Peppe Provenzano, the other correspondent sent from Kyiv to Canicattì

From Lula to Vladimiro Crisafulli, from Kyiv to Canicattì. Sicily is in turmoil; the regional secretary of the PD, Anthony Barbagallo, has resigned, and Elly Schlein steps in: she dispatches Peppe Provenzano, her special envoy, from Rome. He is not a commissioner, nor is he the secretary: he is more than that. In Rome, Provenzano—often described as the Kofi Annan of the united left and as Milena’s Socrates—is working to broker a peace treaty between Conte, Schlein, Fratoianni and Bonelli. After all, his party portfolio is foreign affairs. In Palermo, it is not entirely clear under what title he was sent by the secretary to negotiate a truce. He is not a commissioner, but what is he then? An entity. As we write, the envoy Provenzano is in conversation on a small sofa with Conte and Fratoianni, and will then board a plane, heading for his homeland, a land full of poetry, light and controversy. A conflict is underway. Let us examine it.

His Majesty Crisafulli, mayor of Enna and a communist close to D’Alema—the man who wins “by majority, proportional representation and drawing lots” (to quote his famous phrase)—is ready to stand as a candidate to lead the region, but a former “Iena” presenter, Ismaele La Vardera, is threatening his position. To whom shall the kingdom belong: to Crisafulli or to La Vardera? Some commentators suggest: what if we put Provenzano forward as a candidate? With all due respect to Sicily, can we really confine our future Foreign Secretary to the island, after having made him study so hard? Provenzano can already be seen taking Tajani’s place, Minister in the Schlein I government. From London to Brasília, all the way to Belgrade, having coffee with all the socialist prime ministers. Sicily is merely the building block for his grand Yalta, his dress rehearsal. Might it be that where Trump failed, Kofi Provenzano could succeed? Trump held his summit in Alaska; Provenzano can do so in Pantelleria. With him at the helm, the Farnesina is a piece of cake. (c.car)