Milan needs a mayor who will not simply go with the flow. In my view: Carlo Feltrinelli

While the ongoing debate over whether or not to hold primaries for the upcoming general election remains inconclusive, the prospect of a new mayor for Milan is becoming increasingly concrete. In recent years, Milan has had excellent administrators who have been able to enhance the city, transforming it into a true European capital. First and foremost among them was Albertini, who paved the way for a new approach to urban planning with an architectural vision. Albertini was an entrepreneur in the specific Milanese tradition of getting things done. Moratti fits into the same tradition. Pisapia was a well-known and highly regarded self-employed professional who turned his hand to politics. The point is that governing Milan is profoundly different from governing Bari, let alone Rome. Moratti brought the Expo to Milan thanks to her family connections and her prestigious network. Had a party official been sent, the city might well have ended up with nothing more than a dog show.

The mayor of Milan must have considerable international credibility; he must be able to sit at the table with kings, queens and the scoundrels of Silicon Valley.

I served as Councillor for Culture in Venice alongside Massimo Cacciari. When I cut funding for a ridiculous tradition that organised cringe-worthy literary gatherings for dying housewives, the old guard – the professional politicians – were outraged: ‘Parenzo is unsuitable for that role.’ True, I was unsuitable because I didn’t know how to conform. To their credit, the heads of the cultural foundations declared themselves unsuitable as well.

Milan today needs an unsuitable mayor. Someone who is not a representative of the so-called ‘broad coalition’ (a term that brings as much bad luck as the ‘third pole’ that has haunted me all my life). They must embody a great Milanese tradition, intelligent entrepreneurship, and be someone for whom Milan has reason to hold in high regard and, why not, to be grateful to.

Milan is the undisputed capital of publishing, and this very industry is brimming with extraordinary names – Mondadori, Rizzoli and Mauri, to name but a few. This is widely regarded as the pool from which to draw inspiration. Carlo Fitzgerald Feltrinelli is a name that merits particular attention. The Feltrinelli family built their fortune in Milan, and publishing is merely their best-known venture. Feltrinelli bookshops (12 in Milan alone!) are also opening in South America. In the city, they are among the most diverse meeting places one could imagine, a far cry from the superficial ‘Milan da bere’ scene.

Carlo Feltrinelli is deemed entirely unsuitable. Observers argue that he is unlikely to meet the parties’ expectations regarding the distribution of posts. CF is considered just as unsuitable as Angelo Guglielmi was at running a television network.

However, CF has an agenda and connections like few others. He can call on whoever he likes in urban planning, construction, economics, and so on. He can put together an extraordinary council and team. A surprising dream team. In the cultural sphere, from Michele Serra to whoever you like. Not Saviano, please. Have a look at the Feltrinelli catalogue. I am obviously thinking of a sort of utopia, but this is what we need. Let him be flanked by a capable, unflappable figure, a ‘man-machine’ as they say in the daily press. An excellent party official as his number two. Let him be called upon every now and then to cut a ribbon. Let him not be allowed to claim that God exists and is called Bob Dylan. Some caution will be required.

The mere prospect of CF as mayor is sufficient to elevate the discourse beyond boredom and banality. Does that seem like little to you? In this wholesome exercise, even the right would be forced to break free from the dreariness of the usual old guard and imagine brilliant candidates. To stay with the publishing world, how stimulating would a Feltrinelli-Mondadori run-off be – or rather, a Carlo-Marina contest?! (which is already being hinted at on a small scale within Adelphi’s board of directors). Everything else is boredom, coming soon to these screens.

Fortunately, as we know, the centre-right neither reads nor studies; otherwise, it would already have fallen to its knees before Gabriele Albertini, who would even vote for someone who votes – and, alas, has voted – in Venice.

I must offer my most sincere and heartfelt apologies to CF, whom I never even thought to warn about the above – made all the more serious by the fact that I genuinely mean it.