Analysis-Italy's Meloni belies radical image in cautious first 100 days

FILE PHOTO: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni welcomes European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at Chigi Palace, in Rome, Italy, January 9, 2023. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo

ROME (Reuters) - Before Italian nationalist leader Giorgia Meloni won power in September, German news magazine Stern put her on its front cover with the headline: "The most dangerous woman in Europe".

Such was the worry that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen issued a barely veiled threat that she had "the tools" to deal with Italy should it veer from a democratic path.