Italy

Italian Actresses
Here is an account of some of the most famous and popular Italian actresses.

Facts On Italy
Here are some interesting facts about Italy, its cultural, politics, people and most talked about "mafia"

History of Christmas Traditions - Italy
The bringer of gifts is not the cheerfully rotund figure of dear old familiar Santa Claus, but a refreshingly different female character known as Befana - an authentic witch with broom and all!

Italy: Tuscany: Holidays In Tuscany
For those who dream of walking along the paths trodden by Dante, the Internet is a prime resource for finding out how to do just that.

Italy: Silvio Berlusconi Under Fire As Pope Appears to Back Warning About Fascism
Ministers defensive after sermon condemns racism and Catholic magazine criticizes attacks on Roma

Pope Warns Italy in Danger of Returning to Fascism
Berlusconi moves to limit damage caused by anti-racism comments

Truth, Lies and Berlusconi: Italy's Playboy Premier Accused of Nudity Cover-up
Venetian master Giovanni Battista Tiepolo's painting is retouched by aides to conceal nipple

Italy: Infernal Row Flares Over Florence Council's Plans to Pardon Dante
Wine-growing aristocrat to boycott ceremony and city's highest honor on behalf of poet ancestor

Airlines: Ryanair Ignites Italian Fury Over 'unpleasant' Website Advert
Transport minister to call meeting of civil aviation authority to decide what steps to take against company

Gypsy Girls' Corpses on Beach in Italy Fail to Put Off Sunbathers
Civil rights group requests meeting with authorities and calls for inquiry into 'drowning'

Genoa Riots: 15 Guilty of G8 Brutality Will Not Go to Jail
Police officers and doctors convicted of gross mistreatment of detainees at holding camp freed

Police and Doctors Convicted of Genoa G8 Brutality Avoid Jail
Fifteen Italian police officers and doctors sentenced to jail for brutally mistreating detainees after the 2001 G8 riots in Genoa were today celebrating their freedom after it became clear none of them would actually serve prison terms

Damages for Gay Italian Driver Forced to Retake Test
Sicilian man wins €100,000 (£80,000) in damages after having his license removed because he was gay

Italy Student Murder: Three Charged With Kercher Killing
Formal murder charges laid against flatmate Amanda Knox, boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito and Rudy Guede

Italy to Ask Japan for Return of 'looted' Antiques
The international effort to recover 'stolen' works of art from some of the world's best museums gathered pace today with reports that Italy is seeking the return of Roman antiquities from Japan.

Japan Gets Tough on Graffiti - in Florence
Initials scratched on cathedral stonework by Japanese tourists sparks 'manhunt' for culprits in media back home

Italy: Court Inflames Roma Discrimination Row
Ruling says it's acceptable to discriminate against Roma on the grounds that they are thieves

Death and Dirt Collide in Mafia Violence
'Super-witness' due to testify on links between politicians and mafia mobsters in Naples gunned down in the street

The Italian Language
A brief introduction to the formation of modern Italian

Travellers to Rome Stranded As Police Impound Airport Buses
Travelers flying to Rome for a spring break this weekend may be in for a shock â€" the buses they were expecting would whisk them to the city center have been impounded by police

Is Silvio's Italy Turning Into the Most Rightwing Country in Europe?
John Hooper: The success of the anti-immigrant Northern League is one reason for thinking Italy has just become Europe's most rightwing country

Italian Researchers Claim They Are First to Have Found Dark Matter
Discovery deep in the Gran Sasso mountain in Abruzzo could end a 70-year old race

Italy Embarrassed By Counterfeit Olive Oil Scandal
Industry representative claims fraud is 'tip of the iceberg' and follows recent furore over contaminated mozzarella

Outgoing Italian Government Holds Emergency Talks on Alitalia Rescue
Brussels warns new loan for the stricken flag-carrier would provoke a crisis in relations between Italy and the European Commission

Da Vinci's Mother Was a Slave, Italian Study Claims
New study provides further evidence to support theory that Leonardo da Vinci was of Arab descent

Q&A: the Italian Elections
John Hooper on why the Italians are going to the polls (again)

History Dogs Berlusconi Bid to Transform Italy
Italians are depressed as their country seems trapped in the doldrums. Ed Vulliamy reports on the malaise gripping a nation

Ultimatum for Italy in Cheese Dioxin Scare
Brussels warns that buffalo mozzarella could be banned across the EU following cancer links

Italy's Industrialists Angry and Impatient for Change
To prove their point the main employers' body has just nominated Emma Marcegaglia, a 42-year-old steel magnate, to be its new - and first female - head

Italian Law to Allow Puccini for Pooches
A proposed law would allow pet owners in Tuscany to take cats, dogs and other animals to any sort of public place

Italy's Young Lovers Mock Racist Agenda
Amid the anti-immigrant electoral rhetoric, a film on mixed marriages and sex is a surprise success

Italian Police Visit Homes of Mclaren Executives in Spy Scandal
Italian authorities were taken to the homes of McLaren executives as part of their ongoing criminal investigation

Italy Battles to Save the Last of Its Wild Bears
Conservationists are examining the initial results of an emergency program to save central Italy's last few bears from poachers and poisons.

