Geopolitical analyst Dario Fabbri on Italy's lost cultural role in the Mediterranean

In an interview with Artribune, geopolitical analyst Dario Fabbri discusses his new book 'Sotto la pelle del mondo' and argues that Italy has lost its cultural centrality in the Mediterranean. Fabbri, director of Domino magazine and theorist of 'human geopolitics', contends that Italy's geographic position does not automatically confer a cultural role. He identifies two main reasons: Italians are an aging population (average age 47, highest globally) who fear the sea as the unknown, and the dominant northern cultural strain looks toward continental Europe, dismissing Mediterranean identity as inferior. Fabbri notes that other nations like France, Greece, and Turkey have surpassed Italy in Mediterranean influence. He traces the loss of maritime connection to the Kingdom of Italy's non-maritime tradition and a school system that neglects maritime history. Fabbri calls for a collective cultural shift and pedagogical reform to reawaken Italy's relationship with the sea, warning that without a shared purpose, Italy cannot export a recognizable culture.