On a recent excursion to a small village outside Bologna, we came across this notice posted on the wall of someone’s home. It’s a piece from the Quotidiano Nazionale newspaper, written and published in 2020 by then Editor-in-Chief, Michele Brambilla.

At that time, Italy — like countries around the world — was being ravaged by COVID, and tragedy and fear were fracturing people’s lives. Michele Brambilla’s words obviously connected with the person in that house; five years later, the poster is still on the wall. Here’s what it says:


For few things am I more grateful to the Almighty
than for having allowed me to be born in Italy.

We Italians have many flaws and are subjected to much criticism.
We are also often capable of getting ourselves into trouble:
but no one knows how to recover from difficulties like us.
Other peoples have more order, efficiency, the ability to be powerful.
But Italy is the heart, the soul and the beauty of the world.

I often think of those illuminated globes we were given as children.
Without Italy, the Earth would be a globe without light.


Michele Brambilla
Editor-in-Chief, Quotidiano Nazionale
May 2020