What does “gangli del potere” mean in Italian?

“Gangli del potere” is a stock phrase of Italian political and journalistic writing meaning the vital, often hidden, centres of power in a state or institution. A “ganglio” is literally a nerve cluster in anatomy; used figuratively it marks the nodes through which control actually flows. Saying power is concentrated “in tutti i gangli” frames it as something woven through the whole nervous system of society, not just sitting at the top.

The speaker pairs it with another vivid figure: “briciole di elemosina” — crumbs of charity — for the token concessions he says are handed out, the kind of high-register, almost literary vocabulary that marks C1 op-ed Italian. Both phrases reward learners ready to move past everyday words into the metaphors of debate and commentary.