But if Italy’s scrappy, indefatigable and improbably undefeated national team lifted the country’s spirits after multiple lockdowns and incalculable suffering brought by a brutal pandemic, it was only the latest signal of a national resurgence. Also on Sunday, Matteo Berrettini became the first Italian to play for the men’s singles championship at Wimbledon. Soon before he took the court, Pope Francis showed his face for the first time since undergoing major colon surgery. In May, the Roman rock group Maneskin won the Eurovision song competition. And Khaby Lame, a 21-year-old from near Turin, has one of the world’s most followed accounts on TikTok.

Source: International New York Times July 11, 2021 23:26 UTC