The biggest name in Italian cuisine has threatened to leave the country if voters defy the prime minister and reject a constitutional overhaul in an upcoming referendum that could topple the government. Massimo Bottura, whose Osteria Francescana was in June named the world’s best restaurant, said he would “drop everything and go abroad” if his compatriots voted against the changes – something he believes would plunge the country into disarray.

Polls on Friday showed the prime minister, Matteo Renzi, heading for defeat in the 4 December referendum on which he staked his leadership. Bottura said if Renzi lost he would “thank the country that has given me so much”, close his Modena restaurant and open one in New York. There are concerns that a Renzi resignation could spark further turbulence in a European Union already grappling with Brexit, and pave the way for the anti-establishment Five Star Movement, founded by comedian Beppe Grillo, to seize power in the next election.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...eferendum-vote