Inside Italy is our weekly look at some of the recent news and talking points from Italy. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox by going to newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.
Joining the club
European leaders received an invitation this week that most of them would rather not have: a seat on Donald Trump's "Board of Peace". France, Denmark, Norway and Sweden all quickly declined. Italian premier Giorgia Meloni meanwhile says Italy is “open, available and interested”.
While Meloni appeared somewhat enthusiastic about the idea, which she described as “interesting”, she hid behind "constitutional concerns” and said Italy needed more time to go over the legislation.
As Meloni's own government has brought in a series of laws that were found incompatible with the Italian Constitution, or are currently being challenged in court, it's surprising to hear that she's so worried about it.
It's a clever excuse from someone who is walking an increasingly thin line between Washington and Brussels, and one Meloni must hope will appease Trump until he moves on to something else.
If Meloni were to accept the invitation, Italy would join a lineup likely to include Israel, Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Hungary and Russia. And if this really is a “1938 moment” for Europe, the decision on this will tell us how much ltaly has learned from that period in history.
Pope Leo XIV was also among those invited to pay a billion dollars to sit alongside the likes of Putin and Viktor Orbán.
It sounded like the Vatican found this as unexpected as everyone else, as their number two hurriedly told reporters this week that they were “researching” and “looking at what to do”.
Italian doesn't have a direct equivalent of the word "awkward", but it feels like it's high time to come up with one.
The last emperor
Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani died this week aged 93, prompting widespread tributes and the inevitable question: does his death mark the end of an era for Italy?
After the death of Giorgio Armani, only Paola Fendi remains from the group of designers who built Italy's fashion empire in the '80s economic boom.
Those who were alive at the time assure me Milan was the place to be, back when major fashion houses hadn’t yet become the playthings of foreign investors or the subject of brutal Succession-style family feuds.
The contrast with today's more inclusive fashion world is stark. As one Italian fashion magazine put it, Valentino's world of "old-fashioned luxury, grand aristocracy, and the jet-set was light years away from the influencers, tiktokers and independent bloggers" of now.
Italy might be linked with flamboyant high fashion in the minds of many, but walking through the streets of any city in winter you’ll see the ubiquitous black outfits Valentino was famously “not so enchanted” with, like anywhere else in Europe. Here they might just be better cut.
That specific high-fashion world Valentino represents does feel increasingly distant. But the timeless style I see on the streets of Italian towns and cities every day isn’t about to change.
If you are interested in clothes, fit and quality matter more here than trends. Taking pride in your appearance isn't frivolous, it's about respect for yourself and other people. This way of thinking predates the classic Milanese fashion houses.
Now though there may be room for a new generation of younger designers to take centre stage in Italy, and this feels long overdue.
Thanks for reading. If you have feedback or comments on this newsletter you can get in touch with me by email at clare.speak@thelocal.com
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