The Presidental election has, of course, been top of the agenda this week across all the major newspapers. I hope, though, that readers will forgive me glossing rather quickly over these proceedings given that the voting is, after all, an entirely clandestine affair, and likely to drag on for days behind closed doors. The bottom line is this: the Lega and Fratelli d’Italia are currently trying to veto as many candidates as possible in order to get a right-wing sympathiser into the executive role; or even force early elections. Personally, I wouldn’t worry too much about the latter prospect. Yes, the populist vs institutionalist jostling is unedifying, but the key players in these backroom negotiations have little interest in upsetting the Covid recovery right now. My bet? An elderly, institutional-compromise figure will eventually be appointed as a placeholder – to preside of the EU recovery money – until the parliamentary majorities shift in 2023. If you’re looking for a clear, more in-depth account of what’s going on Paolo Gerbaudo’s is the best I’ve read so far, though frankly, to quote a RAI TV presenter I was listening to last night: c’e ancora tanta confusion.
I had the pleasure of translating another long read for the new media platform ereb this week. The story in question On Board Sea-Watch 3: Scenes from a Rescue Operation unfolds much as the title suggests. The author, Valeria Mongelli, spent five days with the crew aboard an NGO search and rescue vessel, observing their operations to assist migrants facing mortal danger in the waters of the Central Mediterranean. She begins by following Rob, “a bright-eyed, 46-year-old Dutchman with sailor’s wrinkles” who “quit his stable job with a TV company to volunteer in the Mediterranean after experiencing a serious burnout.” As the story goes-on though, Mongelli broadens her lens to focus on everyday domestic issues, from food and drink supplies to medical treatments. Refugees in the Med may not feature in the news so much these days but their plight has not gone away. The piece, which fills in the gaps from Covid-19 right up to this winter, is a prime example how the independent media can keep public attention on the stories, like these, that really matter. Read it here.
Arts and culture: scrolling through screenplays
A new trailer dropped yesterday for Season 3 of My Brilliant Friend; the HBO-RAI adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels. As a fan of the books I was - I’ll admit - lukewarm about the previous instalments which, while capturing some of the mood of 50s-60s Naples, felt to me a little overstated and theatrical; ultimately at odds with the brutal simplicity of Ferrante’s prose. Having said that I did get more excited watching the latest clips. Yes, some kind of burgeoning Tuscan campanilismo probably kicked in at the sight of Florence’s Santa Maria del Fiore. But there genuinely seems to be a change in production for the better here: crisper camera work, improved sets and great looking costumes (YES to Lila’s jacket @ 0:22). Let’s hope the script lives up to it. The series is released on 8 February in Italy and will be out on HBO, with ENG subtitles, from 28 February.
Paolo Sorrentino’s The Hand of God was one of my favourite Italian movies of 2021. A big part of the appeal, of course, was the quality of the visual storytelling. So many of the images are still spinning around my head: the oneiric collapsed-but-still-illuminated chandelier in San Gennaro’s digs; the empty midnight piazza in Ischia; the hooded figures of the munaciello; that terrible, ghostly, waiting room in the provincial Campanian hospital... I won’t post any spoilers here, but if you haven’t seen the film yet you absolutely must. It’s on Netflix. But why am I posting about it (again) here you may wonder? Well, scrolling around on google I happened to discover a gem that I’m sure will interest any readers who enjoyed the film as much as I did. It turns out that the entire screenplay - that’s right, the entire screenplay - is available to read, in full, in English and Italian, 100% legally and 100% free! So for the fellow writer geeks among you here’s a link. You’re very welcome.
Huge congratulations to Francesco Fusaro whose wonderful show Tafelmusik (which I’ve sign-posted several times in this newsletter) has just broadcast its five-year anniversary episode on NTS radio! For those of you who don’t know it, Tafelmusik is a 2-hour monthly exploration of classical music with playlists ranging from medieval choral fare to the contemporary avant-garde. The format generally begins and ends with baroque, with each episode topped and tailed by something 18th Century-ish. There are some exceptions. Francesco is a musicologist with a keen interest in politics and history. So among tributes to major artists as diverse as Franco Battiato and Enrico Caruso you’ll also find shows about forgotten and overlooked black classical musicians; female pioneers of electronica and there’s even a great novelty episode all about ‘bardcore’ which I particularly enjoyed. This week’s anniversary playlist is a classic, back-to-basics show dedicated to eating, dining, and feasting, and there are some wonderful recordings ranging from Rossini to Duke Elington and – of course, as the name suggests – Telemann. Check out the full episode in this neatly-embedded Soundcloud player below.
Recipe of the week: Chestnut trofie with parsley pesto
If you’ve never heard of ‘Pasta Grannies’ then stop what you’re doing right now and rectify this. This is, to my mind, one of the best cooking channels on YouTube. Vicky Bennison set the project up a few years ago now with a simple goal in mind: to capture some old nonnas on film while they work to create traditional home-cooked primi piatti from across the Italian peninsula and islands. There are now dozens - probably hundreds - of episodes to explore; and scrolling through a few is an excellent way to kill 30 minutes or so. I’m in the mood for experimenting this week so I’ve bookmarked the above video to push me outside of my comfort zone: Chestnut trofie with parsley pesto. It sounds intriguing and, with just a few ingredients, it has the added bonus of being rather cheap. We’re approach that grim time of year in Tuscany where there’s almost nothing that’s truly in season left at the market, so this seems a fitting dish to make the most of those storecupboard ingredients...
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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