Matteo Salvini wades into culture wars as populist is chased around Italy by ‘sardines’

It was a classic piece of showmanship. On a chilly night in Ravenna, a town in northern Italy renowned for its Byzantine mosaics, Matteo Salvini was warming up the crowd like a late-night comedian.

As the leader of the Italian opposition paced the stage with a microphone in his hand, a woman piped up and suggested that he might like to indulge in a panino with Nutella to ward off the cold.

He didn’t miss a beat, explaining that he no longer indulged in the sticky chocolate spread.

“And you know why, Signora? Because I found out that Nutella uses Turkish nuts. I prefer to help companies that use Italian products. I prefer to eat Italian and help Italian farmers because they need help.”

It was…