Salvini’s words and moves ahead of Pontida
Salvini goes all out for the inauguration of a public project in Todi. Sacchi 's statement
On the hill of Todi, with a breathtaking view of Umbria's verdant expanse, the sun is still so strong at five in the evening that Matteo Salvini joked: "I think I've got a tan today, since I haven't been to the beach this summer."
A lively, determined, and smiling Salvini returns to Umbria, the red fortress he conquered in 2019 with the center-right League, after last November's defeat that restored the left to regional leadership. But Todi, along with Foligno and Orvieto, remains center-right. Mayor Antonino Ruggiano, along with Councilor Francesco De Rebotti (Democratic Party) of Governor Stefania Proietti's new regional government, former League president Donatella Tesei, and former Infrastructure Councilor Enrico Melasecche, and the President of the Province of Perugia, Massimiliano Presciutti (Democratic Party), inaugurate the futuristic 27-meter elevator at Porta Orvietana, the gate overlooking nearby Orvieto, in the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, and League leader.
This too is a small yet great "bridge," which, as Ruggiano explains, unites, in a spectacular panorama, the past of the Etruscan-Roman and medieval walls, of the ancient Porta Porta, which collapsed due to the structural instability of the hill's terrain, the remains of which are still visible, with the future. And it is also a challenge in a place that has been continuously monitored and the subject of special measures for many years, along with the consolidation work on the Rupe di Orvieto, which, like Todi, also lies on clay soil.
The challenge of the futuristic elevator that instantly takes you to the city center is very important for the community, Salvini emphasizes, comparing the project's spirit of unity to that of the mega-galactic Strait Bridge, three kilometers long with 399-meter pylons. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister hopes that work will begin between September and October.
From the hilltop town of Blessed Jacopone (Jacopo Dei Benedetti), Salvini, speaking to reporters, delivers a scathing condemnation of the grave scourge of anti-Semitism that is once again resurfacing around the world. While Greta and the Pro-Pal movement, who have already sailed past the Venice Film Festival with banners calling for the abolition of the state of Israel, are blocked by bad weather, under the blazing sun of Todi, the deputy prime minister and minister emphatically emphasizes, within the center-right, the warning against the horror of anti-Semitism. He states: "I see fleets sailing towards Israel. The goal of saving children's lives and bringing medical and food aid is everyone's, because children must not be caught up in adults' wars, and therefore humanitarian missions are welcome." But he adds: "The hunt for Jews is another matter entirely. By 2025, I hoped it would be buried." "It's one thing," he emphasizes, "to help children and work to end the war; it's another thing to challenge governments, including the Italian or Israeli ones—and in a democracy, anything is absolutely possible and feasible. It's another thing still to expel Israeli artists, intellectuals, actors, and athletes and hunt down Jews around the world." "These are disgusting scenes, and that a certain left-wing group is rediscovering anti-Semitism and directly or indirectly supporting Islamic throat-cutters is something I'm ashamed of." Salvini has no doubts: the Italy-Israel football match must be played.
Then, in a meeting with his party, in his capacity as League leaders only (including Tesei, credited with the Porta Orvietana elevator; former councilor Melasecche; former senator Valeria Alessandrini, regional deputy secretary; Virginio Caparvi, MP and mayor of Nocera Umbra; Devid Maggiora, municipal secretary of the League in Terni; Gianluca Luciani, councilor for transportation and secretary of the League in Orvieto; convened by regional secretary and MP Riccardo Augusto Marchetti), Salvini urged his party in Umbria to look ahead and not dwell on the causes of the defeat. A defeat—Salvini doesn't say this, but the reporter reminds us—that was also heavily influenced by certain divisions within the center-right. The League leader calls for unity, but he emphasizes that "we must never forget that we are the League" and that united in Umbria "we will return to victory."
Salvini has just returned from Sirolo in the Marche region, where he presented candidates supporting the re-election of FdI president Francesco Acquaroli. In Todi, he also emphasized the need for continuity in Veneto with President Luca Zaia's good governance, thus advocating a League candidacy. Otherwise, he fully supports Acquaroli and the re-election of Forza Italia president Roberto Occhiuto in Calabria.
Regarding the Open Arms trial, in which he remains a defendant, after his first-instance acquittal on the grounds of non-provenity, following an appeal to the Supreme Court by the Palermo Prosecutor's Office, he recalls that he, as a former Interior Minister, legally required to defend national borders, faces up to six years in prison between October and November. He jokes bitterly: "It seems like a game of snakes and ladders. It means that next time you'll be the ones to come visit me. I'm counting on Pope Leo's blessing. But I certainly couldn't talk to him about my micro-trial when there are two major wars underway." Salvini, in effect, once again underscores his great satisfaction with the visit to the Vatican, which had never taken place with Pope Francis. Finally, responding to reporters about the emergency landing of the plane carrying EU President Ursula von der Leyen, he says: "I'm not an aeronautical engineer. I've read that Russia denies any involvement, so I won't comment on theories."
Salvini leaves Todi in a frenzy of selfies. It almost feels like we're back to the days when he led the center-right to conquer Umbria's red fortress. See you on September 21st in Pontida.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/parole-e-mosse-di-salvini-in-vista-di-pontida/ on Tue, 02 Sep 2025 05:26:31 +0000.