The Bridge of Nerone… two words of blockbuster, a €13.5 billion dream, a titanic feat handed over to a stage of multinationals and national holdings, but so far reduced to a catwalk of slides and press releases. On one side stands Nerone, master of media storms, promising “groundbreaking by July” and six lanes “from Messina to Reggio in minutes.” On the other side, the Strait of Messina Consortium: Webuild (Salini Impregilo/EUROLINK 45 %), Sacyr, IHI, and the post-pandemic twist— Gruppo Sorgente, heir to Condotte Costruzioni’s projects. Together they should turn the Tyrrhenian into the Adriatic without ever getting their feet wet. “CIPESS will approve everything by June!” thunders Nerone. Too bad that Committee—mandatory to unlock the €13.532 billion in the 2025 Budget Law— has yet to put its official seal. Meanwhile, the State Property Agency studies environmental constraints, geologists measure faults and currents, drones fly overhead… but not a single bridge appears below. Europe watches from Brussels with raised eyebrows: “Are you following our directives?” they ask. Nerone replies with a PowerPoint dossier, technicolor slides and the customary “trust us, it’ll be fine.” But the EU demands impact studies, transparent tenders, and realistic timetables. At the first revision, the schedule slips: “Summer 2025,” “Early 2026,” “Site open 2027”… a calendar more elastic than an emperor’s toga. On the political front, Nerone waves the “South-focused” alliance banner, yet Sicilian mayors wonder if ancillary investments—rail, roads, stations—will ever arrive. For now, tenders expire, regional funds stay frozen, and citizens carry their anger and hope from one office to another. Commuters with season tickets laugh bitterly: “They promised shorter travel times, but they’ve lengthened our bureaucratic ordeal.” And families? They were promised free “bridge tickets,” only to face eye-watering tolls. The Environment Ministry issued 180 pages of authorizations, then stalled in committee, while upkeep of existing roads languishes. Italian engineers—hailed as global excellence— oscillate between real construction sites and empty warehouses, sketching 3D models of bridges suspended in thin air. The startup “AntiCorruption & Co.” guarantees “maximum transparency,” yet budgets remain encrypted and tenders marked “reserved.” In the end, Nerone finds himself beneath a mural: an unfinished bridge, a rusted crane, a populace waiting. From the squares rises a chorus of whistles: not for the fall of giants, but for the thud of broken promises. So, audience and spectators, fall silent. Don’t applaud. Demand a whistle loud enough to blow away the last celebratory tweet. Insist on firm dates, iron-clad schedules, signed contracts, real stones laid across the Strait. The Bridge of Nerone doesn’t need lone heroes, but engineers, technicians, responsible firms, and politics that don’t mistake hashtags for cornerstone ceremonies. Good night, Bridge of Nerone… tomorrow we want to wake up on a structure that truly stands.