It was just three weeks ago, but in political terms it seems like an eon.

Bare-chested, suntanned and smiling broadly, Matteo Salvini took a turn at a DJ’s turntable at a beach club on the Italian coast while young women in leopard print bikinis gyrated in front of him.

The deputy prime minister and head of the hard-Right League party seemed to be having the time of his life at the Papeete Beach Club at Milano Marittima on the Adriatic – its tropical vibe and name inspired by the capital of French Polynesia.

Buoyed by the presence of the celebrity minister, the crowd were euphoric when a remixed version of Italy’s national anthem was blasted from giant speakers.

Mr Salvini seemed invincible.