Berlusconi Moves to Force Election in Italy
Silvio Berlusconi and his allies moved their battle to regain power in Italy on to new ground after the resignation of prime minister Romano Prodi and the collapse of his center-left government

Berlusconi Eyes Return to Power in Italy
Confidence motion defeat ends Prodi coalition · President may seek interim government

A Quick Tour Of Italy - Western Liguria
I love touring Italy so much that I am doing a series on both the well known and the rarely visited tourist attractions of Italy's twenty regions. This short article explores sights in the western part of the Liguria region of northern Italy including some history, local food, and Liguria wine. Please join me on this quick tour.

A Quick Tour Of Italy - Eastern Liguria
I love touring Italy so much that I am doing a series on both the well known and the rarely visited tourist attractions of Italy's twenty regions. This short article explores sights in the eastern part of the Liguria region of northern Italy including some history, local food, and Liguria wine. Please join me on this quick tour.

A Quick Tour Of Italy - Lake Garda
I love touring Italy so much that I am doing a series on both the well known and the rarely visited tourist attractions of Italy's twenty regions. This short article explores sights in the Lake Garda region of Lombardy, Veneto, and Trentino-Alto Adige in northern Italy including some history, local food, and Bardolino wine. Please join me on this quick tour.

Kercher Murder Not Lone Act, Say Italian Judges
Meredith Kercher, the Leeds university student murdered in Italy, was the victim of the 'convergent actions of more than one person', according to judges in Perugia, the city where she died

Italian Firm Offers Saintly Mobiles
Lots of devout Roman Catholic Italians carry little cards bearing the picture (or at least the imagined likeness) of a saint or other religious figure. Now an enterprising Milanese firm has launched down loadable sacred "wallpaper" for your mobile

Ideal Italian property investment opens in Puglia
There are still areas in Italy where property prices are very low when compared to other regions. Places like Puglia, a very special little region that prevents the building of properties over two storeys. Puglia is a qauint little Italian town making property there a great holiday home.

Italian City Rings Alarm Bells Over 1994 Art Theft
Among the paintings that disappeared from a municipal art gallery in Catania, on Sicily, were a Rembrandt and a painting by the great Italian Baroque artist Guido Reni. But what is unusual about this particular alleged theft is that it took place 13 years ago - and has only just been discovered

Italian Right Calls for Repatriation of Roma
All camps should be torn down, says leader · Three Romanians knifed at encampment in suburb

San Pietro Italy: Affordable Property in a Tourist Hot-Spot -- Money To Be Made on the Med
Property in San Pietro is quaint, with traditional Italian style and architecture. Puglia doesn't allow structures above two floors so the surrounding beautiful scenery is unspoiled and unobstructed by tall buildings. Everyone knows what Italy has to offer, far more than fast cars and a Mediterranean climate.

Italian Woman's Murder Prompts Expulsion Threat to Romanians
EU citizens judged to be security risk face removal·24-year-old Gypsy held over fatal beating

Organised Crime Does Pay in Italy - to the Tune of €90bn
Italy's mafias earn more than the country's biggest corporation, according to a report by the national retailers' association.

Prodi Accused of Interfering With Fraud Inquiry
Italy's prime minister faces allegations that attempts had been made to derail a fraud investigation in which he and his justice minister, Clemente Mastella, are both suspects.

Shopping online in Italy: a growing sector
Finally, also in Italy, the market share of online purchases is growing progressively. To the increased demand of products for computing, Brandhardware responds with a new technological website.

Italy Dealt Double Blow Over Organised Crime
US refuses to extradite convicted drug trafficker· 'Super grass' dies before political killing testimony

Italy Lightens the Load for Schoolchildren
More than four centuries after Shakespeare wrote of "the whining schoolboy, with his satchel and shining morning face, creeping like snail unwillingly to school", Italy's MPs have finally come to his aid.

'Suicide of Civilisation' Warning As Italian Town Permits Burka
A row has broken out in Italy over the wearing of the burka after the prefect of a city in the north-east announced he was permitting it, despite legislation outlawing any clothing that stops the wearer being recognized.

UK Bus Company's Complaint Unearths Italian Cartel
Report claims transport firms united against rivals · Plan was 'to block access to international operators'

Italian Mafia Groups Prepare to Join Forces
Talks held to set up crime cartel for big three mobs· Market-sharing agreement could be in place next year

Italian Roots: Following Footsteps on the Stones of Matera
For those of us in the U.S. who are descended from the great waves of immigration of 1900, family history can be mysterious and strange. But it is also a lot more accessible than we may think, and perhaps a lot more relevant and rewarding.

Italy Mourns Tenor With Voice of Platinum
Singer succumbed to cancer of pancreas which he saw as payment for happiness.

Italian Police to Investigate Abortion of Wrong Twin
Italian police have been asked to investigate a case in which doctors treating a 40-year-old woman who was pregnant with twins aborted a healthy fetus.

