Italy – News Stories About Italy - Page 59

Padre Pio's Shrine
Now 2nd Only to Vatican

May 8, 2008 6:12 PM CDT

Padre Pio's Shrine Now 2nd Only to Vatican

Italy's most famous saint displaces Lourdes for religious tourists

(Newser) - Move over, Lourdes. Padre Pio’s shrine in southern Italy is now the world’s second-largest religious tourist destination, reports the ANSA news agency. About 9 million tourists will visit the saint’s body, a million more than the French site and second only to the Vatican.

Rome's New Mayor Vows
to Raze Renowned Museum

May 2, 2008 12:22 PM CDT

Rome's New Mayor Vows to Raze Renowned Museum

'Post-Fascist' Alemanno wants to destroy Meier building

(Newser) - Only a few days into his mandate, Rome's new right-wing mayor has sworn to dismantle a state-of-the-art museum designed by American architect Richard Meier, reports the Times of London. Gianni Alemanno called the Ara Pacis museum, built 2 years ago to house a peace altar from the Augustan period, "...

Euro About to Mark 10 Years

ANALYSIS

May 1, 2008 6:02 PM CDT

Euro About to Mark 10 Years

Common currency has its share of winners and losers

(Newser) - Like many 10-year-olds, the euro has had its ups and downs, but its current ascendancy is worrying, and not just to fans of the weakening dollar; some European states are chafing at the strength of their common currency, the New York Times reports. The German economic engine is causing high...

Italy Puts All Salaries Online

May 1, 2008 4:12 PM CDT

Italy Puts All Salaries Online

Critics hammer 24-hour privacy breach as residents check up on neighbors, celebs

(Newser) - The outgoing Italian government posted all citizens’ earnings and tax information, briefly, on the Internet yesterday, sparking outrage over lost privacy, the BBC reports. The site was quickly clogged by Italians checking up on neighbors’ and celebrities’ financial status. The information went offline after about 24 hours in response to...

'Post-Fascist' Elected Mayor
of Rome

Apr 29, 2008 7:07 AM CDT

'Post-Fascist' Elected Mayor of Rome

Italian capital shifts right for first time in more than 60 years

(Newser) - After decades of center-left rule, the city of Rome elected a rightwinger with a past in a neo-Fascist group as mayor yesterday. Gianni Alemanno, whose party calls itself "post-Fascist," won a runoff election for control of the Italian capital, handily beating the country's outgoing deputy prime minister. Alemanno...

No Rest for the ... Faithful?
Italy's Padre Pio On Display

Apr 24, 2008 7:35 PM CDT

No Rest for the ... Faithful? Italy's Padre Pio On Display

700K already signed up to view exhumed Italian saint

(Newser) - Beloved saint Padre Pio, exhumed in March after 40 years, is now on display in southern Italy, where 700,000 faithful have signed up to view his remains, BBC reports. The archbishop who ran the exhumation marveled at the body: “The knees, hands, mittens, and nails are clearly visible....

Air France-KLM Pulls Offer
for Alitalia

Apr 22, 2008 6:37 AM CDT

Air France-KLM Pulls Offer for Alitalia

Berlusconi scrambles as bankruptcy looms for Italian carrier

(Newser) - Air France-KLM has withdrawn its offer to buy Alitalia, leaving the cash-poor Italian carrier with few options. In a tersely worded statement, the world's largest airline said its Alitalia overture—which had been opposed by Alitalia's unions—was "no longer valid." With no suitors forthcoming and cash reserves...

Why Italy's
Obama Lost

ANALYSIS

Apr 16, 2008 4:50 PM CDT

Why Italy's Obama Lost

Veltroni’s personality wasn't enough to overcome frustration with left

(Newser) - An Italian politician who aggressively modeled his campaign on Barack Obama’s fell to once-and-future prime minister Silvio Berlusconi this week—and the shallowness of Walter Veltroni’s message is to blame, Dominic Standish argues in Spiked. He appropriated the slogan “Yes we can” and even re-named his party...

Naples' Trash Tops Berlusconi's To-Do List

Apr 15, 2008 4:52 PM CDT

Naples' Trash Tops Berlusconi's To-Do List

Incoming Italian PM says he'll be in garbage-strewn city three days a week

(Newser) - Silvio Berlusconi said today his first task as Italy's prime minister will be to clean up garbage-strewn Naples, the BBC reports. After a clear victory for his center-right coalition in this week's elections, the 71-year-old media tycoon promised to spend three days a week in the city and to "...

Here Comes Another Helping of Berlusconi

Apr 14, 2008 2:32 PM CDT

Here Comes Another Helping of Berlusconi

Conservative mogul set to lead Italy again after rival concedes vote

(Newser) - Conservative media mogul Silvio Berlusconi looks set to reclaim the Italian premiership, the AP reports, after center-left rival Walter Veltroni conceded defeat this evening. Berlusconi's coalition is expected to win control of both houses of Italy's legislature.

