MONTECITORIO

FIFTH COLUMN

Once upon a time, Montecitorio was the antechamber of the Quirinale. Saragat, Gronchi, Leone, Pertini, Napolitano, before becoming presidents of the Republic, were presidents of the Chamber. Then, at some point, we entered the era of the Camera Obscura. That is, the curse of Montecitorio's presidency: whoever became president then disappeared from the political scene or ended up on the margins. It was like this for many, from Violante to Bertinotti, from Pivetti to Casini to Fini, now at Boldrini. And the same thing basically goes for Palazzo Madama.
But there is one additional curse which now captures the latest presidents: they contract a disease that I would define as omnipresidency delusion, institutional variant of the delusion of omnipotence. And they start to freak out, to cross over from a presidency of the Chamber to a presidency of the council up to touching the presidency of the republic, they all regularly throw themselves to the left of the left, receiving the applause of encouragement from the Grossi Giornali which is always a viaticum of bad omen. And after the parable of glory and cotillons they sink.
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