In Italy there is excitement about the extra stop of an already delayed high-speed train: Minister Lollobrigida had arranged for the stop to change to a car. The opposition is now demanding his resignation.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s brother-in-law, Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida, is being criticized. A late high-speed train was apparently stopped specifically for him.
The Italian railways confirmed that the Frecciarossa super-fast train – comparable to an ICE – made an unscheduled stop on the route from Rome to Naples after a delay of almost two hours. There the minister from the far-right party Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) got into a car that took him to the next appointment.
Don’t just stop for Lollobrigida?
Lollobrigida justified himself by saying that the train had not stopped just for him when it was 111 minutes late. Other passengers could also have used the opportunity to get off in the small town of Ciampino outside Rome.
In fact, according to a report in the newspaper “Fatto Quotidiano”, which publicized the extra stop, only one or two of his employees left the train.
According to the railway, there are no major delays or costs due to stopping
The state railway company Trenitalia said on Wednesday evening that the unscheduled stop did not lead to any major delays or additional costs.
Lollobrigida (51) has been in the cabinet as Agriculture Minister for a year since the Italian right’s electoral success. He is married to Prime Minister Meloni’s sister. There are now calls for his resignation from the opposition.