Weary Italians Go to the Polls

Apr 14, 2008 7:13 AM CDT

Weary Italians Go to the Polls

Economic malaise awaits country's new PM

(Newser) - Polls are open in Italy's parliamentary election, which Silvio Berlusconi appears likely to win. Whether the two-time prime minister or Rome's mayor Walter Veltroni triumphs, the next Italian leader has to kickstart a stagnated economy; growth this year is expected to be as low as 0.3% —or even...

Amanda Knox: 'Railroad Job From Hell'?

Apr 13, 2008 2:00 PM CDT

Amanda Knox: 'Railroad Job From Hell'?

Investigators split on merits of murder case against college coed

(Newser) - Amanda Knox , the 20-year-old University of Washington student who's been held by Italian police since November as a suspect in her British roommate's murder, is the victim of a “railroad job from hell,” an investigator hired by the “48 Hours Mystery” to review the case concluded....

Berlusconi on Course for Comeback

Apr 11, 2008 7:47 AM CDT

Berlusconi on Course for Comeback

Rich, charismatic ousted PM will win new term, polls say

(Newser) - Silvio Berlusconi is marching toward a third term as prime minister of Italy, according to polls ahead of parliamentary elections Sunday. The Croesus-rich media magnate has used his business credentials to convince Italians that he's got the solutions to unemployment, declining economic competitiveness and stagnant growth.

Italians Find Their Cuisine in Foreign Hands

Apr 8, 2008 5:00 PM CDT

Italians Find Their Cuisine in Foreign Hands

Immigrants more and more the backbone of foodie nation's cooking

(Newser) - While immigrant-staffed kitchens are the norm throughout Europe, Italians regard their food as an integral part of national identity. So what to make of the fact that the best carbonara in Rome is made by a Tunisian chef? The ensuing debate—whether Italian cuisine made by non-Italians is authentic—is...

Waterloo—You Know, Like in the ABBA Song

Apr 8, 2008 11:04 AM CDT

Waterloo—You Know, Like in the ABBA Song

Italian exec with loose grasp of history becomes YouTube hit

(Newser) - An telecom exec came up short in a motivational speech to employees when he called the battle of Waterloo a victory for Napoleon. Now clips of the animated Italian manager urging his staff to "go ahead and score like Napoleon at Waterloo" have become a YouTube hit, the ANSA...

Venice Bar Uses Discount to Lure 'Poor Yanks'

Apr 8, 2008 10:05 AM CDT

Venice Bar Uses Discount to Lure 'Poor Yanks'

Old Hemingway haunt bucks up faltering dollar with 20% off

(Newser) - Harry's Bar in Venice has offered hospitality to tourists and expatriates since the days of Ernest Hemingway. But in recent months Harry's has noticed a sharp drop in the number of Americans showing up at the home of the Bellini cocktail. So restaurant owner Arrigo Cipriani has a novel solution:...

Italy Recalls Famed Mozzarella

Mar 28, 2008 1:15 PM CDT

Italy Recalls Famed Mozzarella

Fears that cheese contains carcinogen had prompted Korea, Japan to ban imports

(Newser) - Fear of contamination today forced Italy to recall its celebrated mozzarella cheese, Reuters reports. Rome is withdrawing the cheese of 25 companies in the Campania region near Naples, source of the country’s best buffalo mozzarella, after a garbage crisis is thought to have spread cancer-causing dioxin. The European Commission...

Prized Cheese in Italy at Risk

Mar 27, 2008 7:03 PM CDT

Prized Cheese in Italy at Risk

Toxins found in mozzarella after years of illegal trash dumping

(Newser) - More consumers are turning up their noses at Italy’s prized buffalo mozzarella, and not over its smell, the New York Times reports. Toxins have been found in samples of the delicacy, likely caused by illegal dumping of garbage around Naples. Sales are down 40%, and farmers and restaurateurs fear...

Prominent Italian Muslim Baptized by Pope

Mar 23, 2008 6:30 AM CDT

Prominent Italian Muslim Baptized by Pope

Convert Takes Big Step at Vatican During Easter Vigil

(Newser) - Italy's best-known commentator on Islam converted to Catholicism yesterday at the Vatican, during Easter vigil, and was baptized by the Pope himself, the AP reports. Though Magdi Allam was born a Muslim, he said he "never" practiced his native religion, and made his name criticizing Islamic fanaticism, receiving death...

Gorbachev Admits He's Christian

Mar 19, 2008 9:00 AM CDT

Gorbachev Admits He's Christian

Ex-Soviet prez publicly atheist, but Reagan sensed 'closet believer'

(Newser) - Nearly 20 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union's atheist empire, Mikhail Gorbachev has admitted he is a Christian, reports the Daily Telegraph. On a visit to Italy the last president of the Communist state prayed at the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi, and later told priests the...