La repubblica senza idee?
Plus, 'No Space For Bezos' and Coez’s new Britpop-inspired album (1998)
In an era of global conflict, journalists have a responsibility to provide clear, accurate information but, just as importantly, to offer coherent and humane moral arguments to readers. This weekend I was in Bologna at the festival of the centre-left newspaper La Repubblica to get a sense of how Italy’s liberal media is stepping up to the task, and I’m sorry to say I came away disappointed. La Repubblica delle idee is always a somewhat self-referential affair, and this year’s 50th anniversary edition was no exception. Moderators raised war(s) as a frame in many of the panels, and most of the guests offered the expected soundbites. There was a lot of talk about history repeating itself, about the legacy of the resistance, about the hermeneutic ambiguity of words like anti-fascism. These are all relevant, vital issues which do bear repeating. Unfortunately, the conversations seemed to take place in a vacuum. There was no mention of the fact that Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna and Puglia all formally severed ties with Israel this month. There was no effort to illuminate the Italian state’s position regarding the unfolding conflict in Iran. Even the government’s proposal to start building a new reserve army passed without scrutiny. The only moment of controversy came when Antonio Sciurati, the novelist, offered a frustrated provocation: “I am all for pacifism, pacifism is the brightest and noblest of human ideals. But being a pacifist does not mean avoiding conversations about just and unjust war, it doesn’t mean avoiding responsibility altogether.” Sciurati looked despairing as he explicated his vision of a democratically accountable EU army with an exclusively defensive remit, and the audience clearly didn’t know how to respond. In a weekend of navel-gazing, however, it was one of few moments in which a real moral fault-line seemed to emerge among the attendees. For that reason alone, it’s clearly a discussion worth having. To read Sciurati’s full argument click here (Luca Casarotti, for his part, has published a thoughtful counterargument for Jacobin here).
The Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and the author-journalist Lauren Sánchez are getting married in Venice sometime next week, and needless to say many residents are irked. The wedding details — including the location and even the precise date — remain top secret for now, but the city is already incandescent. Water taxies are booked up, hotels are jam-packed and police presence is at its max. Venice’s mayor has said he wants the billionaire to be welcomed “with open arms”. Many, however, are ready to disrupt the proceedings, as a recent communique by the ‘no nozze’ comitato made clear: “Bezos wants to rent the whole of Venice, but we are not a stage for oligarchs, Venice is a living city, not a place to be rented to the highest bidder. It is the place where we live, work, travel, love. We will not be humiliated by courting a man whose business is responsible for disproportionate emissions that aggravate the climate crisis, who exploits workers and who, by supporting Trump, stands for patriarchy and warmongering.” If you’re interested in the protests, you can follow the comitato directly on Instagram here. For a more detailed account of the dynamics at play, and a little more nuance, check out CNN’s coverage.
Time for some solutions-based journalism (yes!): this week two Italian journalists Alice Pistolesi and Monica Pelliccia published an interesting long read for BBC FUTURE about a new civil society initiative that is trying to tackle illegal fishing in the Mediterranean. For the past few years, a marine conservation non-profit called Sea Shepherd has been working alongside Italian authorities to clean Italy’s waters from plastic FADs (fish aggregating devices; in other words, fishing nets.) According to Italian law, all FADs must be made from biodegradable materials and all must be authorised by local authorities before use. In reality, the majority of the structures are made-up of used fuel, pharmaceutical, chemical and other types of waste, all held together by nylon thread which can strangle animals and cause other forms of environmental damage. The numbers are sobering. As the authors report, in a single night, the team discovered more than 912 FADs near the Sicilian island of Alicudi, comprising a total of over 900km of nylon thread. The Sea Shepherd team clearly has their work cut out, but I for one find it inspiring to know that some are taking action to address these issues and it’s a pleasure to read this kind of story in the international ENG media. So here’s the link.
Arts & Culture: A dose of 90s nostalgia
I don’t know about you but I was a huge fan of Enrico Casarosa’s 2021 Disney-Pixar animated film Luca, which tells the story of two young mermen who get up to all sorts of mischief in a fictionalized version of the cinque terre. From the animation to the soundtrack, I found it a charming, elegant tribute to one of Italy’s most alluring regions. This week I was therefore excited to read a report from the Annecy International Animation Film Festival that Casarosa is developing another animated Italian-based film for Pixar called ‘Gatto’ which follows a black called Nero who “traverses the labyrinthine Venetian canals and alleyways to forge a friendship with a street musician, only to find himself ensnared in Venice’s secretive feline underworld.” Beyond that, details are few and far between. The director has hinted that this new feature will offer “a more atmospheric, mysterious tone [than Luca]” but all we have to go on really is the concept art which, to my eyes at least, already looks gorgeous. The release is a long way off — scheduled for June 2027 — but I think we could all use something to look forward to, no?
Italy’s most popular indie-alternative star of the moment Coez has got a new album out this week and it’s set to be one of the soundtracks to the summer. The album, which is titled 1998, is a nostalgia filled tribute to the end of the 20th century, mixing Italian hiphop sounds with Britpop influences from bands like Blur, Oasis, Suede, Pulp and Supergrass. The result is enjoyable, if not especially ground breaking. Personally, I’ve always found that Coez is at his best on tracks like ‘La musica non c'è’ when he fully embraces the Italian heritage of artists like Frankie hi-nrg. This time round he has doubled down on international pastiches, and to mixed results. The singles, in particular, are a let-down and exhibit little of the flair of the artist’s previous work. Thankfully the softer moments, such as the excellent closing track ‘il tempo vola’, redeem the album from banality and make this well worth listening to if you’re into the genre.
Recipe of the Week: Potato salad with pesto genovese and green beans
This week’s recipe is a lovely, truly lovely, way to eat pesto genovese beyond your usual pasta topping. I’ve seen this dish on menus before in some of the more upmarket trattorias in and around Genoa, but hadn’t thought to prep it myself until this week when I came across this short simple recipe by Chetna Makan in Waitrose magazine. The flavours are, as you’ll see from the ingredient list, pure Liguria. In fact, this is a pretty traditional recipe that’s inspired by the local habit of mixing pesto, green beans and potato with trenette pasta. Personally, I’ve always found that dish a little ‘over starchy,’ and the double carb rather off-putting. Here, in salad form, that problem is solved entirely. The result is a herbaceous and aromatic meal that’s perfectly adapted to hot weather eating. Just one thing. Makan’s pesto recipe is somewhat generic. I therefore recommend substituting with La Cucina Italiana’s unparalleled version here. Other than that, follow her instructions to the letter for a simple and delicious weeknight dinner. 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. If you’re a regular reader, and you enjoy these updates, I hope you’ll consider becoming a supporter for EUR 5.00 per month. I like to think of it as a weekly catch-up chat over an espresso. Alternatively, if you’d like to send a one-off something, you can do so via PayPal using this link. Grazie!