Finally! After a wait of almost three months, season 2 of Crossing Cultures has arrived. To kick off the season, I invited Lorenzo to reflect together on his motherland Italy. A week ago, parliamentary elections were held here, with right-wing politician Giorgia Meloni emerging as the big winner. Lorenzo gives me his analysis of how this outcome came about and what it says about the current state of Italy.

Further, we talk about Lorenzo's city Bergamo and how it was so severly affected by Covid-19. We also touch upon the divide between north and south and what the words 'Polentoni' and 'Terroni' have to do with this.  Lastly, Lorenzo tells me what it's like to be Italian in a European context; does he feel more European or Italian?