New World Disorder
Plus, climate change resilience and a love letter to the Olivetti typewriter
I don’t know about you, but two days on and I’m still struggling to digest the U.S. election results. Yes, this newsletter is primarily focused on Italy but it would be foolish not to confront the elephant in the room at this moment in history. At 4pm, as I’m writing this, Donald Trump is parading around like a peacock celebrating the dawn of what he calls “a golden age” for America. Certainly, it’s going to have consequences worldwide. In Italy, the government has unsurprisingly been celebrating. Meloni has talked of an “indestructible alliance” that will now be reinforced. Matteo Salvini has been busy reminding his allies that “[he] was the only one to support [Trump] throughout the past years.” As for the opposition, the PD has openly expressed dismay and concern about “hard years ahead for Europe” while the M5S has opened up a whole can of worms with their announcement that “the [Ukraine] war was a decisive issue [in the Democratic party’s failure], it’s time to talk about peace.” Most of these responses were pretty generic to be honest, and serve mainly to highlight the already existing internal competitions between Italy’s parties. There will, however, be real economic, consequences in the short term on everything from energy and trade to finance and defence. The POLITICO editors have written-up a useful guide which covers the implications of Trump 2.0 presidency for Europe as a whole. Though Italy, of course, will also have to forge its own bilateral ties with the U.S. in a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape.
This week the research hub Ecomondo released a new report on Italy’s progress towards achieving a more sustainable economy, in line with the COP agreements and EU climate goals. The findings were surprisingly encouraging; though glaring issues remain. CO2 emissions are declining at the targeted rate (a 6% reduction in 2023); in line with the goal of reducing by 55% by 2030. Italy is also the top country in Europe right now when it comes to encouraging organic agriculture and sustainable farming practices, and it’s also won accolades for improvements in waste management and recycling. Despite the mountains of garbage that plague our streets, the country scores 62% above the EU average when it comes promoting the circular economy. On a less positive note, Italy ranks low on traffic and sustainable movement, and air pollution remains a major problem. The country also has some of the worst soil health on the continent, making the nation exposed to floods and natural disasters of the kind that so devastated Valencia last week. If adaption measures are not taken urgently I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time before a similar catastrophe takes place on Italian soil.
Travel writer William Cook published a lovely piece in the Telegraph this week about a recent trip to Umbria; one of my favourite Italian regions. Leaving aside the usual caveats here about romanticism and idealising of a certain kind of rural Italian life, Cook well captures the rhythms of small town life in the country’s “green lung”. The author’s experience is made possible in large part thanks to the generosity of his hosts — “Liz” and her family — who live just outside the gorgeous medieval town of Orvieto. Over a number of days, Liz guides the author on a series of expeditions in the local area, to eat rustic local food, to admire small historical sites and, most of all, to participate in the olive harvest which, as many here will know, takes place at this time of year. There are a few glaring passages, and the prose verges on purple at times, but as far as these things go this is an enjoyable escapist read and a level headed tribute to the kind of life it’s still possible to lead, if you have access to modest capital, in Italy’s less travelled corners.
Arts and culture: An object of love
The novelist Niven Govinden published a charming love letter to the Olivetti ‘Valentine’ typewriter last week over at World of Interiors magazine which you have to check out. This isn’t your usual superficial filler copy for a glossy mag filled with adverts; instead Govinden has successfully exploited the tight constraints of the column format to offer a genuinely thought provoking and personal take on an object which he imagines romantically as “the original work from home machine”. Starting with a kind of phenomenological evocation of the typewriter itself, the author launches into a wide ranging reflection on aesthetics and function, how context informs design and even makes some preliminary conclusions about how such technologies impact on the fundamental forms in which we write. The Valentine, he writes, was in essence “a creative device […] an object of love, rather than a millstone that tethered the user to an unwanted métier.” Check out the full piece here (particularly recommended for anyone here struggling against the existential frustrations of writer’s block).
I’ve never been totally convinced by the national lament that Italy is “dying” and that the only “real culture” is taking place in Northern Europe or America or somewhere else. On the contrary, I’m always staggered by how many creative communities there are here that simply don’t get the airspace or support they deserve. This week my convictions were confirmed once again when I discovered the work of the ‘Touch the Wood’ (TTW) collective, a Rome based “creative agency” which has been gathering precarious workers together to create music and clothing since 2007. They’ve also got a YouTube channel, which, if you’re into dance music, you’re going to want to bookmark. The Boiler Room-esque channel broadcasts sets every few weeks featuring DJs from across the country and few guests from around the world. I admit: there’s a big emphasis on house and techo here which aren’t really my genres of choice. Dig a little deeper, though, and you’ll also find a treasure trove of excellent funk, disco and soul sets that could have come right out of ‘My Analogue Journal’. Despite being founded 15 years ago, TTW has only got 754 subscribers, so take a listen and if you like what you hear make sure to give them a follow.
Recipe of the Week: Herbed Spinach and Artichoke Pull Apart Pretzel Bread.
I admit, I’ve been in a bit of a gluttonous mood this week. What with the clock change and the election and the shorter days I’m unashamedly finding myself drawn to carb and cheese heavy fare. Comfort food, basically. Top of my list this week is one of my household staples, an American Italian style garlic bread, stuffed with a mix of preserved artichokes, spinach and laced throughout with creamy marscarpone. Words cannot do justice to how enjoyable this “pretzel” bread is. The crust comes out crispy and smoky on account of the ridged edges, but the vegetables and soft cheese ensure the inner, folded layers are soft, fluffy and moist. The rising time is remarkably short too, so it’s one of those recipes that you can prep up first thing in the morning and pop in the oven on a work from home day. Kneading the dough and forming the shape takes a little practice, but trust me, if you’ve baked bread before and have a basic sense of flour and water ratios, this isn’t too tricky. Get the recipe over at Half Baked Harvest.
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!