Politicians Are Accused of Plotting to Keep Banks in Italian Control
· Magistrate seeks leave to use phone tap evidence· Former central bank chief said to have blocked bids

Italian Visionary Antonioni Dies at 94
Michelangelo Antonioni, one of the most innovative and distinctive film-makers of the 20th century, has died at the age of 94.

Curse of Clooney's Italian Villa Strikes Again
· Actor's home overlooks one of most polluted lakes · Latest setback follows oil spill and cash dispute

Italian Designer Ferré Dies
Gianfranco Ferré, the Italian designer who claimed to have little interest in fashion trends yet became one of the most recognisable names in the fashion-obsessed Italian world, has died.

Pole Position: the New Face of Italian Politics
Former Ferrari boss makes surprise bid for power - Politicians shaken by radical manifesto

Adopt Your Own Italian Vineyard - and Claim a Year's Supply
Made-to-measure wine offered by scheme - Buyers to have input in grape growing and labels

Italian Tv Urged to Scrap Bbc Film Accusing Pope of Abuse Cover-up
Italy's public broadcasting corporation, RAI, was accused yesterday of withholding approval for the screening of a controversial BBC documentary that accuses Pope Benedict of covering up sex crimes by Roman Catholic priests.

How to find a great Italy vacation: Top 10 tips for cheap holidays
What can you do to find "real" cheap travels in Italy? On the web you can find lot of different sites where search, book or compare different offers...are you sure it's a good deal?

Italian Magazine to Publish Paparazzi Photographs of Silvio Berlusconi
An Italian magazine announced it is to publish paparazzi photographs of media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi relaxing with young women at his villa. By John Hooper

A team of professionals to re-launch the Italian metal casting industry
After the boom, the Asiatic competition puts the Italian metal casting sector up against a wall. Only experience, flexibility, quality and competitive prices can contrast the Chinese giant.

Italian Organ Donor Was Hiv Positive
Three patients at a hospital in Florence were given transplants using organs from a donor who was HIV positive because of a mistake made on a laboratory form, Italian health officials said yesterday.

Italy – The World’s Top Vacation Destination
Year after year, one country tops the list of international vacation destinations – Italy, the heart of civilization, the cradle of romance and the home of the Holy Sea.

Italian Children Lose Respect for Authority
Children growing up in the United Kingdom are poorer and more insecure than any other wealthy country in the world, according to a United Nations study. But what is life like for children in Italy, one of the other nations scrutinised by the UN? John Hooper reports.

Italy and Croatia Reopen Old War Wounds
A furious row was raging across the Adriatic today over the second world war after the presidents of Croatia and Italy traded accusations of racism and barbarism.

Italian Votes to Be Recounted
Italian election officials were yesterday braced for a partial recount of the last general election that could alter its outcome.

Some Famous Italians of Today
Famous Italians : Information about great Italians today...

Pardon Makes a Mockery of 90% of Italian Trials
More than 90% of the trials to be held in Italy over the next five years will be pointless, according to the body in charge of the Italian judiciary, because of a pardon approved by parliament earlier this year.

Italian Mp Speaks Out on Veils Despite Imam's 'death Threat'
An imam's 'death threat' to an Italian MP has not stopped her speaking out on Islam and feminism, writes John Hooper

Fallaci, Italian Journalist Who Stirred Controversy, Dies at 76
Bittersweet tributes for writer who embraced liberal causes and Islamophobia.

Italian Village Triggers Diplomatic Crisis By Refusing to Hand Over Girl Abused at Home
· 10-year-old from Belarus tried to kill herself twice · Foster parents who hid her face kidnapping charges

Scouring Italy For the Best Hotels
Aldrovandi Palace adapted its features into one luxurious hotel. The hotel offers 12 luxurious suites and 122 elegant rooms to its to its guests and visitors. It also has a spacious royal suite accommodation that is usually patronized by royal families, famous personalities, and celebrities.

Backlash Over Italian Surnames
Italy's male MPs, who occupy more than five out of six seats in parliament, will face demands from their female colleagues for a change in the law that would have far-reaching effects on the family.

Italian Women's Claim to Name
Italy's male lawmakers, who occupy more than five out of six seats in parliament, will face demands from their female colleagues for a change in the law that would have far-reaching effects on the family.

Italy Offers to Lead Un Force in Lebanon
Foreign minister says Rome will provide around one third of Europe's contribution to strengthening of Unifil force.

88 Migrants Feared Dead After Sinkings Off Italian Island
Up to 88 migrants trying to reach Europe from Africa were feared dead last night after two disasters in the southern Mediterranean.

50 Migrants Missing After Boat Collides With Italian Frigate
Up to 50 people trying to enter Europe from Africa were feared dead yesterday after a reported collision between their stricken boat and an Italian naval vessel sent to rescue them.

Italy to Send 3,000 Troops to Lebanon
France defends decision to send token force to Lebanese border.

Sun, Sea and Sharia on Women-only Italian Beach
An Italian seaside resort has taken speciality tourism into new territory in an effort to combine the delights of sun, sea and sand with a respect for sharia law.

