The Return of the Forconi
Plus, YouTuber Franchino Er Criminale and a new Talented Mr. Ripley adaptation
Last Saturday, on 20 January, hundreds of agricultural workers in Sicily took to their tractors to form a huge 3km convoy along the Palermo-Sciacca motorway, blocking traffic, setting-up barricades and making a whole lot of noise. The protesters were mobilizing against a series of EU Green Deal policies which they say will disincentivize small-scale farming and damage food supply chains. The farmers’ ire, however, is also directed towards local and national government: first and foremost at the Region of Sicily which, they claim, has failed to deliver on promises to support businesses that were devasated by wildfires last summer. This new alliance, which was set up by previous participants in ‘the forconi’ [the 2013 Pitchfork Movement], has strong anti-capitalist elements that do not fit neatly into academic-metropolitan left-right divisions. One protester, interviewed by Dinamo Press, said he simply wanted to speak out against bureaucrats who allow multinationals to “put poor quality, low-cost food on the table” while “screwing over small producers with high gas prices and taxes.” Another emphasised that — for him — the mobilisation was “about everyday people” and the urgent need “for politicians to reinforce the local market […] to guarantee healthy food for Sicilians and others and to take measures to safeguard a system that keeps food on the table for millions of Italians.” For more info on the background to the protests and the evolving situation check out this more detailed analysis (ITA only, I’m afraid).
If you’re a regular or long-term reader here you’ll know by now that I am a pretty vocal critic of the current PM Georgia Meloni, and her anti-democratic agenda. It’s pretty distressing, then, to continue to observe how many prominent newspapers continue to overlook the real danger she poses to the country. Yesterday, The Economist published a particularly naive editorial in this regard, claiming that “liberal fears [about Meloni] have so far proved overblown”, and that the government is “not-so-scary”. The anonymous author actually goes even further, asking “Could Ms Meloni be a sign that the populist right is not always so bad once in office?” Leaving aside this — dubious — claim, the piece is littered with factual errors. The author states, for example, that “social policy has remained unaltered.” This is simply not true: just look at the illiberal anti-rave law [434bis] or the criminalising of climate protests [ex ddl 693] to take just two examples. The author claims “there has been no…backsliding” on LGBTQI+ rights. Well, what about the increasingly draconian anti-surrogacy laws or new bureaucratic obstacles for same sex parents then? They even suggest that Meloni has “not attracted the censure of the EU’s rule-of-law watchdogs.” Once again. This. Is. Not. True. Just this week the Commission published a report criticizing the Italian government’s abuse of powers vis-a-vis the state broadcaster and noting “a steep increase in vexatious lawsuits filed against the press by leading government ministers.” These are not my opinions. They are facts. And with the far-right primed to gain even further ground this June in the EU elections I’m afraid this particularly ill-informed hot-take from a supposedly serious publication is going to age very badly indeed…
Let’s be honest for a second: the fantasy social media version of Italy as a paradise where beautiful landscapes are omnipresent and exquisite food universally available is getting a little grating. Isn’t it? Personally, I’m finding myself increasingly fed up with — or actually just bored by — the glitzy travel blogs and instagram food porn accounts that so dominate representations of this country. Well, this week, I stumbled across Franchino Er Criminale’s YouTube channel and I have to say it’s the perfect antidote to all of that nonsense. Franchino’s clumsily-edited videos have a kind of punk-like honesty to them. You won’t find gourmet nibbles or fine dining here. Instead, Franchino documents his everyday culinary adventures: i.e him munching on panini, rosticceria chickens, home-cooked meals using Lidl ingredients and so on. The spectacle isn’t always pretty, but that’s kind of the point: because whether or not you’re ready to admit it, there’s something intrinsically cathartic about watching a foul-mouthed middle-aged normal Roman man stuff his face with fried food while offering comedic anecdotes about his fellow citizens. Rolling Stone has published a whole feature about the unlikely appeal of Franchino’s channel if you’re interested (ITA only, obviously). Otherwise, check out the video below to see what I’m on about.
Arts and culture: estate dreaming…
January is finally coming to a close, and I don’t know about you but as the days get longer I’m already feeling pumped for Italy’s six-month-long summer. Specifically, I’m looking forward to a few concerts and festivals which, this year, are in abundant supply. So here’s a quick, entirely subjective lowdown of a few gigs you might want to keep on your radar. Milan i-Days is taking place as usual this year from May 29 – July 9 and the 2024 headliners include Lana Del Rey, Queens of the Stone Age and Doja Cat (though there are enough artists to cater for all tastes I’d say). i-Days is a big corporate affair in a dodgy suburban concrete park, but don’t be put off: based on previous experience the vibes can be pretty good regardless. Rome’s summer festival line-up already looks rammed, though the obvious highlights as far as I’m concerned are The Smile (aka Thom Yorke’s Radiohead side project) and Irish grunge-rock band Fontaines D.C. Then there are the smaller towns. The Smashing Pumpkins are playing Lucca summer festival, with Tom Morello as a special guest. Massive Attack are playing Mantova. Tool will be heading to Florence to headline the Firenze Rocks festival, and there are three more headline slots still to be announced. A final note: tickets for most of the above gigs are selling fast. So get on it if you want to bag a standing place — see you in the pit!
After months — actually years — of anticipation, Netflix has just released the first trailer for a new adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s Italy-based 1995 crime novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, and it looks brilliant. The new adaptation, which is simply called Ripley, seems to be pretty different from the previous 90s film version with Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow. Gone are the pastel colours and jolly Italian summer backdrops. The time round the environments are black and white; the characters’ anxieties highlighted by paranoiac, noir-inspired cuts. Amalfi, Venice, Rome and Liguria all still feature, sure, but they’re foggier, sweatier and less idealized than one might necessarily expect. The fact that this is being Directed by Steven Zaillian - of HBO The Night Of fame - bodes well. As does the cast which features Andrew Scott in the titular role, Johnny Flynn as Dickie and Dakota Fanning as Marge. I know, the below teaser is just one minute long, but I’m sure you’ll agree it looks worth the wait. The full series drops in early April and I for one reckon it’s going to be massive.
Recipe: pasta with artichokes, anchovies and capers
A neat recipe for a simple, midweek fix. This is casalinga food, the kind of thing you’re going to want to prep for a big table of friends or family for an informal dinner without spending too much time or money. It’s pungent and very salty. A real smack in the face of anchovy and caper but balanced out by sweet onion and the earthy funk of the now-very-much-in-season artichoke. A few tips just to mix it up: first, whatever the instructions say, long pasta like linguine or bucatini work best here. Second, if you can’t be bothered with peeling off layers and layers from the artichokes then no problem, just use jarred ones (adding them towards the end of cooking for a few minutes so they don’t get too mushy). Third, add some chili for extra bite, along with any extra herbs you fancy. Last but not least: I like to whack in a load of garlic and coat the whole dish in butter about two minutes before the end (I know this step is totally off piste — more French than Italian — but it does gives the final dish a really refined restaurant-like depth that I find particularly pleasing). Top with pecorino romano and serve with a cool glass of orange-hued Friulian Malvasia for a truly transcendental experience. Here’s a link to the basic instructions though do feel free to improvise as you see fit.
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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