Italy

List of Italy articles

An illustration depicts nobleman Cesare Borgia seated with Niccolò Machiavelli, dated 1898.
An illustration depicts nobleman Cesare Borgia seated with Niccolò Machiavelli, dated 1898.

Machiavelli Preferred Democracy to Tyranny

The theorist’s magnum opus wasn’t a blueprint for dictators—it was an ode to institutional constraints on leaders.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrives for a press conference in Rome on Nov. 11, 2022. Meloni, a woman with shoulder-length blonde hair and wearing a dark jacket, is shown in profile against a blue-white gradient background.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrives for a press conference in Rome on Nov. 11, 2022. Meloni, a woman with shoulder-length blonde hair and wearing a dark jacket, is shown in profile against a blue-white gradient background.

Italy Now Has Conspiracy Theory as National Policy

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni believes in the racist great replacement theory—and is putting it into in practice.

A child's onesie and pieces of wood rest on the beach, partially covered with sand, near Steccato di Cutro, south of Crotone, Italy, on Feb. 28, two days after a boat of migrants sank off Italy's coast and killed dozens, many of them children. In the background, a small wave crashes against the shore.
A child's onesie and pieces of wood rest on the beach, partially covered with sand, near Steccato di Cutro, south of Crotone, Italy, on Feb. 28, two days after a boat of migrants sank off Italy's coast and killed dozens, many of them children. In the background, a small wave crashes against the shore.

Italy Is Burying the Dead and Dodging the Blame After Maritime Disaster

Anti-migrant policies delayed rescue after a shipwreck that killed 90 people.

Italy's Benito Mussolini salutes during a public address circa 1938.
Italy's Benito Mussolini salutes during a public address circa 1938.

Italian Fascists Traded Their Black Shirts for Armani Suits

A new book shows how Mussolini’s political heirs have shaped the country’s identity.

People arrive for a rally in Rome.
People arrive for a rally in Rome.

Italy’s Opposition Wonders if It’s Time to Get Radical Again

After an electoral drubbing, some are hoping for a socialist revival.

Italian Judge Maria Carmela Giannazzo conducts a hearing.
Italian Judge Maria Carmela Giannazzo conducts a hearing.

Italy’s Hard-Right Government Gets Soft on Crime

Critics fear upcoming reform on wiretapping rules will hamper the judiciary.

Giorgia Meloni (C) attends the commemoration of the National Memorial Day of the Exiles and the Foibe on Feb. 10, 2020 in Basovizza, Italy.
Giorgia Meloni (C) attends the commemoration of the National Memorial Day of the Exiles and the Foibe on Feb. 10, 2020 in Basovizza, Italy.

Why Giorgia Meloni Won’t Distance Herself from Italy’s Fascist Past

The Italian prime minister is proudly defending her party’s extremist predecessor by falsely claiming they were never fascists.

In this photograph taken on May 2, 2019, Benjamin Harnwell poses at the Trisulti Monastery Certosa di Trisulti in Collepardo, Italy.
In this photograph taken on May 2, 2019, Benjamin Harnwell poses at the Trisulti Monastery Certosa di Trisulti in Collepardo, Italy.

Steve Bannon’s Man in Italy Has Big Plans

The Roman franchise of “War Room” is trying to go legitimate.

Italian MP Aboubakar Soumahoro casts his ballot for the new president of the Chamber of Deputies in Rome.
Italian MP Aboubakar Soumahoro casts his ballot for the new president of the Chamber of Deputies in Rome.

Italy’s Only Black MP Is Tangled in In-Laws’ Migrant Exploitation Scandal

Aboubakar Soumahoro’s case has become a flashpoint for the right wing.

Fascist sympathizers give the Italian fascist salute in Predappio, Italy.
Fascist sympathizers give the Italian fascist salute in Predappio, Italy.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrives at Chigi Palace in Rome.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni arrives at Chigi Palace in Rome.

Giorgia Meloni’s Balancing Act

The new Italian prime minister is seeking to reassure allies—and bond markets—without losing her far-right base.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi at Fiumicino airport in Rome on July 5, 2019.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi at Fiumicino airport in Rome on July 5, 2019.

Why Russia Is the Big Winner in Italy’s Election

Even if Giorgia Meloni says she’s sympathetic to Ukraine, the Italian right remains firmly in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s camp.

Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, holds a placard reading "Thank You, Italy," after her center-right coalition won a majority of seats in Italy's Parliament, in Rome on Sept. 26.
Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, holds a placard reading "Thank You, Italy," after her center-right coalition won a majority of seats in Italy's Parliament, in Rome on Sept. 26.
Giorgia Meloni
Giorgia Meloni

The Italian Far Right Is About to Meet Italian Bureaucracy

Italy’s politics is a constant cycle of failed populist waves.

Four people stand on stage holding hands with their arms up.
Four people stand on stage holding hands with their arms up.

Is Italy Seeing the Rise of a New Fascism?

The Brothers of Italy, which descended from Mussolini’s fascist movement, is projected to win the coming election.

Ones-And-Tooze-podcast-series-1500x1000-site (1)
Ones-And-Tooze-podcast-series-1500x1000-site (1)

Is Italy on the Verge of Returning to Fascism?

Plus: The economic history of Australia.

Enrico Letta, leader of the Italian Democratic Party (PD), delivers a speech in Rome's downtown square on September 6 ahead of the upcoming general political elections in Milan.
Enrico Letta, leader of the Italian Democratic Party (PD), delivers a speech in Rome's downtown square on September 6 ahead of the upcoming general political elections in Milan.

Enrico Letta’s Lonely Campaign

The Italian center-left leader says he can stop the far right’s march to victory. His chances are slim.

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