March of the restaurateurs
March of the restaurateurs
Plus quantum computing and Nonna Pina's carbonara
Tempers are at breaking point. From delays in the vaccine rollout to uncertainty around travel and the curtailing of some welfare grants, there’s no more ignoring the fact that the health emergency has given way to a full blown social crisis across Europe. Protests are hitting cities from Belgium to Serbia. In Italy too the tension is palpable. On Tuesday, a collective of restaurateurs took to the streets in Rome, calling for more comprehensive support from the government. Technically, movement between regions is still prohibited. Nevertheless, people from across the country attended their rally. According to this report by Harry Cochrane, many came from Tuscany where 3,000 catering venues have closed doors already. Taken alongside other data, which shows that half of businesses in Florence’s historic centre now risk collapse, the picture is fairly bleak. The media, as ever, seems rather obsessed with the scuffles themselves. The fact is, though, that life is becoming unsustainable for many people, and, more alarmingly still, no political parties or institutions seem capable of providing a solution. That, surely, is the real story here.
It’s hardly news that Italian democracy is in fragile health. There are, however, some warning signs that the situation is deteriorating further. A few days ago an investigation by the newspaper Domani revealed that the Sicilian authorities have been illegally wiretapping phones of journalists and activists in order to source intelligence about the flow of people across the Mediterranean. 15 individuals have been bugged in total, including Nancy Porsia, a Libya expert who has won awards for her work with international media like Al Jazeera. A friend of mine aboard the Mare Jonio rescue vessel was also targeted (speaking of which, you can donate and support their admirable mission here). Around the world, governments have been taking advantage of the pandemic to erode civil rights. Think of the UK’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill; or the quiet cuts to public media across Eastern Europe. It’s easy to get trapped in one-dimensional thinking at times like these; to rally behind basic calls for better healthcare, and a fairer recovery, and forget the importance of democracy itself. I for one think it’s vital, though, that citizens make some noise as and when abuses of power do take place. If we don’t, one can hardly be surprised if the more suspect parts of government use our collective silence as a precedent to push their agendas even further…
If you think I’m exaggerating, consider what the government here is actually doing in the eye of the storm of this emergency. According to an article in Nature this week, Draghi’s cabinet has just made a promise to transform Italy into a world leader in quantum computing. Yes, you read that correctly. The tech lobby has been pushing hard for this for a long time: advocates claim that “all advanced countries that do not secure direct access to quantum technologies will face risks” and that the “applications on sectors from health to environment to cybersecurity and telecommunications” will justify the investments. OK. Few would disagree with the idea that Italy needs to put more money into digital services. But come on! We’re talking about a country that has one of the slowest internet speeds in Europe, where many rural homes are still devoid of connections altogether, and where only a fraction of the population is familiar with terms like e-commerce or digital bureaucracy. One would hope the government could prioritise these issues, as part of a larger plan to support businesses that are collapsing, and individuals that are struggling. As things stand, however, a few, influential tech firms seem poised to benefit from funds that would, surely, be better spent elsewhere.
Arts and culture: The return of Caparezza
If you’re not a rap fan you’re going to want to skip this section. If you are, though, I think you’ll enjoy this. Caparezza, the Italian counterculture hip hop icon, is back with a new record! I’ll be honest, Caparezza is one of very few Italian pop musicians I enjoy listening to. Most artists here, at least on stations like Radio Deejay, seem regrettably trapped in a habit of making endless romantic ballads ad nauseam. Caparezza, though, is different. He’s never written a love song. Instead, his tracks include skits about Van Goch; satires on TV news; psychoanalytic deconstructions of Pinocchio; and political comments about gentrification in Puglia. He even has a metal track about Filippo Argenti, a corrupt renaissance statesman who makes an appearance in Dante’s Inferno. Exuvia, the new release, is the lead single from the album which comes out on 7 May. It feels very 90s/early 00s. There are some retro-synth/light techo/alt rock overtones. The lyrics - for any non-Italian speaking readers - are about shedding off exoskeletons, and embracing a ‘deeper’ animal nature. Obviously, though, this is really a meditation about the psychological pressures of lockdown. It might not be his best ever track, but I for one found it pretty cathartic and a welcome surprise.
On Easter Sunday, as I sat contemplating a large plate of Colomba at around 11pm, I found myself flicking through the TV. I wasn’t expecting much. As it turned out, though, I was about to discover the wonders of the borgo dei borghi; i.e. the ‘best village of 2021’ competition. This is a surprisingly big deal in Italy. The newspapers here have been talking about the results all week, and friends on social media are still sharing highlights. Personally I enjoyed learning about some obscure rural traditions, from donkey racing to giant piazza chess games. The towns and villages of Gaeta, Cocconato and Finalborgo are now on my ever-expanding bucket list. The winner for 2021 was Tropea, in Calabria. Honestly, I’d always choose a good central hilltop town over some crowded beach destination, but it does look rather nice. More importantly, this is just one of many small and encouraging signs that the tourist sector in the south is beginning to get its act together. Now let’s just hope they don’t make the same mistakes as nearby Puglia or Campania… because we all know how that ends up.
Recipe of the week: Nonna Pina’s carbonara
I’m on dangerous ground here I know. But I’m going ahead anyway. In case you didn’t notice, Tuesday was carbonara day in Italy and the culinary internet was filled with even more rancorous bad humour than usual. I have to say, though, the purists have a point here. If you’ve ever had a real carbonara in Rome (at a restaurant like say Trastevere’s Pasta e vino come na vorta) there’s just no going back. Cream, mushrooms, butter, peas and bacon have no place in this dish. Quella non e’ la carbonara. The real key, I think, is the egg yolk. You need the very best orange-looking ones that you can find. There are plenty of decent enough recipes in English. Katie Parla has a good one here, though she does use short pasta which is a cardinal sin in my book…. I’d say that nonna pina’s version (see below) is the real deal, and probably better than 99% of the gourmet versions I’ve tried too. I mean just look at the colour of this dish. Pure romanità.
That’s it for this week - as ever I do hope you enjoyed this instalment. If you haven’t already, please do follow the ‘Week in Italy’ Facebook page, or my twitter, for a few extra links and easy-access to the substack archive. If this email was forwarded to you, or you’re accessing on the web and would like to receive further updates, you can subscribe using this link below. Thanks!
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.
If you enjoyed this newsletter I hope down the line you’ll consider becoming a supporter for EUR 5.00 per month (the price of a weekly catch-up over an espresso). I’ll be launching a paid subscription option later this year, to help fund some more in-depth writing and some original graphics too. More on that, though, once the pandemic subsides. In the meantime, please do consider forwarding this to a friend or two. It’s a big help.