A Sanremo state of mind
Plus, a long read on Islamophobia and some new Italy-related books
It’s supposed to be a bit of fun. Some light entertainment, a glimmer of camp entertainment amidst the February doom and gloom. And yet, for all its frivolity, the annual Sanremo music festival has always served as a kind of self-reflexive ‘state of the nation’ moment for Italy. And 2024 is no exception. This year’s edition has, in line with the times, proved more politically volatile than ever. On Tuesday, during the run up to the launch, the festival’s host, ‘Amadeus’, made an unexpected intervention, out of the blue, in which he announced he was planning to give the stage to a number of protest groups in the name of “free speech.” Meloni’s allies at the state broadcaster RAI were quick to react. “Sanremo is not the place for politics!” they complained, “it’s about fun!” Amadeus, however, responded by taking things up a notch. At a press conference the next day, the presenter proudly declared his “antifascism” before breaking into a rendition of the partisan anthem ‘Bella Ciao’ together with the singer Marco Mengoni [see below for the video]. After that bizzare moment there have actually been no major political interventions at this year’s festival, though Amadeus is apparently still planning to provide a platform for several of the farmers who have been blockading the country over the past weeks. It’s a surreal turn of events. Amadeus — perhaps the blandest of all Italian TV personalities — has overnight become the vanguard of democratic expression in Italy; defending the right to protest to over 10 million nightly viewers, much to the chagrin of Ms. Meloni.
Sticking with Sanremo for just a moment, I couldn’t not give a wee lowdown of some of the highlights (and lowlights) of the current edition. For the past three nights, over thirty contestants have taken to the stage of the Ariston Theatre to perform their songs. I’ve now watched hours and hours of skits, skats, comedic interludes and, yes, many, many Italian ballads. The verdict? I’m sorry ragazzi but even by Sanremo’s notoriously “hit and miss” standards, 2024 has been a disappointing year. The newspapers generally seem to agree, it seems. And while I wouldn’t want to jump on the cheap tabloid hate bandwagon I will say that Sangiovanni’s love ballad to Giulia Stabile — performed out of tune while he fumbled around the stage — is one of the most cringe stage performances I’ve seen in a long time. There have been some better moments, to be fair. I enjoyed listening to Annalisa’s Latina-pop song ‘Sinceremente’, Mr Rain’s ‘Due Altalene’ and Loredana Bertè’s joyous anthem ‘Pazza’. 2024’s best entry, by a country mile, however, is Mahmood’s ‘Tuta Gold’. The song itself is a real supermarket pop ear-worm, and the 31-year old’s performance last night was classy, professional and almost note-perfect. Could Mahmood make it to Eurovision again this year? Here’s hoping…
Now on a more serious note: Amy Kazmin published a terrifying feature in the FT this week about new, aggressive policies targeted against Italy’s Muslim communities. Specifically, the piece hones in on a new measure which Anna Maria Cisint the far-right mayor of the the local government of Monfalcone put into place last December and which, among other things, forbids Muslims from praying in public spaces (spaces where, by the way, the community has worshipped, without issue, for years.) Starting from this provocative hook, the article zooms out to gather views from Cisints’s supporters, from her opponents, from those caught in the middle of various local xenophobic struggles. All the while, it offers some top-class data journalism on the demographic trends that are influencing cultural shifts in Italy today. The final words by Sani Kamrul Hasan Bhuiyan, a Bengali-Italian councillor for the PD, well-capture what is at stake in stories like this: “I am Italian, I am proud to be a Muslim, I am not a fundamentalist, but the mayor, hiding behind bureaucracy […] took away my rights […] Integration means to adapt to a new environment, but it doesn’t mean to refuse the culture of your heritage.” Click here to read the full piece.
Arts and culture: A Brawl of Angels
The Libyan-Irish author Ferdia Lennon released his debut novel earlier this year, and I just had to flag it here. Glorious Exploits is a dark, comedic historical novel which tells the legendary story of a group of prisoners in ancient Syracuse who, in 412 BC, apparently got together to organize a theatrical performance of the well-known classic Medea. The plot is stitched together from a collage of primary sources by Plutarch, Euripides and others which survive only in fragments. Bizarrely enough, however, Lennon narrates the whole tale in a thick and dynamic Irish dialect which, I have to say, sounds a pretty wacky combination. Whatever you might be thinking about that prospect, the early reviews have been glowing, and as a Sicily-lover myself — and a having written a fair bit about Syracuse’s ancient past in my book — I’m much looking forward to tucking into this over the next few days. Check out this take in Publishers Weekly for more info about what several critics are referring to as the first “stunning debut” of the year.
Another literary treat for you this week: NYRB classics has just published a new edition of Amelia Rosselli’s poetry collection Sleep, and it’s a must read for anyone here with even a passing interest in the form. Rosselli was a fascinating writer. Born in 1930 in Paris — the child of Carlo Rosselli, a famous Italian partisan anti-fascist and Marion Catherine Cave, a British Labour Party activist —the author grew up in the United States, writing and speaking bilingually between English and Italian. For whatever reason, Rosselli chose to write most of her essays and poems in her father’s tongue (and indeed she still has a cult following among lovers of avant-garde literature here in Italy). In the Anglophone world, by contrast, she’s sadly little known. The re-issue of Sleep, then, is a small step towards changing that. And it’s welcome indeed. The poems are brief, haunting, ghostly, hermetic; as if the author were channelling the spirit of Ungaretti or Quasimodo directly into the English language. Check out this lovely long feature by Joyelle McSweeny at ‘The Poetry Foundation’ for a more detailed account of Rosselli’s life and work — and if you like what you read you can buy the full collection here.
Recipe of the week: Raspberry cream maritozzi
I’ll be kicking off the carnival period in style this year by prepping up a sweet little treat from Italy’s centro sud: Roman style maritozzi with raspberry. I know what you’re thinking. Maritozzi are not strictly speaking carnival food. Vero. That’s true. But they are — to my mind — carnivalesque in spirit at least. They’re light, fluffy, delicate, creamy, decadent, moreish and just plain fun. If you’ve ever been to Rome, you’ll no doubt have seen these giant cream-filled donut-adjacent things around and about the place. They’re a staple breakfast snack or a regular afternoon treat for those dwelling in the capital. This version by the team at Delicious Magazine offers a sneaky little fruit twist with the addition of a few raspberries in the filling (which sounds like a great food hack in my book). Take your time making these, and don’t rush. The important thing is to make sure you mix the dough thoroughly and that it’s properly risen to ensure that puffy-airy texture. Here’s the link to the Delicious version with its special filling, though more serious and patient bakers may prefer La Cucina Italiana’s authentic version which more than doubles the proofing time [ITA only.]
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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