Polish Labourers Kept in Italian 'prison Camp'
· Poles beaten and fed on bread and water by gang · 24 held after raids but seven mobsters at large

Top Italian Intelligence Officer 'helped Cia Kidnap Muslim Cleric'
· Deputy head of Sismi arrested in renditions case · MPs claim case confirms European involvement

Italian King's Son Arrested Over Prostitution Allegations
The son of the last king of Italy was on his way to a prison in southern Italy last night after being caught up in an investigation involving allegations of prostitution and corruption.

Italian Forces to Leave Iraq By December
The new Italian administration today confirmed all Italian troops would withdraw from Iraq by the end of the year.

Prodi Signals Early End to Italian Role in Iraq 'occupation'
· Invasion was grave error, says new prime minister · 2,600 troops to pull out in consultation with allies

Italy Denies Role in Cia Abduction
Silvio Berlusconi's outgoing government was yesterday forced to deny a role in an alleged CIA abduction after new evidence surfaced pointing to the involvement of a member of Italy's security forces.

For a Great Vacation, Get Booted … to Idyllic Southeast Italy
My holiday in Italy was a dream come true and my wish to enjoy the less touristy side of Italy was realized. I stayed in a vacation rental villa in the city of Avetrana, situated in the Apulien region which is also called the "boot heel" of Italy. This was the perfect way to experience the local culture and the little villa in Italy served as a great hideaway when I wanted to be alone.

Need for Reform Makes Italian Leadership Tough Proposition
If ever a new government faced an unenviable prospect then it is the one that was emerging with immense difficulty last night from Italy's turbulent general election.

High Turnout in Italian Elections
· Snap poll in marginal seat suggests tight race · Two days of voting will end this afternoon

Italian Elections Turnout
· Snap poll in marginal seat suggests tight race · Two days of voting will end this afternoon

Travel to Italy and Experience Europe
If you want to experience Europe, you need to travel to Italy. No other country on earth offers the depth, breadth, and scope of Italy. For lovers of art, history, architecture, or music Italy is unsurpassable.

Italy Ready to Give Up on Its Saviour
Many voters no longer believe Berlusconi is capable of reversing years of economic decline.

Be Prepared for Violence, Us Warns Tourists Visiting Italy
· Intervention fuels political row as election nears · Prodi rejects 'unnecessary and alarmist' message

Mystery After Dark in Wpp's Italian Job
Accusations fly over advertising firm's Milan 'break-in'.

Statue's Restorers Hope to Repair Greco-italian Rift
A team of Italian restorers this month begin trying to piece together a priceless, two-metre (7ft) statue of the Greek goddess Hera, aware they hold the future of cultural relations between Rome and Athens in their hands.

Italian Peace Activist Freed After Abduction in Gaza
An Italian peace activist was kidnapped and freed in Gaza yesterday, just over a day after the release of a British family from captivity.

Governor of Bank of Italy Finally Resigns
The governor of the Bank of Italy, Antonio Fazio, resigned yesterday, nearly five months after becoming involved in a scandal over an alleged attempt to stop a foreign bank taking over an Italian one.

Sentimentality Aside, Italy is Still the Home of Opera
The changing face of La Scala is too often judged by those with Merchant Ivory disease.

Pay Women Not to Have Abortions, Say Italian Mps
· 'Baby bonus' proposal gets cross-party endorsement · Low fertility rate threatens to undermine economy

'Cheats' Charter' Sparks Fury of Italian Judges and Opposition
A "cheats' charter" that will allow white-collar criminals to walk free from Italian courts prompted a furious reaction from judges, prosecutors and opposition politicians yesterday.

The Italian Job
David Gow explains how a defence and aerospace company that once faced collapse is aiming to become one of Italy's most global businesses.

Italy 'warned Saddam Intelligence Was Bogus'
Italian intelligence warned the United States about bogus information on Saddam Hussein's nuclear ambitions at about the time President Bush cited them as a crucial reason for invading Iraq, an Italian parliamentarian said yesterday.

Day of Strikes Over Italy Arts Cuts
Cinemas, theatres, concert halls and opera houses and even circuses in Italy will be empty today because of a combined strike and lockout in protest at huge cuts to the arts budget ordered by Silvio Berlusconi's government.

Ya Mule! - Backpacking In Siena, Italy
Backpacking is a great way to travel through Europe. Well, so long as you aren't at the bottom of a long hill.

Brutality Trials Start for Top Italian Police
· G8 protesters claim they were gassed and beaten · New laws could render convictions meaningless

Italian Journalist Posing As Migrant Reports Abuse at Detention Camp
· Reporter says he was forced to sit in sewage · Other inmates stripped naked and slapped

Italy Extraditing London Bomb Suspect
One of the suspected suicide bombers in the failed July 21 attacks on London left prison in Rome this morning for extradition to Britain. Hussein Osman, who is known as Hamdi Isaac in Italy, is accused of attempting to blow himself up on a train at Shepherd's Bush exactly two weeks after...

The beautiful Italian Riviera
The term Italian Riviera usually refers to the Italian coastline area near the border with France, in Liguria.

Muslim Socialite Splits Italian Right
A Muslim model with political ambitions is prompting Italians to confront the issue of how ready they are to let immigrants integrate into their society.

