After thirteen years of a struggling economy and unemployment at 40% among the young, 107,000 youth have left to seek work abroad. The average family income is less than it was in 2007. On 5 December Italy will vote in Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s referendum on constitutional reform. Mr Renzi has promised to resign if the referendum fails. Many believe that quitting would make way for the Eurosceptic Five Star Movement (M5S) to gain power. M5S was launched by Beppe Grillo, a youthful political rabble-rouser of the centre-left Democratic Party who proposes to limit the powers of the senate by cutting the number of senators from 315 to 100. All would be appointed (rather than elected as at present), and he would restrict their power to influence legislation. First Brexit, then Trump. Is Italy entering the west’s populist wave?