The Milan City Council has approved a resolution to challenge the renaming of Malpensa Airport after former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The legal challenge, which will be submitted to the Regional Administrative Court (TAR), is expected to be filed next week, pending approval from other municipalities. Mayor Beppe Sala confirmed Milan’s involvement in the case, stating, “We are joining the appeal, just like other municipalities, but I don’t yet have details on the timing.”
The controversy began on July 11, shortly after Italy’s largest northern airport was renamed in honor of Berlusconi, following his passing on June 12, 2024. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini spearheaded the renaming initiative, drawing immediate backlash from left-wing political figures. Mayor Sala had signaled early on that Milan would challenge the decision, criticizing the process as “lacking institutional courtesy” and emblematic of “the barbaric times we live in.”
Supporters of the legal challenge argue that the renaming was an unnecessary and divisive move. Pierfrancesco Majorino, head of the Democratic Party in Lombardy, stated, “The decision to oppose this grotesque and needlessly divisive act by Salvini and the Meloni government is a significant and principled stand.” In contrast, opponents like Maurizio Lupi of the center-right coalition “Noi Moderati” defended the renaming, calling Berlusconi a visionary leader who modernized Italy and accusing Sala’s administration of fueling a “pointless political controversy.”
Criticism from the right has been swift, with Fabrizio Cecchetti of the League Party decrying the appeal as an ideological vendetta. “It’s incredible the hatred the left in Milan holds against Berlusconi,” Cecchetti remarked, adding that Milan faces far more pressing issues, such as public safety and infrastructure, than renaming the airport. Meanwhile, Berlusconi’s longtime friend and collaborator, Fedele Confalonieri, downplayed the significance of the debate, saying, “Berlusconi doesn’t need a street or a square named after him to be remembered. His legacy is what he left behind.”