Image of Deformed David to Assail Italian Consciences
A shock campaign involving mutilated Michelangelos and beaten-up Botticellis is to be launched at Italians over the next few weeks, to get them used to the idea of contributing personally to the upkeep of their vast cultural heritage.

London Woman Killed By Speedboat in Italy
Homicide inquiry after swimming death of fund manager.

Kind Officials 'house' Homeless Italians
There are at least a half a dozen "virtual streets" in Italy that bear witness to Italian inventiveness, soft-heartedness - and skill at dodging awkward laws. They were invented by local authority bureaucrats as a way of providing help to the homeless.

'Apartheid' at Italian Hospital
An Italian hospital has come under attack for allegedly practising obstetric "apartheid" after it was reported that Italian and non-Italian women were being put into different wards to give birth.

Grandparents to Get Their Own Day in Italy
Harassed Italians, already struggling to find the time and money to buy gifts for birthdays, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Father's Day, now face a new challenge: the looming shadow of a Grandparents' Day. Just days before the end of the parliamentary year, the lower house...

Oriana Fallaci: Anti-Islamic Italian author in new legal fight
Long-running battle over post-9/11 books pits freedom of speech against respect for religious belief.

Italian librarian cycled home with bomb under saddle
A provincial university librarian cycled for more than a mile and a half with a bomb strapped under the saddle of her bicycle, the latest intended target of the man known as Italy's Unabomber.

Italy Reflected in a Plaque
Politicians are mostly commemorated for giving something to their country. Not in the case of Bettino Craxi, writes John Hooper.

Italy Demands Us Explanation Over Kidnapped Cleric
Italy's relations with the US took a further blow yesterday when Silvio Berlusconi's conservative government said it was summoning the American ambassador in Rome to explain the disappearance of a radical Muslim cleric.

Italy given deficit deadline
The European commission yesterday gambled that the Italian government would make tough reforms to pull the economy out of recession and slash its growing budget deficit and debt.

Italians Consider Reform of Harsh Fertility Law
Referendum on whether to liberalise rules splits country.

Brussels Threatens Italy With Deficit Sanctions
The European commission yesterday gave formal warning to Italy that it could face sanctions for consistently breaching its 3% budget deficit ceiling in a renewed test of the eurozone's cohesion.

Minister Tells Italy to Consider Axing Euro
An Italian minister today said the country should consider abandoning the euro and reintroducing the lira.

Charles's Trust Helps Block Italian Road Plan
The Prince of Wales was caught in a row in Italy yesterday after a charity of which he is patron helped block a €1bn (£680m) government-backed motorway.

Italian Tv to Screen Dutch Film Despite Muslim Protests Over
Italy's state broadcaster, RAI, will tomorrow defy protests from Muslims and reported threats to one of its executives when it becomes the first leading foreign TV network to show the controversial Dutch film Submission.

US and Italy Clash Over Shooting
Relations tense after failure to agree verdict on killing of intelligence agent by American troops in Iraq.

US to Clear Soldiers Over Italian Agent's Death
The US soldiers who shot and killed an Italian secret service agent escorting a freed female hostage to safety are to be cleared of all wrongdoing, it was reported today.

Junior Party Quits Italy's Coalition
Silvio Berlusconi and his followers were dealt a blow yesterday when one of his main coalition partners pulled out of the government, bringing it a step closer to collapse.

Staff at Italy's La Scala Demand Resignation of Artistic Director
The fabled Milan opera house, La Scala, was last night in turmoil after its musicians and other employees voted overwhelmingly for the resignation of its musical director, Riccardo Muti, and the entire governing board.

Italian Metal Worker Shoots Wife With Modified Crutches
An Italian metal worker was in prison last night facing charges of attempted murder after trying to shoot his wife with a rifle he fashioned from an invalid's crutch.

Queen to Greet Italian in Football and Fascism Row
The Queen risks being embroiled in a row over fascism and football when she shakes hands next week with Italy's foreign minister, Gianfranco Fini, leader of the hard right National Alliance.

Veil Falls Over Italy's Soothsayers
Italy's soothsayers and magicians were contemplating a future condemned to darkness yesterday after the national media watchdog said it was banning them from daytime television.

Italians Irate at Language Snub
Downgrading of Italian at European commission press conferences sparks protests.

Kidnapped Reporter Begs Italy to Withdraw
Video shows reporter pleading for her life and an end to occupation.

No 53 Puts Italy Out of Its Lottery Agony
Hundreds lost sleep over it. Some apparently even died for it. At last, Italy has been put out of one of its worst cases of collective lottery agony.

Italians Mark War Massacre
Killing of 15,000 men, women and children commemorated after 60 years.

Mum's the Word for Italians
The Italian man has never been one to fly the nest early, but more and more are staying put, and for longer.

Unqualified engineer shakes Italy
Hundreds of building schemes to be re-examined following discovery that engineer responsible never obtained a degree.

Italy 'to Export Nuclear Waste to Uk'
Italy is hoping to export 99% of its nuclear waste to the UK after public demonstrations made it impossible to find a suitable site on Italian soil.

