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Leader of Italian far-right party Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) Giorgia Meloni addresses supporters during a rally to launch her campaign for general elections, in Ancona, central Italy, on August 23, 2022. - Italians head to the polls for general elections on September 25, 2022. Opinion polls put Giorgia Meloni's post-fascist Brothers on course to lead the eurozone's third largest economy, in a coalition with the ex-premier's Forza Italia and the anti-immigration Lega. (Photo by Vincenzo PINTO / AFP) (Photo by VINCENZO PINTO/AFP via Getty Images)

Sep 15th 2022|MESTRE

Giorgia meloni bounds onto a platform in the shadow of a medieval tower at the end of a gruelling day of campaigning. It has already taken her to two cities, but this one is special. Mestre, the mainland part of Venice, is in the Veneto. And the Veneto is the region that spawned the Northern League. The League is yoked to Ms Meloni’s party, the Brothers of Italy (fdi), in an alliance that is expected to win Italy’s election on September 25th. Under its leader, Matteo Salvini, the League no longer flirts with separatism. But regional autonomy remains hugely popular in the Veneto. Ms Meloni, a Roman, leads a stridently nationalist movement with its roots in neo-fascism. If there is anywhere she should be unwelcome, it is here.

This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Strife on the right”