On Thursday, Italy’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Inigo Lambertini, blasted The Economist for allegedly recycling stereotypes about Italians on the cover of its latest edition focusing on the political chaos in Britain.
Beneath the headline ‘Welcome to Britaly’, the cover depicts outgoing Prime Minister Liz Truss dressed up as Britannia with a pizza for a shield in the colours of the Italian flag, and a giant forkful of spaghetti in place of a trident.
While stressing that he is someone who enjoys reading The Economist, Lambertini said in a letter to the editor that the cover was “inspired by the oldest of stereotypes.
“Although spaghetti and pizza are some of the most sought out foods in the world, as the second largest manufacturer in Europe, for the next cover we would suggest you to pick, for a change, from our aerospace, biotech, automotive or pharmaceutical sectors.
“Whatever the choice, it would cast a more accurate spotlight on Italy, also taking into account your not-so-secret admiration of our economic model.”