Tripod Attack Grips Italy
A 28-year-old bricklayer has gained cult status among ordinary Italians after he threw a camera tripod at the prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, on New Year's Eve, leaving him with a bruise at the back of his head.

La Dolce Vita Sours for Italy's New Poor
Poll shows that Italians, struggling to cope with rising prices and a stagnant economy, have had one of their hardest Christmases since the second world war.

Iraqi Militants Display Body of Murdered Man They Claim to Be Italian Aid Worker
Iraqi militants took journalists yesterday to the body of a murdered man they claimed to be an Italian aid worker, Salvatore Santoro, who formerly lived in Britain.

Teeth on Edge Over Italian Dentist Scam
The police have uncovered a ring selling dental qualifications, and yesterday the carabinieri were sifting through mounds of impounded documents, trying to get to the bottom of the scam. A degree cost €200,000 (£138,000).

Italian Press Review
Two contrasting court verdicts involving Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, and one of his closest associates have prompted diverging reactions from the Italian papers.

Capital Letters: Private Eyes Clean Up As Italians Take Dirty Laundry to Detective Agencies
John Hooper in Rome: Private eyes clean up as Italians take dirty laundry to detective agencies.

Italy's Unlucky Number
Millions of Italians will today nervously wait to see if the most costly losing streak in their country's gambling history comes to an end.

Italy Goes on Strike Over Economy
Millions of Italians stop work in protest at the economic policies of Silvio Berlusconi's government.

New Gay Row Erupts in Italy
Allegations of homophobia were yesterday again being levelled at Silvio Berlusconi's allies with the revelation that one of the Italian prime minister's leading supporters had fired the head of his private office, who was spotted at a gay party. Dario Mattiello, secretary to Mr...

Italian Bows Out in Euro Gay Row
A consitutional crisis at the heart of Europe was narrowly averted yesterday after Rocco Buttiglione, the Italian nominee whose anti-gay views had blocked his appointment to the European Commission, finally withdrew his candidacy. In a parting shot, the man who had declared homosexuality...

German Politician Faces New Charges Over Massacre in Italy
A prominent left-wing German politician faces charges of mass murder for his alleged role in one of Italy's most gruesome wartime atrocities. Military prosecutors in La Spezia have sent a formal caution to 89-year-old Klaus Konrad, a former Social Democrat MP and legal adviser to Willy...

Italian Politician in Trouble Over Remarks on Single Mothers
Rocco Buttiglione, Silvio Berlusconi's nominee as Italy's European commissioner, was back under fire at the weekend after appearing to disparage single mothers. As Mr Buttiglione protested that he was the victim of a "hate campaign", there were signs of a growing exasperation with his...

Italian Minister Adds Voice to Soprano Chorus of Denial
Italy's deputy prime minister had added his voice to protests by Italian-Americans at the depiction of their community in the TV show The Sopranos.

Italy Expels More Libyans
Italy's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, flies to Libya today for talks with President Muammar Gadafy against a background of mounting crisis over the arrival and expulsion of unwanted immigrants. Italy yesterday resumed airlifting hundreds of would-be immigrants who have landed in...

Killing Prompts Anger in Italy
Italians discovered yesterday that their country had, not two, but three hostages held in Iraq - and that the third had just been killed. While the hearts of a nation went out to the "two Simonas" - the aid workers Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, released last week - almost no one seems...

Italian Press Review
The Italian press was unusually united last week, offering near-unanimous support for the government's reported decision to pay a ransom to secure the release of Simona Torretta and Simona Pari, the two hostages held in Baghdad. One of the few dissenting voices on the ransom has been the...

Italians Force Referendum on Fertility Law
More than a million people have signed a petition calling for a referendum to abolish a new Italian law on assisted reproduction which will make it harder for infertile couples to obtain treatment. "It's a historic triumph," said Daniele Capezzone, secretary of the Radical party, who...

Italian Driving Licence Scam Uncovered
A year-long investigation by Italian prosecutors has uncovered a widespread driving licence scam, in which scores of learners, and drivers who have been banned, have paid for documents. So far, 28 people have been arrested, including 13 transport ministry officials, and there are fears...

Italian Ivf Blunder Fuels Fertility Law Row
Clinic inquiry after woman gives birth to twins by stranger.

I Regret Nothing, Says Italy's Porn Teen
The young author of the sex diary that scandalised a nation talks to Sophie Arie in Rome.

Italy and Libya in Joint Offensive on Migrants
'Reception centres' planned as up to 2 million people gather on north African coast in hope of sea crossing,

Italy Has a Racist Culture, Says French Editor
A leading French journalist has prompted a debate over racism in Italy after he published a claim that Italian customs officials have a 'cretinous attitude' to any non-white person entering the country. In a letter this week in the left-leaning Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica, the...

Anti-Islamic Books Fuel Fears of Racism in Italy
Human rights groups warned yesterday that racism was becoming increasingly tolerated in Italy after the country's biggest-selling newspaper published a book by a veteran journalist which warns of an Arab invasion of Europe. The 126-page tract by Oriana Fallaci appeared on newsstands with...

