Alberto Forchielli is a candidate: "Bologna needs a boost. The tram? A soulless project."

Bologna, October 26, 2025 – Alberto Forchielli is stepping into the fray and already calling himself the anti-Lepore. "Ideologically, we're cat and dog, but also in terms of character. I'm very extroverted, I laugh things off, but he takes himself very seriously." An entrepreneur, born in 1955, his resume spans IRI and Finmeccanica; from the World Bank to his own private equity fund. Today, after a career spanning the globe, he's returned home: "And here I aim to crown my career by running for mayor," he says with conviction. But first, I'll finish my tour of South America, where "I'm trying to buy a lithium mine," he says from Cuzco, Peru.

Forchielli, why this desire to run for mayor?

"I don't see any candidates ready to challenge Lepore better than I can. I say this without false modesty: if there were a more suitable candidate, I'd step aside."

Where does it stand politically?

"When I was very young, I voted right-wing, but then I always chose the left. Now we need to change. I'm independent, autonomous, centrist. I talk to everyone, both left and right. It doesn't matter what color the cat is, what matters is that it catches mice."

Have you heard from anyone from the center-right?

"Yes, everyone's been reaching out to me, from the right to the civic leaders. But I'm on my motorcycle traveling between Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Peru, and I haven't had a chance to talk much about the 2027 municipal elections yet."

Who are his political fathers?

Beniamino Andreatta and Romano Prodi. Romano and I have been friends for 50 years: he's the only member of the Democratic Party who called me and said, 'Stay abroad, it's a lifeline for the country!'

Coming to hot topics, we can't help but mention the tram. What do you think?

I had the project assessed by a leading international expert. It's not a monumental work, but it's passable. The problem is that this tram isn't 'tailored' to the city. It doesn't take into account the context, the soul of Bologna, so much so that this infrastructure could be suitable for Seoul, Algiers, or Kathmandu. If, as it appears, no social impact analyses have been conducted for the project, the issue becomes very serious. A city inhabited primarily by the elderly, for example, requires different responses than those needed for young people. But, I repeat, perhaps I'm the one who didn't find these analyses: if they were available, I'd love to read them.

How do you judge Bologna?

It's a city that's bursting at the seams. The airport isn't growing as it should, the courthouse is drowning, the university is cramped in the center, the central station is incomplete, the trade fair is struggling to expand, the stadium needs renovation, but I'm open to alternatives. The problem? Bologna has always wanted to concentrate everything in the center, and the only thing it's done away with, like Fico (now Grand Tour Italia), is a complete load of nonsense.

What do you propose?

"Build a university campus in the Fico area. And then we need to get moving on the Passante. The left-wing administrations of all these years must take responsibility for this."

Could she be the new Guazzaloca?

"To get anything done, you'd have to serve more mandates. The situation in Bologna is a mess, why not trust someone else?"

What does Bologna save?

"The Technopole. But we need to develop an innovative ecosystem, made up of startups, capital, and ideas. As mayor, that will be my priority."

The eviction from Via Michelino is causing controversy, with the walls broken down and the minors involved...

"I read that it was the seventh eviction attempt, so it's likely that the wall will come down. At that point, either you do something definitive or you give up."

Given your experience abroad, what impact could this have on Bologna?

"I could bring a lot of capital to the city's technological and real estate development. I could give Bologna a boost, preventing it from becoming Milan's dormitory town."

His political career, however, is not limited to Bologna. From his movement, Drin Drin founded 'Ora' .

"Yes. The party currently stands at 2% nationwide, but we already have 15,000 members, 732 of whom are in Bologna and Imola."