Yesterday Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced in an ironic video uploaded to her Facebook profile that she has returned to work at Palazzo Chigi (the office of the Italian Prime Minister). Meloni's office immediately announced that her meeting with the two deputy prime ministers was scheduled for Friday – the Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani and the Minister of Infrastructure Matteo Salvini. Both of them are the leaders of the "Forza Italia" parties. and “League”, which are coalition partners in the government of the party “Italian Brothers” of Meloni. The first meeting of the Council of Ministers after the summer vacation in Italy will also be held on Friday. Until then, Rome must announce its candidate for European Commissioner, and the name of Raffaele Fito, the Minister of European Affairs, the South, Territorial Cohesion and the National Plan for Recovery and Resilience, is persistently mentioned in this direction, notes ANSA. Meloni's office also said she will travel to Paris next week to watch the Paralympic Games, which open today and run until September 8. Meloni is already a guest at the Olympic Games in early August, and then on the sidelines of the sporting event she held an informal meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, ANSA recalls.
Meloni's return to her duties follows a two-week vacation period during which she chose to vacation in the southern Italian region of Puglia, which is increasingly popular with foreign tourists. There are the big cities of Bari, Lecce and Brindisi. From there, tourists also head to Matera in the neighboring area of Basilicata. Puglia also has the dazzling white towns of Alberobello, Locorotondo, Ostuni, Polignano al Mare, Monopoli. There is also the luxury resort of Borgo Egnatia, which hosted the G7 summit in June, hosted by Meloni.
In the video she posted on her Facebook account, Meloni said that while she was on vacation, she was following state affairs. To critics who have been talking for several weeks about the “difficult summer” that Meloni is experiencing, given that her party was not part of the majority in the new European Parliament that re-elected Ursula von der Leyen as head of the European Commission, and was also isolated from the new nationalist European Parliament formation headed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, in the video the Italian Prime Minister replies that not only has she not had a difficult summer, but on the contrary she is grateful to have had the chance to rest for a while from state affairs, to recharge batteries and spend time with his daughter Ginevra. Meloni recalled that others had a difficult summer, such as those who could not even go on vacation. At the end of the video Meloni promises to work with even greater determination.
However, the start of the tongue-in-cheek video in which the Italian prime minister announced his return to routine prime ministerial work read: “Here I am. I reappeared. Recall all (search) teams. I'm in Palazzo Chigi“.
It is no coincidence that Meloni used this very introduction for his video. From the Assumption to the night of August 22-23, Meloni and her 8-year-old daughter Ginevra were on summer vacation in the luxurious Puglia complex “Maseria Beneficio” in the white town of Cellie Messapica in the Brindisi area. The resort is actually a typical Puglia mansion, done in white and set around a heart-shaped pool. There are only olive groves around. The place, which is isolated, was literally cordoned off by the services guarding the Italian Prime Minister. There, Meloni and Ginevra were accompanied by Ariana Meloni, George's sister, who is also her top advisor. Along with Ariana came the Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, with whom Meloni's sister had a 20-year relationship. The group was joined by the family of Marcello Gemmato, Under Secretary of State for Health Affairs. Gemmato has recently been rumored to be one of Meloni's cronies. He is also a leading figure of her party in the Puglia region, notes the edition “Gadzetino”. The vacationers were joined by Meloni's ex-partner and Ginevra's father, journalist Andrea Gianbruno. This stage of Meloni's break was followed with intense media interest. Meloni herself posted pictures from her vacation.
In the early hours of August 23, however, the Italian prime minister and her daughter Ginevra left the Puglia estate and for several days their traces were lost. Speculation followed in Italian media as to where Meloni might be after she did not return to Rome. Discussions took place on the Internet whether an Italian prime minister, given the position he holds, can afford to disappear from the public eye in this way and whether, in this period of “disappearance” its security is guaranteed. Supporters of Meloni emphasized that she also has the right to a private life, like any ordinary person.
Finally, the edition “ Nuovo Quotidiano di Puglia“ reported that Meloni and her daughter are continuing their vacation in the Bari area. The place where they were staying in the company of their close friends was not disclosed. Some publications have speculated that it is not a hotel, but a private home.
And while the media wondered where Giorgia Meloni had been hiding for a few days, Italians had to be content with the revelations of her sister Ariana. In a lengthy interview for the edition “Foil“ she revealed that she has been separated from her partner Francesco Lollobrigida for some time. Ariana Meloni has stated that she continues to have warm feelings and respect for him. “For Lolo (the pet name of Francesco Lollobrigida - note ed.) I would throw myself into the Tiber, as we say in Rome. We both love each other. I know what political dough he is involved in. "He is a person who can work 500 hours a day," Ariana said in the interview. In it, she adds, she and Lollobrigida continue to have common political ideas and projects. “But love is another thing”, she concludes.