Italian Police Crack Baby Smuggling Ring
Italian police have broken up a gang taking pregnant Bulgarian women to give birth in Italy and selling their babies for as little as €5,000 (£3,300). After posing as nurses and medical interns at a Milan hospital where the babies were born, police arrested six people alleged to...

Marry in Italy, Land of Romance, and Save £6,000
Foreign weddings boost economy hit by 9/11 as couples switch from Caribbean. The sun shone in a cloudless sky. The food was fresh, delicious and cheap. The turquoise sea sparkled along the rocky coastline and the faded ochre villas and gently swaying palm trees provided the perfect photo backdrop.

Italy Transfers in German Referees
Italian football - intense, passionate, sometimes violent - is bracing itself for the firm hand of German discipline. In an effort to cut down on post-match disputes over unnoticed fouls, unaccountable penalties and dubious off-side calls, Italy's top referee selector has announced a...

Italian Police on Trial Over G8 Summit Beatings
Italian anti-terror chief among 29 officers facing charges linked to school attack and alleged plot against victims.

Italian Trio Home to a Mixed Reception
Hostages' return muted by doubts on their mission, while UN decision splits opinion on home ground.

Sex Scandal Rocks Italian Campus
Italian professor acquitted after 19 videos were passed to newspapers. For the ageing university professor, his success with young women was down to one thing: oodles of charm.

Madrid Bomb 'leader' Held in Italy
An alleged mastermind of the Madrid train bombings has been captured in Italy, with officials claiming yesterday he was part of a new terrorist cell preparing similar attacks elsewhere in Europe. Rabei Osman Ahmed, 33, a former Egyptian army explosives expert considered to be the missing...

Italian Murders 'the Work of Satanists'
A young Italian woman was allegedly murdered because satanists had become obsessed with the idea that she was the re-embodiment of the Virgin Mary. According to Italian media reports yesterday, Chiara Marino, 19, was among up to seven people who investigators believe may have been killed...

Over 4,000 Doctors Face Charges in Italian Drugs Scandal
One of the biggest inquiries carried out into marketing practices in the drugs industry ended yesterday with Italian police asking for almost 5,000 people to be put on trial.

Italian Police Smash School Exam Scam
A decent collection of A-levels or a baccalaureate can cost, if not blood, then certainly sweat and tears. But in Italy an equivalent qualification can be bought for between €2,000 and €7,500 (£1,350-£5,000). Twenty-three people accused of selling or buying...

Italians March on Vatican in Hostage Plea
Thousands yesterday marched to St Peter's Square in a attempt to save the lives of three Italians being held hostage in Iraq. But most of Italy's leading politicians steered clear of a demonstration called by the captives' relatives after their kidnappers demanded a protest against...

Italy Plans Law to Allow Property Owners to Shoot Intruders
Silvio Berlusconi's rightwing government in Italy is to change the law to allow people to kill intruders without fear of imprisonment. The justice minister, Roberto Castelli, appeared to suggest at the weekend that in addition the benefit of the doubt should be given to shopkeepers who...

Italy's cavemen cashing in on Passion of Mel
Sophie Arie discovers how a Hollywood religious blockbuster is raising the impoverished town of Matera from the dead.

Five Held in Italian Anti-terror Raids
Italian police investigating an alleged cell of a far-left Turkish terror group have arrested at least five people, according to reports. Around 100 police and carabinieri paramilitary forces took part in raids in Perugia, about 80 miles north of Rome. The town has a university for...

Madrid Tremors Reach Italy
Events in Spain have put Berlusconi's policies on combating terrorism under scrutiny, reports Sophie Arie.

Playing Fast and Loose With Tv in Italy
Questions raised over new sports channel linked to Berlusconi.

Childless in Despair As Italian Law Curbs Fertility Treatment
From Tuesday a controversial new law will make fertility treatment harder to get and far less effective for childless couples in Italy.

Italians Go Under the Knife on Prime-time Tv
Scalpel: Nobody's Perfect is the latest extreme in Italian reality shows. The one-hour programme features three or four young girls each week, each desperate to improve a part of her body she thinks is so ugly it is ruining her life.

Italians Play Gay to Avoid Army Service
It is not the sort of trick you would expect the stereotypical Italian male to pull. But when it comes to dodging the draft, machismo goes out of the window. Exploiting a provision which bars gays from military service, more than 150 men are thought to have paid two doctors for...

Prodi Role Criticised As He Launches Italy Election Campaign
The president of the European commission will reignite the controversy over his growing role in Italy's domestic politics when he delivers the keynote speech today.

Italian Doctors Strike Over Health Care Cuts
Thousands of doctors and airline pilots held a 24-hour strike in Italy yesterday to protest about government cuts to healthcare and pay freezes. Some 90,000 operations and 600,000 specialist appointments were cancelled as 150,000 hospital doctors, surgeons, chemists, biologists and...

New Fraud Fears in Italy for Tech Firm
One of the biggest firms on Milan's tech-heavy Nuovo Mercato revealed it was under investigation for market rigging, false accounting and obstructing the work of regulators.

