“Our goal is to be a people with a true sense of community, who walk with new hope toward a future of serenity and peace,” Italy’s new President Sergio Mattarella, 74, said at his inauguration Feb. 4. His 30-minute speech was interrupted by no less than nine standing ovations and 42 rounds of applause. Almost two-thirds of the electoral college had voted for him, and in the end even a few opponents were clapping hands and smiling.
