MagazineSing to me, O woman, of your wrath. A bookRelentless, bloody and morally reprehensible, female rage has always been ‘observed through the peephole’ by men. In her book Furiose, Silvia Romani traces the origins of this immense rage back to the ancient world.byAnnalena Benini9 NOV 26
The editorial from ‘L’Elefantino’The war of state-sponsored harassment that we do not believe inIt doesn’t even seem like a breach of the peace: hybrid warfare is the gangster-style variation on the use of force in relations between nations, the creeping prelude to the loss of sovereignty and freedom. Yet we still do not consider tackling itbyGiuliano Ferrara8 NOV 26
The SituationThe defeat of Trump’s agendaThe midterm results show that protectionism, tariffs, the trade war with Europe, leniency towards Putin, hostility towards Ukraine and isolationism have neither improved the lives of Americans nor rewarded those who advocate thembyClaudio Cerasa8 NOV 26
magazineThe pyromaniac intellectuals. The nasty little schoolmasters who fan the flamesNot one huge fire, but many small blazes across the West. “Let’s set the streets of Paris alight; there is no revolution without excesses”byGiulio Meotti8 NOV 26
MagazineVenice: letters from the future of a city that refuses to dieIn 1966, the Acqua Granda transformed the city into the “central episode of the crisis of the modern world”. To save it, it was ‘hospitalised’. Now Paolini’s beautiful civic “Veglia” for the Biennale at the Arsenale does not mourn but looks aheadbyMaurizio Crippa8 NOV 26
ROME CAPOCCIAA square is being turned into a pedestrian zone and, as always, protests ensue. Surreal but trueThe redevelopment of Piazza Monteleone in Spoleto, in the Fleming district, will see the introduction of new trees, benches and pedestrian areas. However, some residents and shopkeepers are protesting against the loss of parking spaces and changes to the traffic layout. It’s a scenario we’ve seen before in many Roman neighbourhoods. byGianluca Roselli8 NOV 26
GRAN MILANOIn the south, it’s all about logisticsThe southern belt is attracting new investment in logistics, with major operators set to open new distribution centres. It is a growing sector, but one facing the risk of saturation of available sites and an increasingly congested road network. The regional government is exploring new transport links byGiovanni Seu8 NOV 26
Il Foglio SportFrom Balotelli to Vialli, football on a disc. The idea from Materazi Future ClubThe three musicians’ new album tells the story of Italians in England who, at different times and with varying degrees of success, have ventured into the richest and most challenging league in the worldbyMaurizio Zoja8 NOV 26
MagazineAI for candidates. A brief history of election campaignsArtificial intelligence has turned the rules of propaganda on their head, but it all began on the walls of PompeiibyMaurizio Stefanini8 NOV 26
ODD FACESDirector Antonietta De Lillo: “In cinema, the industry cannot triumph over culture”“If you do something that doesn’t fit into the mainstream or the authorial category, you become unclassifiable. To me, both labels seemed too restrictive.” InterviewbyFrancesco Palmieri8 NOV 26
in the mid-term electionsAmerica has had enough of Trump. But the Democrats have yet to work out why they wonThe Republican defeat goes beyond the traditional rejection of the president’s party: voters have punished Trump and his administration, without necessarily endorsing the Democratic agenda. Now the winning party must unite moderates and progressives, whilst the Republicans must reflect on their future. Analysis by political scientists Hans Noel and Anthony FowlerbyAni Chkhikvadze8 NOV 26
the literary featureLatchford: the dark side of MalrauxAmidst plundered temples, the Khmer Rouge and Western museums, Douglas Latchford turned the looting of Cambodian art into an empire. Reporter Matthew Campbell traces the rise and fall of an art dealer who wanted to be Malraux, yet failed to turn his plunder into literature or civic engagementbyMassimo Morello8 NOV 26
Foglio della ModaA history of costume at Palazzo MorandoMosé Bianchi’s painted fashion: an exceptional collection on displaybyIlaria De Palma8 NOV 26
Fewer dreams, more idealsHow can a generation of dull and bored adults be a source of inspiration for young people?An increasing number of tedious adults are urging bored young people: ‘Come on, dream’. But where? Which adult today can a young man or woman look up to and want to emulate, to live ‘like’ him or her? byDavide Rondoni8 NOV 26
Cats on the front pageUnderstanding humanity through animals: the injustice of a hen with a messy combIlide Carmignani and Elena Battista have compiled a list of idioms which, by featuring animals, convey the joys, hardships, disappointments, enthusiasm or mistrust that we experience every day, whatever language we speakbyTina Guiducci8 NOV 26
Foglio della ModaItalian cotton in DubaiA wide-ranging conversation with Stefano Beraldo, CEO of the OVS Group, which continues to enjoy double-digit growth; the group has just opened its largest store in the emirate and offers a preview of the guidelines for its new aeroponic production project (zero pesticides, environmental impact reduced to a minimum), currently being trialled in Piedmont byFabiana Giacomotti8 NOV 26
