just make sure to pour a glass of wine, put some music on and take your time over the cooking. Because this kind of food, like most Italian home food, is best prepared slowly, as a sort of weekend meditation. My kind of self-care.
About Me
My name is Jamie Mackay (@JacMackay) and I’m an author, editor and translator based in Florence. I’ve been writing about Italy for a decade for international media including The Guardian, The Economist, Frieze, and Art Review. I launched ‘The Week in Italy’ to share a more direct and regular overview of the debates and dilemmas, innovations and crises that sometimes pass under the radar of our overcrowded news feeds.
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