As you may have read by now David Sassoli, the Italian-born president of the European Parliament, passed away earlier this week at the age of 65. Not knowing much about Sassoli’s career, or being particularly close to the institutions, I am, as is so often the case, only now learning about his achievements as a journalist, his years of experience campaigning for the centre left PD. One thing I do know about him, though, is the central role he played in forwarding two of the EU’s biggest achievements in recent years: unlocking the vast EUR75bn recovery fund on an equitable basis, and spearheading the NextGenerationEU grants for youth oriented environmental initiatives. His insistence during his inauguration speech that “the defence and promotion of [European] founding values of freedom, dignity and solidarity must be pursued every day inside and outside the EU” also seemed sensitively worded to me; and it’s clear from his interventions in parliament that he was far from blind to the humanitarian crisis migrants are enduring along the continent’s borders. Enrico Letta, Italy’s ex-PM, has written a dignified obituary for POLITICO which, while rather institutional in tone, is worth a read.
Good news for cyclists and the environment alike! 2022 has kicked off with a series of announcements by local councils regarding plans to expand bike paths. Bari and Bologna are two of the cities that are offering new financial incentives to those who refute cars in favour of pedalled-transport; and this comes on top of last year’s €500 ‘bonus’ for all those pledging to commute to work by bike. In Rome plans are afoot to open a 50km ‘Ciclovia’ through the centro storico (GRAB) and a similar project, I’m told, is in the works around Florence. The most important confirmed initiative, however, is in Milan, where the PD administration has just signed off on a 2.2 million euro contact with the Dutch firm Decision to ensure 80% of homes and services, including all hospitals, schools and railway links, are within one kilometre of a bike route. The model purportedly aims to reach the high standards set by Paris’s ‘Plan Velo’ with the first route(s) ready this summer and the full network up and running by 2035.
Just before Christmas I had the pleasure of editing a long-read for a new media start-up called ‘ereb’ [the name of which derives from the ancient Phoenician word for Europe]. The piece, authored by the Italian journalist and photographer Davide Mancini, explores ‘How wildfires and climate change are threatening Sicily’s future.’ I learnt a lot while helping out with this one. I had no idea, for example, that the high regions of the Madonie mountains - near Palermo - were so affected by rising temperatures, and that biodiversity in the area was at such great risk. Mancini gets up close with his subjects in the report, detailing the impact of extreme weather events on farming families, small village life and on tourism. It’s a bleak portrait, but one that gives important insight into everyday aspects of the environmental emergency that are rarely covered in major media outlets. Read the story here.
Arts and culture: Strangers I Know
The first major fiction release of 2022 is soon to be upon us in the form of Claudia Durastanti’s novel Strangers I Know which hits shelves on 19 January. The book, published in Italian as La Straniera, and rendered into English by Elizabeth Harris, is billed as a family drama about a young woman’s difficulty communicating with her two deaf parents who are based between New York City and Southern Italy. Really, though, the absence of hearing is as much a metaphor here as it is a medical condition. This is - essentially - a bildungsroman about the difficulties of growing up and learning to belong in a country, countries or general cultural moment that feel in some way alienating. Durastanti is a brilliant writer, and her approach to style and form is hugely liberated and experimental. I’m really looking forward to seeing how her words come out in English translation. Pick up a copy from Fitzcarraldo or Penguin/Riverhead.
If you’re looking for something relaxing to see you through these cold winter eves then I’ve got just the thing. Earlier this week the BBC started airing a new series by the UK’s best known TV gardener: Monty Don's Adriatic Gardens. I watched the first episode on iPlayer on Monday - clips available here - and I have to say I thought it was fantastic. The whole hour is dedicated to the green spaces of Venice. Some of the places he visits are well known, like the Giardini Reali, but many others lie hidden behind tall walls along the narrow backstreets. Highlights for me included Carlo Scarpa’s modernist Japanese-inspired concrete retreat and the Monumental Baroque Garden of Valsanzibio in Padvoa, just outside the city. In the next episode Monty will be in Trieste and Croatia, before following the old Venetian empire southwards along the Balkan coastline towards Greece. I for one will be tuning in to follow his entire journey.
Recipe: Salt cod with olives and tomato
It’s probably Monty Don’s fault, but I’ve had a particular craving for Venetian food this January. Luckily - leaving aside frittelle etc - the city’s home cooking tends to be pretty healthy, and often involves fish and vegetables rather than meat and cheese. Anyway, this is why, about 10 minutes ago, I put a big chunk of salt cod to soak in a bowl with a view to making one of my favourite winter dishes in a few days’ time: baccala in umido. You can find this recipe in all kinds of forms across the Mediterranean, from Portugal to Greece. One of my favourite versions, though, is the traditional Veneto preparation made with plenty of onions, tomatoes, olives and capers. Agrodolce has a particularly fine guide to making the dish if you read Italian. Otherwise check out the English version here. Serve with bread, potatoes or - most traditional of all - polenta for a full meal.
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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