Italy’s capital city of Rome was founded in 753, B.C. Just last week, Virginia Raggi became the First Woman elected to the position of mayor of Rome. It only took 2,769 years, almost three millennia.
Not only is this election historic because she is a woman, but also because she is a member of a minority party. Her party, the Five Star Movement, focuses on sustainability and the environment as well as on public services. The party also believes that politics should be a service performed, not a career, and that elected officials should not benefit financially from their time in office. The abysmal situation for public services and for widespread corruption in Rome set the stage for Raggi’s win. The margin of her win, however, was extraordinary. She received two-thirds of the vote, in spite of the fact that she was not supported by Matteo Renzi, the Prime Minister of Italy, and her political experience is somewhat limited. She has only served on the Rome city council for three years, after working on neighborhood boards.
She is a lawyer who was born and raised in Rome where she earned her law degree at Roma Tre University. In a country where a male position can become female with a change of one final vowel, the position of sindaco (mayor) was changed to sindaca by the press when she was elected. She informed them that she preferred to be called “Virginia.”
And Also: The same week Chiara Appendino became the First Woman mayor of Turin. This city is largely known
outside Italy because its cathedral, St. John the Baptist, holds the shroud believed to have wrapped Jesus. It is, however, also a key city in Italy’s history. In 1861 it was the first capital of a unified Italy and the home of Italy’s royal family.
So, two Italian capitals are now governed by women, both members of the Five Star Movement. These two stars are sure to create a new wind in Italy’s capital cities. Will it blow throughout the country?