Life expectancy is rising, fewer people are dropping out of education, employment levels are increasing, and visits to museums and libraries are recovering. Renewable energy is on the rise and landfill waste is falling. The Istat report on well-being also paints a picture of a country that is making progress

The Italian population is ageing, yet it faces life head-on, packing up and moving on whenever necessary; and the more time passes, the more this trait becomes pronounced. So much so that over the last three years, a record level of residential mobility has been reached: a remarkable indicator that tells us things in Italy are not going badly at all.

From the daily reports of violence and injustice to the rise of the far right, a litany of horrors that makes it increasingly difficult to escape pessimism. And on television, instead of answers, the weary clamour of blunt opinions

In Paris, in May ’68, he looks down at the street, sees students throwing stones at the police and has a sudden realisation: whatever they may believe, he is on the other side

Today marks the reopening of the world’s oldest ghetto, the Venice Ghetto: 500 residents. Marcella Ansaldi, curator of this small but significant museum, said: “This place, with its ability to endure, transform and carry on, is a miracle of resilience.”

Last year, there were 355,772 births in Italy, 3.8 per cent fewer than in 2024. The fertility rate has fallen further (1.14) and the average age at childbirth has risen to 32.7 years, whilst the number of children born to foreign couples has fallen by 38.7 per cent compared with 2012. And the estimates for the first few months of 2026 do not bode well

Feltrinelli tells us: “If it had been a political act, they would have targeted Mondadori. This is a widespread phenomenon that needs to be understood, and no books were stolen.”