“I can only mention the figure of Alessandro Manzoni, who inspired President Mattarella yesterday on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of his death. Was there an Italian author, like the one who wrote the Promessi Sposi, who most conveyed the concept of marriage and, therefore, of family?». The writer was praised in an interview with Repubblica by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty, Francesco Lollobrigida, who on the occasion answered the question if the Head of State could refer to the Minister when he is in Milan, commemorating the 150th anniversary of Manzoni’s death, he he said that «the person, not the ethnic group, needs protection»: «But no, I believe that the President, if he wanted to refer to me, would have made sure that I knew in advance. On the 24th of May I will be at a state dinner at the Quirinale. The president of Angola will also be there, let’s talk about the food emergency».
“I – recalls Lollobrigida – always listen with deference to the words of the President of the Republic, like those of the Pope, I do not believe they should be interpreted. Otherwise, we would run the risk of exploiting them». Mattarella also said that “the triad of God, fatherland and family”, in opposition to the principles of the French Revolution, namely liberty, equality, fraternity, is an “overly schematic cessation”. “I limit myself to saying that ‘God, homeland and family’ is a Mazzinian motto”, replies Lollobrigida. «Italy, for Manzoni, is ‘one of the weapons, the language, the altars, the memories, the blood and the heart’. There was a strong patriotic content in his works”, the minister reiterated, underlining that” there are authors who have affirmed and defended the Italian identity. Do you also want to discuss identity protection? But when I look into these questions now, there’s always an attack. I never spoke of race, but of ethnicity, seen as a grouping that sees a common language. A colleague from the Democratic Party, the other day, even objected to my use of the word ‘ceppo’. Do I remember that Berlinguer also spoke about Trieste and what that city represented in ethnic terms?». Then he comments: «I just know that I got tired of specifying all the time. In fact, I just gave up.”
Source: IL Tempo
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
