From the photo of Vasto to the selfie, the 15-year-long centre-left album

An absolute first, the group selfie with joint post of the three leaders of the centre-left. Schlein, Conte, Fratoianni e Bonelli in this way they sealed the official start of the worksite of the plan. The location, chosen by leader M5s, it is that of a restaurant near Piazza del Pantheonwith the stone walls viva which have aroused some irony among the most malevolent of Instagram users, “What is it, the Bat-cave?”.

Constant contacts between center-left leaders

In reality, as also explained by those directly involved, the meeting is not the first of this kind: the centre-left leaders see and hear each other regularly, but away from the cameras, even that of Nicola Fratoianni, authorreo-confess‘ del selfie.

But Tuesday’s photo is useful to mark the beginning of that table on the program with two public appointments, the8 and the July 15, in two Italian squares. And, above all, to cement it hard core of an alliance which in the hopes of the leaders should expand to that ever-expanding galaxy which is the centre, from Ruffini – which encourages “reformist and pro-European forces” to organize themselves to be part of the broad field – ai civic of Onorato, passing through Renziwho changed the name of the groups to Italia Viva – Reformist House.

In Vasto the forerunner of the centre-left

If we look for precedents, however, it is not as if the group photo has always brought good results to the centre-left. Far from it. THE’forerunner of all the shots of the center-left must be sought fifteen years back in time: 2011, Vastcommon in province of Chieti overlooking the Adriatic. The protagonists of that photograph were Antonio Di Pietrothe host who had organized the event with Italia dei Valori, the then secretary of the Democratic Party Pierluigi Bersanie Nichi Vendolaleader of Sinistra Ecologia Libertà.

Holding each other, smiling. Shortly afterwards, however, Di Pietrotears‘metaphorically the photo by deciding to do not support the government led by Mario Montiwho took over from Silvio Berlusconi after the resignation of the Forza Italia leader. And in the following elections, in 2013, Bersani was unable to form the government, also due to the ‘can opener’ rejection of the Five Star Movement.

The photo of Narni in 2019

Fast forward six years, to 2019. The centre-left is facing its first important test after the end of the Renzi era. The ‘red’ Umbria risks moving to the center-right after the resignation of Catiuscia Marini ‘claims’ from Nicola Zingaretti just elected dem secretary. Together with Zingaretti, there is Giuseppe Contewho he just broke up with Salvini and formed Count 2, e Roberto Speranzaleader of Articolo Uno, the political force born from a split in the Democratic Party.

The chosen location is Narni, in the province of Terni, and in particular the stage of a deconsecrated church repurposed as a conference room. Again, the photo it’s not good: il centre-left loses elections and region which will be led by the Northern League Donatella Tisei.

The ‘hard core’ in Campobasso

The first photo of the ‘hard core’ Pd, M5s, Avs is taken at Campobassoin June 2023, again for the regional elections. The rift between the three parties weighs heavily on the relations between the three parties Conte and the predecessor of Schlein al Nazarene, Enrico Lettaafter the fall of the Draghi government and the installation of the Meloni government. Grudges which mainly spread among the respective electorates and within parliamentary groups. The common advice is not to appear together on stage. We opt for a more informal coffee, in a bar in the center of Campobasso. But photographers be warned. Here too the result is disappointing and the centre-left candidate stops at 38 percent.

The ‘beer pact’ in Rome

The coffee slayer arrives in September 2024 with the pint of beer raised to the Aniene parkin Rome, where the feast of Avs. Around the plastic table and under an umbrella, due to the torrential rain, there are still Conte, Schlein, Fratoianni, Bonelli and Riccardo Magi of Più Europa (despite the fact that a few minutes earlier he had been the protagonist of a question and answer on the war in Ukraine with the M5s leader).

Once again, the photo doesn’t seem to carry well: the center-left is defeated in Liguria, but recovered shortly afterUmbria and confirm theEmilia-Romagna. And it will perhaps be due to this fortunate passage that, in the penultimate chapter of the saga, the four leaders – without the Magi – return to raise their pints on September 4, 2025once again at the Avs party, no longer at the Aniene park, but at Monka place in Pietralata which also hosted the Schlein primary committee.

The selfie around the (empty) table at the restaurant near Piazza del Pantheon

It ends in a draw, with the centre-left confirming Campania, Tuscany and Puglia, but losing in Calabria, Veneto and Marche. And so we come to the selfie around the table. Empty: not a plate, not a glass. To toast, the leaders must have thought, this time it is better to wait for the result.