Pier Luigi Bersani
A shrewd political operator from Italy's industrial heartland who shaped the center-left for a generation but fell short of the premiership.
Born 1951 (age 75)·Italian politician·Birthday: September 29·Baby Boomers
Biography
Pier Luigi Bersani is the embodiment of a certain kind of Italian politician: provincial, pragmatic, and deeply rooted in a specific territory. His power base was always Emilia-Romagna, the wealthy, left-leaning region where he served as president. A former Christian Democrat, he helped forge the modern Italian center-left, first as a capable minister of industry and economic development, known for pro-market reforms and a dry, technical style. Elected leader of the Democratic Party, he seemed poised to become prime minister in 2013, leading a broad coalition to a narrow parliamentary victory. Yet, in a dramatic twist, he failed to secure enough votes in the Senate to form a government, a defeat that marked the end of his frontline career. Bersani's story is one of steady ascent and sudden political obsolescence, a figure who built the machine but never got to drive it to its ultimate destination.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Pier was born in 1951, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Pier Was Born
The biggest hits of 1951
#1 Movie
Quo Vadis
Best Picture
An American in Paris
#1 TV Show
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Pier's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1951Born
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1956Started school
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1964Became a teenager
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Could drive
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1969Could vote
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Turned 21
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1981Turned 30
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 40
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 50
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 60
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 70
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 75 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as Secretary of Italy's Democratic Party from 2009 to 2013, leading it through a national election.
- As Minister of Economic Development, he oversaw significant liberalization of Italy's energy and telecommunications markets.
- Presided as President of the Emilia-Romagna region, stewarding one of Italy's most prosperous and well-administered areas.
Did You Know?
He is known for his deep, gravelly voice and a fondness for philosophical and literary references in speeches.
Bersani is an avid collector of vintage wine and owns a notable personal cellar.
Before full-time politics, he worked as a teacher and was active in Catholic associations.
“Politics is the art of the possible, but you must never confuse the possible with the convenient.”
