Ferrara was an important city for De Chirico and his brother Alberto Savinio ( nickname). De Chirico was linked with Ferrara's Jews and it's normal his reaction. The Italian Jews were completely integrated in Italian political life, and also many fascists were against the 38's laws.

elisabetta, milan, italy

To Ronan, who are you to make such assertions on Forza Italia. What facts do you have on hand to back it up? You should be a bit more informed before making such a serious accusation to a huge political movement, made of millions of people. You are insulting Italians. Show some respect to people.

Cristina Gastaldo, Como,

Saying that Forza Italia is the political wing of the mafia, is a mere defamation. The so-called "41 bis" article - which provides rigorous imprisonment for the most dangerous members of the mafia - was stated as permanent in the Italian legislation, just during the Berlusconi government.

Gaetano De Marco, Naples, Italy

Alemanno says the problem of the mafia is in the south. Then why on earth did he enter parliament with Forza Italia, the political wing of the mafia in italy? Sandro Bondi minister for culture. God help Italy. Renato Schifani, speaker of the senate. again, the future is bleak.

Ronan, Dublin, Ireland

@Elisabetta from Milan: Giorgio De Chirico was never a fascist. He even left Italy in disgust after Mussolini's antisemitic "race laws".

Please don't insult the memory of one of Italy's greatest artists ever.

Andrea, Verona, Italy

The winners of any war demonize the defeateds, but the same McNamara said the Allies won because were more criminals. Germany was occupied and demonized because is a strong nation. Why nobody made a Nuremberg trial for Hiroshima? Why American war criminals can be judged only by US judges?

Antonio, Siena, italy

What Italian left wingers have difficulty in accepting is the concept of alternation: losing democratic elections necessarily means that the winner is a Fascist.

Andrew, NYC,

To Radu Alexander: the real problem is the Schengen Treat for which there is no check at European borders. Italy is not an isle in the Atlantic and is very easy to come to Italy from everywhere. Italian problems with criminal immigrants are also Europeans.

luciano, brindisi, italy

To Bruno Tiozzo: Imagine Roland Koch saying "Hitler modernised Germany because of the motorways." He had to resign within days.

Marianne, Gera, Germany

I come from a country that exported not only honest hard working ppl but also a lot of our thiefs and criminals have left the country in search of a richer loot -- it is that simple. But that's not an immigration issue it's a law enforcement issue and weakness on part of the italian police.

Radu Alexandru, Bucharest, Romania

owner of the would-be channel Europa 7 back in 1999. But Rete 4 never ceased its broadcasting up till now and god knows if it will. And nobody says nothing even after the Court of Justice of the European Union stated it should have stopped, on January 31st this year.

Maurizio, Milan, Italy

And as premier of the government he will only have the power to keep in line the three state channels other than his own three national channels -- one of which, Rete 4, broadcasts without a license because the frequency of transmission was regularly acquired by Francesco Di Stefano

Maurizio, Milan, Italy

Gaetano everybody sees you're right, Berlusconi doesn't control all TV information, he just have a bit too much control than any other modern western democracy could tolerate, that's all...nothing to bother about.

Maurizio, Milan, Italy

Fascism has rendered a service to the entire world? Well why not ask to those they seen the fascism, and those they seen the bombs destroing the own property because of fascism? what the facism gave to Italy? dead! poverty! devastation and leave to another country without choise!

Begogna, Biella, Italy

That is what Churchill has stated after his visit in Italy in the 1927: "What a man! I have lost my heart. Fascism has rendered a service to the entire world. If I were Italian, I am sure I would have been with you entirely from the beginning of your victorious struggle against the Leninism".

Luca Zanotti Fragonara, Cardiff, UK

Mussolini just got what he deserved, the way he deserved it.

Giorgio, Ancona, Italia

Claudia, Mussolini was not responsable for WW2: the responsable were Hitler and Churchill. Read Kershaw's book, please. Kershaw is a British historian.

margherita, pescia, italy

It isn't true that Berlusconi controls all Tv information, and control of Tv doesn't mean control of public opinion anyway. When Berlusconi lost elections twice, where his control of public opinion was? People use their head, and left-wingers don't accept they are currently in a minority in Italy.

Gaetano De Marco, Naples, Italy

Even if, as Mr Alemanno claims, Mussolini and fascism did modernise Italy, can we forget that the regime was responsible for getting Italy in WW II, abolishing civil rights and free press, persecuting opponents and helping the extermination of Jews? This is a ridiculous and insulting claim !

Claudia, Brussels, Belgium

Mussolini was charismatic even in his death, as Bobbio said. If Churchill orderd the Communists to kill him, he made a great mistake. The Mussolini body hanged by feet is unforgettable also for Italians like me, born in the 60s. You can defeat a nation, not to kill a people.

roberto, bologna, italy

There is a dangerous resurgence (it never really went away) of fascism and neo-nazism in Italy at present. The latest episode in Verona (where a young man was beaten up and killed by a group of Far-Right thugs) is emblematic.