From his relationship Lollobrigida, who is related to the movie diva Gina Lollobrigida and is a leading figure in “Italian Brothers”, Ariana Meloni (born in 1975) has two daughters – 12-year-old Vitoria and 14-year-old Rakele, recalls the edition “Fanpage”.
In the interview in which she talked about her breakup with Lollobrigida, Ariana Meloni also denies the claims that appeared in the Italian media that she had a relationship with the TV presenter Stefano De Martino and says that she does not even know him.
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These revelations have been followed by speculation as to why Ariana Meloni and Francesco Lollobrigida broke up. Many have drawn a parallel between this breakup and that of Giorgia Meloni and journalist Andrea Gianbruno last October. It was recalled that, like Gianbruno and Lollobrigida, he sometimes makes statements or takes actions that generate controversy. For example, he stopped a high-speed train that was running late in order to get off in the middle of the road and continue his journey for a work engagement in a faster way. Lollobrigida also mentioned the conspiracy theorists' favorite concept of “ethnic replacement” in relation to mass migration to Italy in 2023, after which he had to clarify that he had been misunderstood.
In the midst of speculation about the reasons for his split with Ariana Meloni, Lollobrigida made a statement on social media criticizing those who take pleasure in other people's personal problems. He described all the unhealthy curiosity about his personal life with Ariana Meloni as voyeurism and assured that his personal problems will not harm his work and political relationship with Prime Minister Meloni.
As for Ariana Meloni herself, in the middle of the August summer vacation, a journalist from the edition “Fato Quotidiano“ hinted that an influence peddling investigation could be launched against her. This sparked an angry reaction from Giorgia Meloni, who urged anyone who knows more to come forward. Ariana Meloni is the political secretary of the “Italian Brothers”, which is a responsible party position. At some point before the Euro vote, there was also talk that she could top the list of “Italian Brothers” in some of Italy's five constituencies, but that never happened.
It should not be forgotten that while the two Meloni sisters were tied to their partners, representatives of the opposition circles criticized them that this tie was without marriage, although the representatives of the “Italian Brothers” are supporters of traditional Christian values, among which is marriage.
This media interest in the extended Meloni family and the twists and turns taking place within it illustrates one thing. Italians have always been excited about the lives of their celebrities, be it political or social. Especially excited are those celebrities who have large families with many branches. They are an inexhaustible source of information in the Italian media.
Before the appearance of the Meloni family in the Italian government, for many years the inhabitants of the Apennines followed what was happening in the huge billionaire media-political Berlusconi family. Berlusconi had two legal wives – Carla Dahl’Olio and Veronika Lario and two long-time partners Francesca Pascale and Marta Faschina. And the media attributed to him a number of relationships with various young ladies. Berlusconi was known to appreciate female beauty and youth. He himself has made flattering comments about beautiful and young women, be it ministers in his government, such as Mara Carfagna. Information about his not particularly flattering comment on Angela Merkel, whom he did not find attractive as a woman, was also spread in the media.
Berlusconi had a total of 5 children from his two marriages. From his first marriage, his heirs are Marina Elvira (born 1966) and Pierre Silvio (born 1969). Marina, Berlusconi's first-born daughter, has two sons from her marriage to ballet star Maurizio Vanadia – Gabriele and Silvio, aged 22 and 20 respectively. Pierre Silvio has had two relationships - with former model Emmanuela Musida and TV presenter Silvia Tofanin. Of them, he has a total of 3 children – Lucrezia Vitoria, who is 34 years old, Lorenzo Mattia, who is 14 years old, and Sofia Valentina, who is 9 years old. In 2021, Lucrezia Vitoria gave birth to a baby girl - Olivia - from her marriage to the American Josh and made Silvio Berlusconi a great-grandfather in the last years of his life.
From his second marriage, Berlusconi has 3 children – Barbara, Eleanor and Luigi. Barbara (born 1984) has a total of 5 boys from two relationships. Financier Giorgio Vallaguzza is the father of her sons Alessandro, 17, and Eduardo, 15. And from her relationship with the construction contractor Lorenzo Guerrieri, her sons Leone, who is 8 years old, Francesco Amos, who is 6 years old, and Ettore Quinto, who is 3 years old, are born. Elenora Berlusconi (born 1986) has 3 children from her relationship with English model Guy Binns and they are Ricardo, Flora and Artemisia who are 11, 8 and 5 years old respectively. Luigi Berlusconi (born 1988) has 2 children from his marriage to lawyer and public relations specialist Federica Fumigali and they are Emanuele Silvio and Tommaso Fabio who are 3 and 2 years old respectively.
Even a year after Berlusconi's death, Italians, through the Italian media and social networks, are following with interest how the multi-member Berlusconi clan is developing, where it vacations, where it travels, who parted with whom in it, which of the inherited properties will be sold and who will buy them.
Naturally, attention is heavily focused on Berlusconi's eldest children – Marina and Pier Silvio, who inherited 52 percent of the billionaire's fortune. Marina looks after the banking and publishing business of Berlusconi's holding, and Pier Silvio looks after the media business. Both of them have been actively talked about recently, that at some point they would go into politics, following the example of their father.
