Municipal elections are traditionally seen as a litmus test for a country’s political mood. But as the curtain closed this week on the second, and final, round of local votes in Italy, how many answers can be gleaned ahead of the 2023 general election?Most people have decided to frame the results as a triumph for the centre-left over a vociferous coalition on the right. But that conclusion might be a bit rushed: the voting process saw a record level of abstention, which makes matters very hard to assess. Then there’s the perhaps stereotypical – but nonetheless relevant – consideration of the volatility of politics in the Bel Paese. If we think back to far-right Lega leader Matteo Salvini’s seemingly unstoppable rise in 2019, compared with his presently stunted career, we can safely assume that much can, and probably will, change in the two years to come.