“Er pesce puzza sempre da la capoccia.”
The fish always stinks from the head — corruption and decay begin at the top, a reminder that leadership sets the moral tone for everything below.
Buongiorno, Roma! Mercoledì si leva con un caldo già denso sopra i tetti della capitale, mentre la settimana si avvicina allo sciopero nazionale dei treni di domani e venerdì, e l'estate romana entra nel vivo. Oggi la Chiesa celebra San Landry (Landerico), vescovo di Parigi nel VII secolo, che fondò il primo ospedale della capitale francese e dedicò la sua vita ai poveri. Mentre la città si prepara per il Roma Pride del 20 giugno, una bufera politica è esplosa dopo l'esclusione di Keshet Italia, l'associazione ebraica LGBTQIA+, accusata di non aver preso le distanze dal governo israeliano. Nel frattempo, l'Italia festeggia la selezione dell'astronauta Luca Parmitano come pilota della missione Artemis III della NASA, che lo renderà il primo europeo a viaggiare verso la Luna dal 1972. Il caldo estivo avvolge la città, i motorini sfrecciano tra i sampietrini, e Roma continua il suo eterno, glorioso e rumoroso cammino.
NASA has named ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano of Italy as pilot of the Artemis III mission, the first European astronaut assigned to a lunar-class mission since the Apollo era. The crew, announced on Tuesday 9 June from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, also includes commander Randy Bresnik and mission specialists Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas of NASA. Artemis III, now scheduled for late 2027, will test critical rendezvous and docking operations between the Orion spacecraft and commercially developed Human Landing Systems in low Earth orbit, paving the way for Artemis IV — the first crewed lunar landing since 1972. Parmitano, a colonel in the Italian Air Force and a veteran of two International Space Station missions totalling 366 days in space with six spacewalks, previously served as ISS commander during Expedition 61. Born in Paternò, Sicily, in 1976, he logged over 2,000 flight hours across 40 types of aircraft before being selected as an ESA astronaut in 2009. The announcement marks a historic milestone for Italian space exploration and positions the Italian space industry at the heart of humanity’s return to the Moon.
Rome Pride has barred Keshet Italia, the association representing Jewish LGBTQIA+ people, from participating with a float in the 20 June parade, triggering a fierce controversy that has drawn in the Jewish community, the city government, and political figures across the spectrum. Organisers said Keshet Italia bore the responsibility of not having taken distance from what they called the 'ongoing genocide in Gaza.' Keshet Italia responded with a furious statement, accusing organisers of applying a discriminatory 'political exam' and an intolerable double standard. 'Italian Jewish people are being asked to distance themselves from a foreign government for which we are not responsible,' the association said. 'We are always back to asking the Jew to dissociate, to repent.' The Union of Italian Jewish Communities condemned the decision, stating that 'no one should be required to pass an ideological test to participate in a space created with the goal of including.' Senator Ivan Scalfarotto called the exclusion 'the oldest of antisemitic mechanisms.' The controversy has placed Mayor Roberto Gualtieri in an uncomfortable position, with pressure mounting on Roma Capitale to examine whether the exclusion constitutes discrimination.
The globally acclaimed composer and pianist Ludovico Einaudi was awarded the 2026 McKim Medal during the twenty-first edition of the McKim Medal Gala, held on 27 May in the Baroque gardens of Villa Aurelia on the Gianicolo hill. The annual gala, chaired by Eugenia D'Aurelio, gathered 500 international guests from the worlds of culture, entertainment, and institutions, raising one million euros to support the American Academy's Rome Prize and Italian Fellowship programs. The McKim Medal, designed by Cy Twombly and crafted by Bulgari, honours individuals who embody creative and intellectual exchange between Italy and the United States. Academy President Peter N. Miller praised Einaudi for having 'used platforms such as Greenpeace to speak out on climate change, human dignity, and our shared responsibilities toward one another and the planet.' Einaudi performed a special piano set in the Secret Garden of Villa Aurelia during the evening. Founded in 1894, the American Academy in Rome is the oldest independent American cultural institution abroad, offering residencies to visionary artists and scholars in the Eternal City.