Of his two other long-term partners in life, with whom he never married – Francesca Pascale and Marta Faschina – Berlusconi had no children. The two ladies, who are much younger than him, continue to generate media interest even after the billionaire's death. Marta Fascina (born 1990) was the last companion in Berlusconi's life. She received a 100 million euro inheritance from the billionaire. Today he is an MP from his party “Forza Italia“ in the lower house of the Italian Parliament. Some media criticize Fashina for not appearing in the plenary hall often. In May, she gave her first interview since Berlusconi's death. Before the edition “Jornale“ she revealed that she had been bewitched by Berlusconi's charm since she was 14, that months after his death, she still feels devastated and that the billionaire taught her that a smile and love are the strongest weapons against hate and envy.
Last year, when “Forza Italia“ was looking for Berlusconi's successor to the party leadership post, Facina's name was mentioned then, but in the end the party was headed by a close associate of the billionaire - Antonio Tajani.
Before Marta Fascina Francesca Pascale (born in 1985) was close to Berlusconi for many years. She was by his side while he had a series of legal troubles that disqualified him for several years from holding elected office and his reputation was greatly tarnished. Pascale was by Berlusconi's side even when his health was failing. After her breakup with him, she embarked on a hotly debated homosexual relationship in Italy with the singer Paola Turci. For the popular Italian singer, who miraculously survived a serious car accident years ago, as well as for Pascale herself, this was the first same-sex relationship. Pascale and Turci entered into a civil union in the summer of 2022. At the time, many media outlets in Italy predicted that this “star same-sex legalized relationship” will boost efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in Italy. Two years later, however, Pascale and Turci broke off their marriage union, and the alleged reason, according to the media, was the singer's excessive jealousy of Berlusconi's former partner.
In the world of show business, for years the Italians followed with excitement the life story of Ferranec – the worldly tandem of fashion influencer Chiara Ferrani, who has amassed a huge fortune from her influencer business, and rapper Fedec, who also acts as a blogger and presenter. The couple constantly shared on social networks their daily life, the birth of their two children – Leone and Vittoria, growing up, buying a new home, renovating it, furnishing it, their vacations. In fact, for years Ferranets personally made public everything that, in principle, people kept only for themselves. From the media and from social networks, the couple did not hide the dark episode in which Fedets was fighting a pancreatic tumor, nor the subsequent several internal bleedings, which returned him urgently to the hospital afterwards. And so it was until Ferranec collapsed after a series of investigations against the influencer for misleading advertising, which also resulted in a hefty fine for her. At the same time, the rapper was also subjected to a number of checks by the authorities.
Today, Chiara Ferrani is trying to get her business and popularity back to the same level as before the scandals, and Fedec is trying to revive his music career. But Italians are much more interested in how the former couple settle scores with each other through interviews in which each tells their version of the collapse of their marriage. Recently, the couple does not spare their compatriots well-dosed information about possible new love conquests.
Another broken social family is also very often the object of interest on the part of the Italians – that of model, actress and presenter Michelle Hunziker (born 1977) and singer Eros Ramazzotti, who turned 60 last year. They have a daughter together, Aurora Ramazzotti (born 1996). For 20 years, Michelle and Eros have not been married, but lately they have been together more and more often. After the breakup of their marriage, Hunziker married the fashion entrepreneur Tommaso Trussardi, and from their marriage 2 girls were born - Sole, who is 11 years old, and Celeste, who is 9 years old. Ramazzotti married the model Marica Pellegrinelli, and from their marriage 2 children were also born - Raffaella Maria, who is 13 years old, and Gabrio Tullio, who is 9 years old. Hunziker's and Ramazzotti's second marriages also fell apart one after the other. Meanwhile, Aurora made them happy grandparents by giving birth last year to a son named Cesare from her relationship with marketing specialist Goffredo Cerza.
A few days ago, Italian secular media published footage showing the entire Ramazzotti family in full and with all its branches – children from the first and second marriages and a grandchild – spent a long summer vacation together in the Alta Badia resort of the Dolomites.
The huge family of the American pop diva Madonna, who is known to be of Italian descent, has also continuously sparked the interest of Italians. The Queen of Pop, who is 66 years old today, has a total of 6 children. Two of them – Lourdes Leon and Rocco Ricci, who are 28 and 24 today respectively, are from the singer's relationship with dancer Carlos Leon and her marriage to director Guy Ritchie. Madonna's remaining 4 children – David Banda, 19, Chifundo Mercy James, 18, and 12-year-old twins Esther and Stella – were all born in Malawi and adopted by the singer. This motley family, to which the increasingly younger life partners of the singer must be added, often visits Italy during the summer and intrigues the Italians. This year, the inhabitants of the Apennines followed with interest Madonna's August tour of southern and central Italy, during which the singer and her entourage also visited iconic historical sites, such as Pompeii and the Vatican Museums.