2023 Author: Cody Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 11:20
A fascist themed restaurant makes a fine show of itself a Sanfatucchio, in Umbria, demonstrating that Italy is - alas - still full of nostalgics of the fascist era, even in catering.
This is not new, in fact: a widespread and tolerated sympathy for the darkest era in Italian history is there for all to see. Just look at more or less recent news stories, with rather sad implications: the last one, reported by a woman, is that of a pizzeria in Rimini whose waiter felt obliged to apologize to the Duce for having served a family of color. But that's not all.
The truth is that we generally accept the presence of images of Mussolini, of various relics of the time, even in places open to the public, turning away and taking the justification that "no, it's not an apology for fascism, it's just a joke ".
Every now and then someone rebels, and tries to do their part to remind the company - and the owners of the premises - that that stuff there, stuff like exhibiting a picture of the Duce, would not be so lawful in an Italy that has repudiated the fascism years ago.
Yet we too continually report news of local sympathizers of Mussolini that end up in the news articles, at best, because someone has protested about the memorabilia, perhaps publishing a post on Facebook.
But then others come, and they are getting worse and worse. Like the last case, reported in the journalistic debut of the young son of Selvaggia Lucarelli, Leon Pappalardo, who tells of the "Trattoria Fratelli D’Italia" in Sanfatucchio, a very small fraction of the municipality of Castiglione del Lago.
A charming little restaurant for families where everything (from the furnishings to the dishes on the menu, to the now famous sugar sachets or the receipt, with the image of the Duce printed on it for final greetings) is a hymn to fascism. Go and read the reviews of this place on Tripadvisor, or the comments of the Facebook community where the place is described as a place for "true nostalgics", complete with nice souvenir photos. Go read them and keep them in mind, because those are the mirror of the Italy in which we live: 140 very positive judgments that tell of how pleasant it is to sit at these tables, without dwelling on "the silly polemics of a political, or rather historical, nature expressed by some users about the typical environment ".
On the other hand, the issue seems dangerously cleared of customs, if even a famous figure for Italian cuisine like Gianfranco Vissani, long ago, allowed himself to indulge in nostalgic tones about "when he was there". Or if just a year ago a restaurant in Ascoli hosted a dinner of a group of Brothers of Italy commemorating the March on Rome. Facts that perhaps we should start looking with more concern, even when faced with a simple and convivial plate of pasta.