'Spaghetti and pizza': Italy's UK ambassador slams Economist over 'stereotyping'
The Italian ambassador to the UK said a controversial cover story in The Economist comparing the UK to Italy was based on 'the oldest of stereotypes'.
The cover of Wednesday's edition of The Economist was widely criticised on Thursday after publishing a cover illustration showing UK Prime Minister Liz Truss holding a pizza as a shield and a spaghetti-loaded fork in place of a trident, with the caption "Welcome to Britaly".
While many commentators pointed out the lack of similarity between the two countries' economic situations, others railed against the publication's use of potentially offensive Italian food stereotypes.
I would've thought The Economist had a slightly more advanced understanding of Italy's political system than most but errrr... https://t.co/HJdYKUw5d6
— Clare Speak (@ClareinItaly) October 20, 2022
The Italian Ambassador to the UK, Inigo Lambertini, weighed in on Thursday afternoon, publishing a letter to The Economist in which he described their cover story as being based on "the oldest of stereotypes".
"Although spaghetti and pizza are the most sought after food in the world, for your next cover we would suggest you pick for a change from our aerospace, biotech, automotive or pharmaceutical sectors," he wrote.
"It would cast a more accurate spotlight on Italy, also taking into account your not-so-secret admiration for our economic model."
👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 a remark from Ambassador @InigoLND @ItalyinUK 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 #economist #italy pic.twitter.com/VfmoTCgcUO
— Italy in UK (@ItalyinUK) October 20, 2022
Italian social media users thanked the ambassador, calling the message "first-class diplomacy" and "the coolest thing I have seen from an Italian ambassador in a long time".
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The cover of Wednesday's edition of The Economist was widely criticised on Thursday after publishing a cover illustration showing UK Prime Minister Liz Truss holding a pizza as a shield and a spaghetti-loaded fork in place of a trident, with the caption "Welcome to Britaly".
While many commentators pointed out the lack of similarity between the two countries' economic situations, others railed against the publication's use of potentially offensive Italian food stereotypes.
I would've thought The Economist had a slightly more advanced understanding of Italy's political system than most but errrr... https://t.co/HJdYKUw5d6
— Clare Speak (@ClareinItaly) October 20, 2022
The Italian Ambassador to the UK, Inigo Lambertini, weighed in on Thursday afternoon, publishing a letter to The Economist in which he described their cover story as being based on "the oldest of stereotypes".
"Although spaghetti and pizza are the most sought after food in the world, for your next cover we would suggest you pick for a change from our aerospace, biotech, automotive or pharmaceutical sectors," he wrote.
"It would cast a more accurate spotlight on Italy, also taking into account your not-so-secret admiration for our economic model."
👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 a remark from Ambassador @InigoLND @ItalyinUK 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻 #economist #italy pic.twitter.com/VfmoTCgcUO
— Italy in UK (@ItalyinUK) October 20, 2022
Italian social media users thanked the ambassador, calling the message "first-class diplomacy" and "the coolest thing I have seen from an Italian ambassador in a long time".
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