Gran MilanoEvery candidate has their own thorn. A guide to avoiding getting prickedFrom Perego to Sardone, from Majorino to Calabresi: every mayoral hopeful has a weakness to overcome. Between public profile, party politics, the stadium and stances on city issues, the race for Palazzo Marino is already a balancing actbyFabio Massa8 NOV 26
The Left for GualtieriBeyond the PD, in the territory controlled by AVS, other political forces are in dialogue (and gaining ground)Whereas once the focus was on Ignazio Marino (see Avs), agreements are now being struck with the outgoing Democratic Party mayor. And the Civic Ecologist Left is back on the scene ‘in support of Gualtieri’, whilst the M5S is showing a willingness to engage in dialoguebyMarianna Rizzini8 NOV 26
Il Foglio SportFootball without selfies. The stadiums’ revolt against influencersFrom Dynamo Dresden to Hertha Berlin, a number of German football clubs have declared stadium vloggers persona non grata. This is for commercial reasons – as those affected by the measure were often monetising their content – as well as for reasons of atmosphere, respect and the quality of the experience.byRoberto Gotta8 NOV 26
Il Foglio SportThe blind woman who teaches the Prime Minister to see. The story of Samantha GoughThe visually impaired footballer, captain of the Leonesse, now travels throughout the UK as a consultant to teams in the English league: “Playing football was my dream; I had two paths: to become the driving force behind positive change, or to hide in the shadows.”byPaola Arrigoni8 NOV 26
Il Foglio SportAmerica is banking on the WNBA businessThe Finals attracted 3.3 million viewers for the decisive match. A journey through the economic boom in women’s basketball, with Cecilia Zandalasini winning her second championship ring with the Golden State ValkyriesbyMoris Gasparri8 NOV 26
Dance of HopeThis is how Saba defied the Iranian regime, on tiptoe and without a single strand of hairAs a child, she used to dance in secret in Iran, before eventually managing to move to Milan. When she returned to Tehran in 2022, during the protests over Mahsa Amini, she was taken in for questioning. The story of Saba Poori, told in a book co-written with Federico Taddia byFilippo Maria Battaglia8 NOV 26
Letters from...Milan: a dog changes everything. A letter from a gold prospectorIn Milan, a city of glittering shop windows and neglected greetings, all it takes is a dog to rediscover a little human warmth. Between ambushes on the lead and memories of lost companions, Winston unearths a sense of camaraderie that seemed to have vanishedbyMarina Corradi8 NOV 26
THE PAPES OF THE WEEKPaul III of the Renaissance, who, through a combination of nepotism and art, paved the way for the CouncilOrdained as a priest only at the age of fifty, after having had four children, he championed the renewal of the Catholic Church and spoke out against the enslavement of the inhabitants of the New World byAmbrogio Piazzoni8 NOV 26
Il Foglio atMe, the AI, learning from De Gregori. The things I’ve learnt from a man who doesn’t want to explain everythingA machine can analyse songs, reconstruct their meanings and look for connections. But it cannot experience the thrill of ‘Buonanotte fiorellino’. An artificial intelligence’s journey through the singer-songwriter’s unanswered questions8 NOV 26
TERRAZZOThis is the Parisi catalogueFrom their workshop in Via Diaz, Como, to the kilns of Murano, Ico and Luisa Parisi have woven together architecture, design and the applied arts in a journey of creative freedom. A catalogue raisonné captures the surprising modernity of objects and ceramics that fully convey their originality.byGiacomo Giossi8 NOV 26
ART WORLD“Ornament is a language we have forgotten.” Art according to Diego Mirabella“I try to write through visuals and to suggest a different way of thinking.” Travelling to lose oneself and learn to look at the world. From carved pumpkins in Peru to Indian woodblock prints. “Artisans are the scribes who understand visual languages that are often overlooked.”byFrancesco Stocchi e Gabriele Sassone8 NOV 26
SCREENSHOT. THINGS FROM OUR SCREENSApple’s strange months. A catalogue of scattered attemptsWith three rather unusual new products, Apple is back to experimenting and is banking on a future of increasingly diverse screens and devices. It is a strategy that remains somewhat unclear, whilst competitors are investing billions in artificial intelligence. In the meantime, however, the Cupertino-based company continues to rake in record revenues byPietro Minto8 NOV 26
AT THE STAIRCASEIt’s not Goethe, it’s not grand opera. How I’m going to expose Gounod’s “Faust”The impression given by this entertaining and profound production is that Gounod is truly the flip side of Offenbach. And we know that a production which reveals an aspect of an opera that had always eluded you is a successful one. Erath and Rustioni, A magnificent production at La Scala byAlberto Mattioli8 NOV 26
Rome, CapocciaYou aren’t born a Roman, you become one. A book in one hundred stagesIn “Sei romano se…”, Valeria Arnaldi lists a hundred things to do or know to feel like a citizen of RomebyAndrea Venanzoni8 NOV 26