Italy’s citizenship referendum could make the country fairer. It's a miracle it's happening at all | Jamie Mackay

For decades, the state has been tightening its rules around who qualifies as Italian. This is a chance to fight back

When I first moved to Italy in 2012, I had no idea that more than a decade later I'd still be here. Back then, being British I had the luxury of EU citizenship, and thus of not overthinking things. I was excited by the prospect of spending time in a country that I'd always been fascinated by, and that was that. And yet, post-Brexit, I'm still here. Italy is my home. My community is here and I've made my career here. I speak the language fluently, and I'm even making progress with the hand gestures. Politically, I've lived through seven prime ministers - from Mario Monti to Giorgia Meloni - but, sadly, one thing I've never been able to do, in all these years, is vote in an election.

This weekend, Italians will participate in a referendum that includes a proposal to halve the time of legal residency required for non-EU adult foreigners to apply for Italian citizenship, from 10 to five years. (My own path to citizenship is covered by a different, post-Brexit process. However, a yes vote would offer me another route if my various EU-era documents and residency proofs are found wanting by the Italian bureaucracy.)

Jamie Mackay is a writer and translator based in Florence