Lindsay, Milan, Italy

Mussolini did not modernise Italy, quite the reverse. Fascist Italy was bogged down in corporativism and women didn't get the vote until after the War. Making the trains run on time does not justify repression and loss of freedom of speech.

Lindsay, Milan, Italy

SAVE US !!!! Italy is going to self collapse.

Stefano, Rome, Italy

Veltroni may have been ( he denies it) Communist when young but he was an excellent, caring mayor. He also personally organised planes to take volunteers to Africa, gave his pension as europarlamentarian to charity, visited favelas in S. America etc. Italy should have more "communists" like that!

Lindsay, Milan, Italy

Alemanno's interview perfecly shows the nostalgic ideas of right-wing in Italy. Their goals are: trample on true opposition (which Veltroni's Democratic Party doesn't represent), shut up the rare unconvenient free journalists (for ex: Marco Travaglio and Michele Santoro as they did with Enzo Biagi)

Michele, Milano,

control 100% of information on tv and -as a consequence- of public opinion. Berlusconi has huge economic, social and political powers in his hands: it's next announced step is the control of judicial system by the Government. This isn't democracy: this is the post-modern fascism, lead by media.

Michele, Milano,

To Bimba. In Italy there is such a democratic emergency, that Berlusconi, who in your opinion is another Mussolini, lost two elections out of five: really a tyrant!
And about the Celtic Cross necklace that Alemanno wears, it's just a memento of a friend of his, killed by leftists at the age of 20.

Gaetano De Marco, Naples, Italy

Mussolini lost the war and was killed without any process by the Communists. The Communists never won political elections for their violence against the Italians defeated. Italy lost, not only the Fascists. Alemanno's victory is the victory of the defeat Italy. I never was Fascist, but viva il Duce!

roberto, bologna, italy

The title of the article doesn't correspond to what Alemanno actually says. His views are not more extreme than mainstream European centre-right politicians such as Roland Koch in Germany or Sarkozy in France. It should be mentioned his predecessor as mayor of Rme, Veltroni, is a former communist.

Bruno Tiozzo, Rome, Italy

Mr. Alemanno says that Mussolini modernised Italy, and this is a quite obvious fact: in 20 years a government has to be able to do something good, like reduce swamps and to build new railways. But fascism is always a system that reduced rights and civil liberties. Alemanno should remember it.

piero graglia, Pistoia, Italy

Elisabetta, when interviewed, Alemanno speaks of two aspects of modernisation: economic/infrastructural and architectural. While I don't deny that Mussolini oversaw some impressive construction projects, his ego-fuelled projects were a detriment to Italy's then-largely agricultural economy.

Fred Lafaire, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

History repeats itself

We just need a recession

And all we need now is one like this in Germany

Nicholas Iles, Oswestry, Shropshire

You would have had ask him to show you the Celtic Cross necklace that he wears still now...Italy is a Country in a deep democratic emergency, in which everything is an only one property.
From 15 years Berlusconi's media are influencing the population's mind, and these are the results.

Bimba, Rome, Italy

I don' t know whether Alemanno is still a fascist at heart, but his supporters certainly are! This is quite clear from photographs showing his jubilant supporters giving the fascist salute on the night of his election, published in every Italian newspaper.

LuisaHynd, Rome, Italy

To Fred Lafaire, Amsterdam--Fascism modernized Italy. There is a lot of book on this subject: from De Felice to Victoria De Grazia. Fascist architecture was modern, rationalizing, very quoted by many western books. Like painting. Do you know De Chirico or Futurism?

elisabetta, milan, italy

Again and again with neo-fascists but why not a word for the post-comunists such as Veltroni, D'Alema and others who when young were fighting in the streets wih the neo-fascists ?
And it has also to be considered that comunism is still existing while fascism has disappeared since 63 years.

Roberto Castellano, Salsomaggiore, Italy

Referring to his politically violent youth, you quote Mr Alemanno as saying: "there was a civil war going on at the time …. many activist friends of mine were killed by left-wing activists.” This is only partially true. Italian left-wing activists did not turn violent until the end of 1968, when they first became inspired by the French May riots. Neo-fascist youth movements had a much older tradition of (admittedly slightly milder) violence, which they had used since at least the Fifties against all their opponents, and not just the left-wing ones. Thus in 1953, when I was only 14, I was physically attacked by them as I attempted to distribute leaflets of the European Federalist Movement at my school's exit. Neo-fascist violence was never just self-defence, as Mr Alemanno would seem to suggest, and I for one would like his full apologies for his own part in it.

Mario Ferretti, L'Aquila, Italy

Mussolini's politically-motivated economic policies condemend Italy to years of economic hardship. If anything, Italy modernised despite Mussolini's decrees. As for Rome's architecture, it was saddled with hidden costs, and is not without similarities to the grand statist projects Pyonyang.

Fred Lafaire, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

The raise of the right is the fault of stupid liberal politicians who allow unfettered immigration which ferments unrest. this is only the beginning and should be noted.

D case, Newquay,