The project is worth half the Finance Bill, but the more time passes, the more the world is going up in flames. And for some ministers, should it be rejected, “it is clear that its implementation is impossible”.

Hundreds of flights cancelled due to volcanic ash, thousands of passengers stranded at Catania airport. Messina MPs Tommaso Calderone and Matilde Siracusano (Forza Italia) are once again calling for the major infrastructure project. “But we also need railways and roads. Infrastructure has no political colour.”