TERNI – In the city, the beginning of 2024 was marked by a bitter debate on naming the square in front of the new Palasport after Silvio Berlusconi. Berlusconi didn’t even have time to die before Forza Italia councilor Francesco Maria Ferranti spoke about it in the city council on June 12th as a “duty act”. The resolution from the Bandecchi council arrived at the beginning of 2024. The initiative, which contrasts Law 1188/1927 according to which toponymy titles can only be granted to people who have been deceased for at least ten years, is awaiting authorization from the Prefecture.
Terni would not be the first Italian city to name squares and streets after Berlusconi: the record goes to a city in the Foggia area, Apricena. Throughout Italy, as soon as the former prime minister died, voices were raised praising the dedication of his names: not only streets and squares, but also stadiums, cycle paths and even the bridge over the Strait of Messina which who knows if and when will ever arrive. After Ventimiglia, Naples and Monza, ultimately Terni has only ridden a wave that has risen across the entire national territory and which is fighting to remember Berlusconi with great praise: entrepreneur, knight of labour, several times president of the Council of Ministers and president of football clubs.
Berlusconi was an extremely divisive and controversial figure. On January 10, immediately after the resolution, a document was launched via the Change.org platform petition promoted by M5S Terni, Bella Ciao list, Rifondazione Comunista and Terni Progressista against the naming. The petition has currently collected around 1700 signatures. On the same day, La Casa delle Donne also made itself heard with a statement that asks an important question: can a city forget its women to the point of taking over a square for Silvio Berlusconi? We talked about it with Camilla Annicelli, who is part of the Terni Donne board. “We are against it because a city is made up of the women who pass through it, Berlusconi has cleared a series of extremely sexist and misogynistic contents and themes”. Berlusconi, convicted of financing Cosa Nostra, Berlusconi of the ad personam laws, Berlusconi who abroad call “The Man of Bunga Bunga”, Berlusconi is the undisputed king of sexist jokes. Berlusconi, one, nobody and one hundred thousand.
Among other things, together with the naming of Berlusconi, other, much brighter namings were also approved in the city council – Gino Strada and his wife Teresa Sarti, founders of Emergency, and Gastone Forzanti, manager of Avis, implementing a sort of compensation process.
Today, January 27, we celebrate Remembrance Day. This afternoon at 5.30pm in the city a demonstration was called by the left after the recent outbursts of the mayor, reported by the entire national press, “against the sexist behavior that prevents a civil confrontation” all while from 4pm the Pala Terni will host the first programmatic congress of Popular Alternative. Since last Monday, there has been a new online petition, the one asking for Bandecchi’s resignation, which has reached 21 thousand signatures.
Terni, in a moment that should be of great contemplation, will be split in two.