Malpensa Street Art Welcomes Travelers to Berlusconi Airport

Rome: A new piece of street art at Malpensa Airport in Milan warmly greets travelers to the newly named Silvio Berlusconi Airport. The artwork features the late ex-premier and media mogul riding an airplane and making his characteristic gesture.

According to Ansa News Agency, the decision to rename the Milanese airport after Silvio Berlusconi, who passed away two years ago, is currently being contested in the regional administrative court (TAR). The mural, created by artist AleXsandro Palombo, portrays the former leader of the center-right Forza Italia party as if he is seated on the fuselage of an Alitalia airplane in mid-flight, with his left hand raised in his typical greeting.

Palombo explained, “The Cavaliere embodies the ability to lead and dominate a giant, just as he conducted his long career in business and politics with determination.” Transport Minister and leader of the right-wing League party, Matteo Salvini, announced last July that the airport had been officially renamed after Berlusconi.

Mi
lan’s center-left Mayor Giuseppe Sala, along with left-wing parties, filed an appeal against the decision, arguing that Berlusconi, who died on June 12, 2023, at the age of 86, remains a divisive figure. Salvini, whose League party is a long-time ally of Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, dismissed Sala’s complaint. “The Left is going mad because we kept our promise to dedicate Malpensa Airport to Silvio Berlusconi, a great man, a great Italian, who created hundreds of thousands of jobs,” said Salvini.

He further criticized the opposition, stating, “There isn’t anyone on the Left who is worth a tenth of what Silvio Berlusconi is worth. We won’t stop in the face of insults, attacks, and slurs.” Salvini suggested that Sala should prioritize addressing Milan’s issues, such as potholes, urban decorum, and increasing crime and migrant-linked insecurity.

Critics of the renaming have compared the “Bunga Bunga Airport” unfavorably to other Italian airports named after historically significant figures like Leonardo da Vinci
(Rome), Marco Polo (Venice), and Galileo Galilei (Pisa). Meanwhile, supporters of Berlusconi argue that he deserves the honor due to his stature as a statesman, Italy’s longest-serving postwar premier, and his transformative impact on Milan’s urban landscape and the Italian media industry.