Don’t Mention The Lateran Treaty...
Plus, sociolinguistics and some Roman cultural tips
We’re coming up to Easter so I thought I’d start this week’s bulletin with a brief note on Papa Francesco’s recent rhetoric. The Pope is after all, one of the most influential voices in Italy and his speeches contribute to shaping debate on the global stage. For years, this Pope has consistently been calling for universal peace and end to all conflict. Millions around the world are understandably attracted to the notion. I mean, who in their right mind wouldn’t be? Nevertheless, this unconditional and generic understanding of pacifism has a clear dangerous side. A few weeks ago, to give just one example, the pontiff remarked that, in his view, Ukrainians should "have the courage to raise the white flag" against Russia as a means of ending mass suffering. Think about that for a moment. The leader of the Catholic Church did not say, and has never said, that “Putin should withdraw his troops and stop massacring civilians.” Instead, he has left it to those resisting, those defending civilians, to take the moral high ground. What was his motivation here? Frankly, I’m not going to go there. What I would say, however, is this: at Easter, when millions of churchgoers are celebrating, and reflecting in earnest on their shared desire for peace, those congregations would do well to keep in mind how religious institutions, and the Vatican in particular, have a vested interest in oversimplifying the dynamics of war to suit their own interests as monopolizers of the Truth. From an ethical standpoint, I personally find it heartless and short-sighted to prioritise generic platitudes over solidarity with those struggling against an invading army. As for the politics of it, I can only agree with Nathalie Tocci’s analysis here: that the Pope’s words actively feed Putin’s violent agenda and represent yet another obstacle to meaningful peace.
The popular Italian weekly Internazionale published a neat little video [ITA only] on their website the other day about the growth of Airbnb in the centre of Napoli and it’s absolutely worth checking out. You might think, with good reason, that the Airbnb story has been done to death by now. It’s true, we’ve read about gentrification, tax evasion, the gutting-out of historic centres in Florence, Venice, Rome, Milan in article after article. What’s interesting about this film, though, is that Naples is still early-on in its Airbnb journey. The city is, I now know, Italy’s fastest growing tourist destination, and the number of short-term rentals is snowballing. Naples is also, as anyone who’s visited will know, a resilient and rebellious place that, for better and worse, rarely conforms to the strictures of global capitalism. Here the filmmakers focus on how the city’s community is embracing initiatives like “fairbnb” (a platform designed to ensure local landlords pay taxes in their locality) as well as how state intervention can help keep tourist funds within a given community. This is a real opportunity. In Naples 38% of residents dwell in rented accommodation and are at risk of eviction. According to this optimistic documentary, well-managed tourism could yet benefit these peoples’ living conditions without gutting the life, vitality and culture of the city centre— at least, one can hope.
If you click on just one link in this week’s edition do yourself a favour and please do make it this one. Elena Clavarino published a delightful little op-ed in AirMail the other day, about the increasing use of English in European countries. Italy, of course, is a prime example here. Who hasn’t cringed at expressions such as “fare un meeting” or “fare shopping”; who hasn’t winced at verbs like “schedulare” or “scrollare.” There’s a joke element to all this, certainly. But the piece does have a serious side. Clavarino reminds us, for example, that Mussolini tried to ban English words in an effort to maintain linguistic purity. More recently, Giorgia Meloni herself has drafted a law that could fine business 100,000 euros for using English in official documents! My own stance, for anyone who cares, is one of balance. You can’t stop language(s) changing; you can’t stop fusion, reinvention, mutation of forms. At the same time, it’s true that language contains history, nuance, collective imagination that has been accumulated over centuries. Surely, with these two facts in mind, we should be focusing less on the ‘straightforward’ adherence or deviation from established rules than the more interesting question of how changes happen, and the way we engage or don’t engage with such changes. No?
Arts and culture: Pasqua a Roma
A newsletter is – in essence – a kind of listicle. And for that exact reason I’m generally reluctant to share other listicles here (for fear of initiating a kind of inception-like effect where you, the reader, are directed to link after link after link in some absurdist postmodern waste of your time). Well, I’ll make an exception this week for one particularly fine example of the form that I stumbled upon in Romeing magazine which gathers together some of the Italian capital’s most beautiful libraries! I clicked on this one over my morning coffee a few days ago while ‘scrollando’ my feed and the pictures jumped right out at me. Many of these places were and are new to me, and I came away with a load of places to visit the next time I’m in the city: the Vallicelliana Library, the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei e Corsiniana and the Biblioteca Casanatense to name just three…. Whether you’re a writer, a reader, or just a lover of old architecture, you’ll find some cool ideas here to add to your Rome itinerary. So check it out.
Wherever you’re reading this from, BBC Radio 3 is a guaranteed hit for your classical music needs. To say I’m a regular listener would be an understatement. The channel is an almost-constant soundtrack to my emailing, cooking, round the house chores and deep, dedicated listening sessions. Well, this week, Penny Gore, host of Through the Night, has compiled a beautifully curated selection of classical, baroque and romantic pieces dedicated to the beauty of the city of… Rome! Listen below to hear some lovely recordings of Respighi's symphonic poems — ‘Pines of Rome’, ‘Fountains of Rome’ and ‘Roman Festivals’ — as well as the Chorus of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia performing two of Franz Liszt’s Italy-themed choral works including O Roma nobilis, a traditional song for pilgrims arriving to the tombs of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. These are really lovely performances, and I think they’ll make a perfect soundtrack for your Easter Sunday whether you’re marking the occasion or not. Here’s the link.
Recipe: Asparagus Cannelloni with Coriander Pesto and Yoghurt Béchamel
With pasqua upon us, you pretty much know what you’re in for food-wise here in Italy. Antipasti of cured meats and pickled vegetables. Primi of lasagne, tagliatelle and artichokes. Secondi? Perhaps a leg of lamb with salsa verde; some stuffed meats or falsomagro all served with vignarola, fava beans, sugar snap peas or similar. Well, this spring I’ve been craving something a little outside the box; a dish that reflects the carby-creamy-greens vibe of this time of year but which offers something a little more zingy for the tastebuds. After umming and ahhing for a long while I’ve settled on Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage’s ‘Asparagus Cannelloni with coriander pesto and yogurt bechamel’. What can I say? It just sounds a fascinating fusion of Italian and Middle-Eastern-Mediterranean flavours; a collision of two of my favourite culinary worlds. Of course, I’ve not made this yet so, frankly, am not in a position to comment. If you’re stuck in a culinary rut, however, and are looking for a springtime experiment, this may well fit the bill. So here’s the link!
I’m Jamie Mackay, a UK-born, Italy-based writer, working at the interfaces of journalism, criticism, poetry, fiction, philosophy, travelogue and cultural-history. I set up the Week in Italy to make a space to share a regular overview of the debates and dilemmas, innovations and crises that sometimes pass under the radar of our overcrowded news feeds, to explore politics, current affairs, books, arts and food.
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