Ilnesses that only seem to strike Italians

It’s World Health Day, and those of you living in Italy will no doubt be familiar with maladies that only Italians seem to suffer from. To mark the day, Anna Pujol-Mazzini, whose mum is Italian, shares some insight into growing up being taught how to avoid Italian-only ailments.READ

A note reading "Don't Clean Up The Blood" hangs at the Armando Diaz school after the overnight police raid. Photo: Gerard Julien/AFP

European court raps Italy over G8 police brutality

Europe's top rights court on Tuesday rapped Italy for failing to identify and prosecute policemen who severely beat demonstrators on the fringes of a G8 summit in Genoa. READ

The European Commission insisted there was no formal investigation at this point. EU photo: Shutterstock

European Union quizzes Italy on bank aid

The EU is seeking information from Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal to determine if they have illegally supported their frail banks, officials said on Tuesday. READ

10/03 Italy pledges €8bn to Juncker growth plan »

Medics reported the baby is around a week old and in good health. Baby photo: Shutterstock

Calls flood in to adopt abandoned baby

A hospital in the Milan area has received a flood of calls from people wishing to adopt a newborn baby boy, who was found abandoned in a city park on Monday. READ

It will be illegal to come within 100 metres of George Clooney's Villa Oleandra, pictured, and Villa Margherita on Lake Como. Photo: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP

Fans to be fined €500 for snooping on Clooney

Anyone who dares to approach actor George Clooney’s two Lake Como homes will be fined up to €500. READ

Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni called for greater action to protect Christians globally. Photo: Gabriel Bouys/AFP

FM likens persecution of Christians to Srebrenica

Italy’s foreign minister has likened the ongoing persecution of Christians internationally to the killing of Muslims in Srebrenica, which was the worst massacre in Europe since the Second World War. READ

Premier Matteo Renzi's cabinet will review the new economic blueprint from Tuesday. Photo: Thierry Charler/AFP

Italy set to approve €10bn in spending cuts

Premier Matteo Renzi's cabinet is expected to approve ten billion euros in spending cuts for 2015 as it seeks to reduce its €2.2 trillion public debt. READ

A picture of Italian fashion designer Franceso Smalto (L), who died in Marrakech, aged 87, taken in Paris in 1993. Photo: Pierre Verdy/AFP

Italian fashion designer Smalto dies at 87

Italian designer Francesco Smalto, who as one of the stars of the men's fashion industry clothed princes, heads of state and sporting icons, has died in Morocco aged 87. READ

Protesters from outlawed leftist group DHKP-C march in central Istanbul. Photo: Mustafa Ozer/AFP

Italy arrests man linked to Turkish radicals

Italian police have arrested a Turkish national allegedly linked to a ultra-leftist group blamed for two recent deadly shootouts in Istanbul, the Agi news agency reported on Monday. READ

Players' agent Mino Raiola (C) announced the alleged racism in a post on Twitter. Photo: Josep Lago/AFP

AC Milan slam alleged racist abuse of under-10s

AC Milan have hit out after several black players in the Serie A side's under-ten squad allegedly suffered racist abuse at the hands of parents attending an international junior football tournament over the Easter weekend. READ

Features

My Italian Career

Linda Martinez and Steve Brenner outside The Beehive in Rome.

'Italy’s probably the worst place for business'

Linda Martinez and Steve Brenner, an American couple, own The Beehive, a hostel and café in the heart of Rome. They talk to The Local about running a business here. READ 16 comments

Italy produces Europe's most reckless drivers, according to a survey by the French motorway operator, Vinci. Photo: Italy traffic photo: Shutterstock

Why are Italians such crazy drivers?

The Italians may have given the world Ferrari, but surveys rate them as some of Europe's scariest drivers. The problem? A blatant disregard for the rules, the locals tell us. READ 9 comments

Soldiers in Benghazi, eastern Libya, in February 2015. Photo: Abdullah Doma/AFP

Why Libya is ringing alarm bells in Italy

As Rome rings alarm bells over the deteriorating situation in Libya, The Local investigates the ramifications of a conflict across the Mediterranean. READ

The Local List

Bond, played by Roger Moore, in a gondola in Moonraker. Screengrab: Adrien Malbosc/YouTube

James Bond's best Italian moments

From a car chase along the Sardinian coast to a high-speed gondola chase in Venice, Italy has provided the backdrop for some of the most exciting James Bond scenes to date. As filming wraps on Spectre - the latest 007 film - we take a look at Bond’s best Italian moments.READ

Plans are underway to bring an Islamic University to Lecce, in Puglia. Photo: Lecce photo: Shutterstock

How Islamic college plan has split Italian town

Plans to build an Islamic university for 5,000 students in a small town in Italy's heel will help change attitudes towards Muslims, organizers say. But many locals are afraid that it will change the character of Lecce - and are asking who's paying for it. READ

