Rocco Casalino is leaving the Five Star Movement, bidding farewell to communications after 12 years: "He'll be running an online newspaper."

Rocco Casalino is leaving the Five Star Movement's communications department . This departure has been in the works for some time, having been announced months ago by Giuseppe Conte, and was confirmed in the last few hours by Casalino himself, who had been in charge of the Five Star Movement's communications since 2013 .

Having emerged as a public figure after participating in the first edition of “ Big Brother ” back in 2000, he then joined the 5 Star Movement and became extremely influential within the party, first very close to co-founder Beppe Grillo , then to political leader Luigi Di Maio and then to Giuseppe Conte , by whom he was chosen as spokesman during his two terms as Prime Minister, from 2018 to 2021.

“After twelve years of intense and passionate work, I feel the need to take on new challenges and reach new personal and professional goals,” he told Corriere della Sera, where he emphasized that “journalism has always been a passion of mine and I want to test myself in this field.”

"I'll be back on TV and I'm working on a more complex publishing project . But it's still too early to talk about it now," adds Conte's former spokesman. According to Repubblica, citing people close to him, Casalino might run an online newspaper . When asked directly, he responds evasively: "I admit I'm looking around. I'm sorry I can't say more."

What is certain is that the "progressive" shift of the Five Star Movement , which, despite several distinctions, is now anchored to the center-left, has not pleased Casalino. "It's right to be in the progressive camp, if Meloni, Salvini, and Tajani are there. But for the Movement to function, it must be broader and less ideological. Otherwise, after losing votes on the right after 33 percent in 2018, due to the League, which was more clear-cut, it will also lose those on the left, because voters will choose the original," Casalino said last year, commenting on the Italian political landscape.