MILAN BRIEFING April 2005

News this month

Listing to port?

Roberto Formigoni, from the centre-right coalition of Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's prime minister, was re-elected president of Lombardy in the regional elections on April 3rd and 4th. Lombardy was one of only two regions the leading coalition carried, and its margin was tiny in the city of Milan. Mr Formigoni's opponent, Riccardo Sarfatti, was a political novice who lost by only two percentage points. Milan's conservative mayor, Gabriele Albertini, is term-limited out of office next year, and speculation about his replacement is now in full swing.

Romano Prodi, a former president of the European Union, leads the centre-left coalition hoping to wrest the country away from Mr Berlusconi. Their possible mayoral candidates include Umberto Veronesi, a renowned oncologist and former health-care minister; Alessandro Profumo, chief executive of UniCredito Italiano, a profitable credit institution; and Filippo Penati, president of the province of Milan. Prospective candidates from Mr Berlusconi's coalition include Letizia Moratti, the education minister; Fedele Confalonieri, chairman of Mediaset, Mr Berlusconi's television and advertising conglomerate; and Carlo Sangalli, president of Unioncamere, a business association.

The fleeing Maestro

The tempestuous relationship between Riccardo Muti and the La Scala orchestra he has conducted for the past 19 years has ended: Mr Muti tendered his resignation on April 2nd, citing an increasingly hostile atmosphere. Musicians and stage-hands at La Scala had called on him to resign, charging that he ran the opera house as a personal fiefdom. The battle began earlier this year, when La Scala's board sacked Carlo Fontana, the general manager, with whom Mr Muti clashed. Workers began striking on opening nights, and demanding the resignation of Mauro Meli, Mr Fontana's replacement.

Meanwhile, Mr Muti is far from idle: he will conduct the Vienna Philharmonic at La Scala on May 2nd. His replacement hasn't been chosen yet, but two Italian conductors, Daniele Gatti and Riccardo Chailly, along with Gustav Kuhn from Austria, lead the pack. In another troubling development, the president of La Scala's board, Fedele Confalonieri, resigned on April 11th. He also heads Mediaset, Mr Berlusconi's television and advertising group, leading some to worry that Mediaset's sponsorship of La Scala may be in danger.

Farewell

About 200,000 Milanese headed down to Rome to pay their last respects to Pope John Paul II. Of those who remained, about 10,000 gathered in Milan's central Piazza del Duomo to watch the funeral on a large video screen. Offices, schools, the stock exchange and public transport observed a minute of silence, while some shops were closed on the morning of the funeral.

As the cardinals gathered to elect his replacement on April 18th, some have speculated that the next pope could be a local: Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, the affable 71-year-old Archbishop of Milan, is among the papabile. He is considered a moderate, and John Paul II made him cardinal in 1998. His promotion in 2002 to become archbishop of Italy's wealthiest and more powerful archdiocese makes him the leading Italian candidate.

Four more

Four airport officials were convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to jail for their part in what is considered Italy's worst aviation disaster. In 2001, a commercial plane taking off in heavy fog at Milan's Linate airport collided with a private jet on the runway, killing 118. The airport's ground-radar system was out of service. A Milanese judge handed down the toughest sentence to Fabio Marzocca, a high-ranking official with ENAV, Italy's air-traffic control agency.

He will spend four years and four months in prison. Raffaele Perrone and Nazarenzo Patrizi, officials with Linate and ENAV, each received three years and ten months, while Santino Ciarnello, also of ENAV, was sentenced to three years and four months. Three others on trial were acquitted, though the victims' families are expected to appeal that decision.

Last year, four other defendants, including an air-traffic controller and a former top aviation official, were convicted for negligence and manslaughter for their parts in the crash, and received sentences ranging from six to eight years.

Pretty complex

Milan's futuristic new trade-fair complex on the city's outskirts opened on March 31st, in the presence of Mr Berlusconi and local politicians. It has garnered raves for its size and design, especially for its undulating glass roof stretching over its 1.3km central promenade. Massimiliano Fuksas, who designed the space, declined to attend the inauguration, citing both the date's suspicious proximity to local elections and the project's incompletion. Indeed, following two brief exhibitions, the site has been closed to the public and won't reopen until September. The current trade-fair site, in central Milan, will soon boast another architectural marvel: a redevelopment project, including three office towers and an urban park, designed by Daniel Libeskind, Zaha Hadid, Arata Isozaki and Pier Paolo Maggiora.

Catch if you can

May 2005

AnniCinquanta - The Birth of Italian Creativity

Until July 3rd 2005

Between the first post-war elections in 1948 and Rome’s hosting of the Olympic Games in 1960, Italy experienced a period of reconstruction and economic boom. As Italians sought to forget the war, or at least to sublimate some of the ensuing national anxieties, this was also a time of great creativity. Italy affirmed itself as a force in fashion, design, architecture and cinema. A team of curators organised this comprehensive show of some 700 items, including clothing, cars, paintings, iconic objects, films, photography and more.

Palazzo Reale, Piazza Duomo 12. Tel: +39 (0)2 3302-0050. Open: Tues-Wed, Fri-Sun 9.30am-7.30pm, Thurs 9.30am-10.30pm. Tickets: €9. See the exhibition's website (in Italian).

More from the Milan cultural calendar