More News

Increasing numbers of migrants are making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean. Photo: DPA

Italy rescues 1,500 migrants in one day

Some 1,500 migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean to Italy in five different boats were rescued in one day, Italian coastguards said Sunday. READ

Pope Francis greets the crowd from the Popemobile after Easter Mass. Photo: AFP

At Easter, pope urges end to 'absurd violence'

Pope Francis called Sunday for an end to "absurd violence" in hotspots around the world while praising the breakthrough reached last week on curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions. READ

The Germanwings jet was forced to land in Venice after two people fell ill. Germanwings photo: Shutterstock

Germanwings jet lands in Venice after two fall ill

A Germanwings plane on its way to Rome was forced to land at Venice's Marco Polo airport on Friday after two people on board fell sick, a spokeswoman for the company told The Local. READ

Italian Simone Origone during a speed skiing competition in 2009. Photo: Gerard Julien/AFP

Italy's Origone sets new ski speed record

Italian Simone Origone on Friday bettered his own world speed skiing record when he raced to a top speed of 252.632km per hour (156.978mph). READ

Recipe

Prawn and asparagus risotto photo: Shutterstock

An Italian recipe for Easter

Looking for some culinary inspiration this Easter, beyond one that involves chocolate? Monica Cesarato, an Italian food blogger and culinary tour guide, shares a recipe with The Local. READ

The fishermen worked at a clam farm in Civitanova Marche. Photo: Enrico Pighetti

Four feared dead after fishing boat capsizes

Two fishermen died and two others were missing, presumed dead, after their shellfish dredger capsized and sank off the east coast of Italy, local officials said on Friday. READ

The Local List

Language confusion photo: Shutterstock

Ten Italian words with other meanings abroad

For an Italian speaker in a foreign country, situations can get tricky when Italian words mean something totally different in a foreign language. READ

Ciro Esposito was killed by a Roma 'ultra' ahead of the Coppa Italia final between Napoli and Fiorentina in Rome last May. Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP

Tension mounts ahead of Roma-Napoli clash

Rome will be on high alert on Saturday as Roma host Napoli for the first time since a supporter was killed last year in clashes between the teams' rival fans. READ

The Ferrara lawyers want crucifixes put back in courtrooms. Photo: Crucifix photo: Shutterstock

Ferrara lawyers want crucifixes back in court

A group of lawyers in the northern Italian city of Ferrara have called on the presiding judge of the city’s court to reinstate crucifixes in the courtrooms. READ

Photo: Panettone photo: Shutterstock

Christmas cake 'stuffed with €250,000'

Carrying a Christmas cake at Easter? Italian police thought something was amiss after discovering one in the boot of a car being driven by an Italian businessman. READ

Read older articles »

From our other editions:

April Fool's Day

In Austria we had you fooled that the government had proposed a hike in sales tax for garden gnomes. Photo: Shutterstock

April Fool! The Local's day in gags

No, you weren’t going crazy when you scrolled through The Local this morning. Today, our network temporarily lost its marbles for April Fools' Day. So, as the clock strikes 12pm, it’s time for The Local to fess up and reveal which of our stories were red herrings. READ

April Fools' Day

Were you fooled into believing that Switzerland was bringing back the bicycle infantry in the Swiss Army? Photo: Rasbak/Wikimedia Commons

April Fool: The Local's collection of gags

No, you weren’t going crazy when you scrolled through The Local this morning. Today, our network temporarily lost its marbles for April Fools' Day. Now it’s time for The Local to fess up and reveal which of our stories were red herrings. READ

April Fools' Day

In our April Fool's joke we reinstated the German monarchy. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

April Fool! The Local's day in gags

April Fools' Day

In Denmark we had you fooled that the country was introducing English as an official language. Photo: Claus Fisker/Scanpix

April Fool! The Local's day in gags

April Fools' Day

In Spain we had you fooled that Benidorm had banned full English breakfasts.

April Fool! The Local's day in gags

Concern in France over vaccinations for gastroenteritis. Photo: AFP

Two babies die in France after vaccinations

Health authorities in France are reviewing whether a common vaccine to prevent stomach illnesses should be given to babies, after it emerged this week that two newborns died following the inoculations.READ

April Fools' Day

In Norway we had you fooled that reindeer had become 'Norway's new salmon'. Photo: M.prinke/Flickr

April Fool! The Local's day in gags

The Local List

Easter witches in Sweden. Photo: Lena Granefelt/Image Bank Sweden

Six super Swedish family Easter traditions

The clocks have gone forward and the supermarket aisles are piled high with chocolate delights. It must be time for Easter. But what do secular Swedes do slightly differently to other nations when it comes to celebrating the festival? READ