Keeping perspective
Solidarity with Iranian women and a grunge soundtrack for your weekend
However much one might wish to bury one’s head in the sand there’s just no escaping fascism in Italy. The tendrils of that ideology – its prejudices, its contradictions, its neuroses – are always there, just beneath the surface. This week, with the election dust starting to settle, a number of outlets have been publishing some thoughtful, longer-term perspectives on far-right culture that I thought it would be good to flag-up. David Broder, author of Mussolini’s Grandchildren, has recorded two fascinating podcasts with The New Statesman and Pluto Press which are probably the best historically-anchored commentary so far on what we’re all living through vis-a-vis Meloni. These are both must-listens. The LARB, meanwhile, has published a review of a new study by Diana Garvin called Feeding Fascism: The Politics of Women’s Food Work which uses recipe books, factory documents, diaries, song lyrics and more to describe how Mussolini’s regime sought to control the population through “food ideology” in the 20s and 30s. Finally, as a British citizen, I couldn’t help raising my eyelids at two “revelations” which emerged this week about my home government’s role in aiding the historical far-right. The Times, for one, has published new evidence that the British ambassador to Italy, Sir Ronald Graham, played an active role in supporting fascism post WWI in order to obtain “a strategic edge over rival powers in the Mediterranean.” The Guardian, meanwhile, has shared new details of a secret operation by MI6 and the UK’s Information Research Department (IRD) to “undermine the credibility” of the Italian communist party and “influence the 1976 election” in favour of a right-wing coalition. This is, I know, an overwhelming bombardment of links; but each of them has a role in altering our shared imagination of the complex connections between Italy’s past and present - and I think all of them are worth your time.
Italy is not the centre of the universe. And while this newsletter is generally focused on happenings within the country itself, sometimes it’s necessary to venture outside the national bubble. This week, with that in mind, I want to take a moment to look at the situation in Iran. As I’m sure many readers will be aware, women and men in the country are currently protesting in the streets following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who was - presumably - murdered on 16 September for wearing a “bad hijab” after being detained by the country’s morality police. Since then a movement has emerged, premised on women’s rights, which is also looking to overthrow the country’s regime. At least 1000 have been killed in the demonstrations so far and around 10,000 have been arrested. Nevertheless, despite the risks, an intersectional body of protesters, including teenage girls on the frontline, are continuing to fight for collective justice. Last weekend Italy’s Iranian community, and allies of the cause, organised rallies in Milan, Florence, Rome and others cities to stand symbolically with those resisting. While attending such events is a small gesture, it’s also vital, for our own sakes, to show solidarity in the face of what is, after all, a human rights issue of global importance. Many on the ground in Tehran, in Mashhad, in Isfahan have also emphasised the significance of international support for influencing the West’s response, not to mention boosting morale in the streets. And while of course, I am no authority on this issue I would recommend following #mahsaamini #womanlifefreedom and #freeiran on social media for direct on-the-ground updates. Kamin Mohammadi, a fellow Florence-based journalist, has also been gathering Italian-specific content which may interest readers here. Her interview, below, with the ‘Can We Please Talk?’ podcast well-summarises the latest developments and the urgency of the situation. So do give it a listen.
Now for a lighter story. The monthly online magazine Italy Segreta has just published their latest issue and it’s dedicated, this time, to urban culture. I don’t need to repeat my love of this particular outlet: the range of commissions is excellent, the essays are strong and always thought-provoking and it all just looks so beautiful. If the publication is not on your radar yet it needs to be. Highlights for me in this September-October edition include this essay by Shikha Bafna, which celebrates the humble everyday joys of the Italian tabaccheria, Phoebe Hunt’s piece about the illusory painted-on windows in Portofino and, this photo feature about Venice “through a local’s eye.” I have to admit, as silly as it is, I also enjoyed the listicle about “what Italian city are you are based on your zodiac sign,” which, while gimmicky for sure, does offer a fun little portrait of some of Italy’s best-known urban centres. Read the full issue for free here.
Arts and culture: Disaster capitalism, Italian style
Paolo Virzì, the film director, has a new movie out which has got lots of Italian critics stirred into a frenzy. Siccità (drought) is a self-billed “eco-catastrophic satire” set in Rome in the near future. Rain has stopped almost altogether, the Tiber is dry, and the local authorities are preparing to switch off the public water system. Poisonous scorpions are breeding across the metropolis and a strange Covid-like epidemic is sweeping through the population. Against this backdrop Silvio Orlando, Valerio Mastandrea, Max Tortora, Monica Belluci and others fight for their survival on the brink of apocalypse. It hardly needs stating that this kind of premise recalls American sci-fi disaster dystopia far more than your usual Italian rom-com or realist drama. And with respect to those genres, for that reason alone it’s probably worth keeping an eye on. The film is out in cinemas across Italy as of this week and an ENG version is due for release in Q1 2023. Check out the trailer below.
I’ll be honest, I’ve never been a massive fan of Italian alt. rock. There’s something about it that, to my ears, just… doesn’t work. Indie, fine. Metal, sure. Cantautori, sign me right up. But the grunge, shoegaze sound (which I love in the US/UK btw) just grates with me in my adopted tongue. Maybe it’s a language thing, maybe it’s a cultural thing, who knows? Maybe it’s just me. One of the few exceptions anyway is Verdena - a band who formed in 1996 and who have, over the course of six records, managed to develop a weird synthesis of Nirvana-esque eeriness and 60s psychedelia that is way more appealing than that description sounds. Well, the band’s new album Volevo Magia is out this week, and it’s another strong release that captures their unique skillset. Pascolare (below), my favourite track on the album, is driven by a heavily distorted slow tempo groove almost reminiscent of Deftones, though the lighter, almost unplugged moments are equally beguiling. So check out the full LP on Spotify if this is your kind of thing. And if you speak Italian I’d also recommend this feature in Essenziale magazine for some fascinating background info on the recording process.
Recipe: Ixta Belfrage’s tagliatelle with porcini ragu
This week, craving something autumnal outside my usual repertoire, I decided to cook up a dish by Ixta Belfrage; the Mexican-Brazilian-Italian prodigy of Yotam Ottolenghi’s test kitchen. I’m not usually one for fusion food or overly cheffy stuff. I tend to keep things simple, traditional with a little twist here and there. Having cooked many a mediocre mushroom sauce in my time, however, I have to say this one was excellent and really hit the spot. Unlike your usual nonna recipe Belfrage deploys a few gourmet techniques: browning and then blast-broiling the (exclusively dried) mushrooms is something I hadn’t tried before, and the garlicky, pepper-heavy caramelised sauce, held together by tomato puree, was a revelation. Her proportions of liquids, cheese and cream are also just right, resulting in an unctuous texture that’s, nevertheless, not too heavy. This dish is, in other words, perfect for what it is. A quick but elegant weeknight meal that really excites the palate. The recipe is taken from her first book Mezcla and it’s also available online here.
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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