Italian Group Seeks Bae Link
Italian aerospace and defence group Finmeccanica is considering plans for a joint venture with BAE Systems to combine their Hawk and Aermacchi jet trainer programmes, industry sources said yesterday. The Italian firm, through its Alenia aeronautics division, won backing within the...

Parmalat Debacle Predicted to Cost Italian Economy €11bn
The mounting financial scandal that has engulfed the Italian food maker Parmalat has hit the country's economy hard, according to a senior minister. As it emerged that the Italian police had placed Donatella Alinovi, the wife of Parmalat's former chief financial officer, Fausto Tonna,...

Italy Seeks Anarchist Group for Anti-eu Bombs
Anti-terrorism experts yesterday began a hunt for hundreds of members of an "anarcho-insurrectionalist" group thought to be behind the recent wave of mail bombings aimed at European institutions.

Italy Honours 'oddball Tramp'
Italy's head of state, President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, yesterday conferred one of his country's highest honours on a homeless transvestite whose story has gripped Italians during the holiday season. Natale Morea was given the Medaglia d'Oro al Merito Civile - similar to Britain's George...

New Fertility Law Divides Italy
Legislation on reproductive rights has been welcomed by anti-abortion campaigners, reports John Hooper.

Italy Faces Its First Nationwide Tv Viewers' Strike
Italy's mighty television networks are today facing their first nationwide TV viewers' strike.

Italian Alert Over Water Saboteur
Thousands of bottles of water have been withdrawn from Italian supermarkets after traces of bleach were found in at last 10 bottles in different parts of the country. In each case, a syringe appears to have been used to inject a mild dose of household bleach, leaving a pin-prick hole in...

Italian Fashion Queen in Graveyard Scandal
Officials may be tried for trickery at Rome cemetery.

Evasive Italy Raises Stakes in Eu Talks
Italy signalled a rocky start to final negotiations on the EU constitution yesterday by ducking controversial issues and infuriating Britain by proposing that foreign policy powers be ceded to Brussels. A new draft document from Rome offered few clues to the likely outcome of a...

Italian Former Pm Admits Using Cocaine
Venerated Christian Democrat's admission adds fuel to debate over liberal drugs legislation.

Italians Attempt to Thwart Scheme for Burying Nuclear Waste
Villagers take to the barricades in effort to thwart scheme for burying nuclear waste.

Italy United in Grief - and Resolve
Italy witnessed a rare display of public grief and national solidarity yesterday when it buried the 19 victims of last week's bomb attack on a carabinieri headquarters in the Iraqi city of Nasiriya.

Italy's New Hard Line on Soft Drugs Sparks Row
Cannabis and ecstasy users face tough penalties in crackdown.

A Strike on Italy's Identity
The suicide bombing in Iraq of a Carabinieri barracks has prompted a flood of support for a much-loved force, writes John Hooper.

Italian Town Where the Mayor Pays You to Have a Baby
In Laviano, like surrounding villages, houses stand empty while the cemetery is full. Last year, only eight babies were born in a population of 1,850. Young couples are constantly drifting north in search of work.

Muslim Wins Italian Court Ban on Crucifixes in Classroom
A Muslim rights advocate has scored a victory over the Catholic Church and conservative Italians, winning a court ruling that will remove crucifixes from the state primary school his children attend. "The presence of the symbol of the cross shows the will of the state to put Catholicism...

Italian Police Claim Arrests Have Destroyed Core of Red Brigades
The Italian government yesterday claimed to have smashed the core of the Red Brigades terrorists with an extensive police operation that put six people behind bars.

Italy's Blackout Raises Questions
The lines were being drawn yesterday for a bitter battle between environmentalists and industrialists over Italy's energy future in the aftermath of Sunday's vast blackout. More than 55 million people were plunged into darkness - at least five million more than in the power cuts which hit...

Police Bust Huge Italian Call-girl Ring
Police in Italy have uncovered what is possibly Europe's biggest-ever prostitution ring, operating under the guise of an escort agency. A 35-year-old Milanese man has been charged with living off the immoral earnings of between 500 and 600 women. Most were said not to be...

Dramatic Exit of Italy's Tv Queens
Tears and primetime outbursts as state broadcaster's female announcers are put out to pasture in their 30s. RAI, Italy's public broadcasting corporation, will today begin an internal inquiry into how the cameras were left to roll on a scene that shocked viewers, enraged the corporation's executives and forced Italians to take a rare look at the way women are used in the land that feminism forgot.

Italy's Uglies Fancy Their Chances
Francesca Chillemi's sky-blue swimsuit probably clinched it. Four million people watched - or ogled - as the bright-eyed, dark-skinned 18-year-old Sicilian was crowned Miss Italy last week. But in the tiny town of Piobbico, in the eastern Marches region, tradition has it that when the...

Italian Boycott Over Euro Price Rises
Italian consumers went on a "shoppers' strike" yesterday in protest at what many see as huge increases in prices since the introduction of the single European currency. The protest was called by four of the country's leading consumer groups, which urged people to boycott certain shops,...

Italy Wins Monsanto Ban Case
Italy won the right yesterday to impose an emergency ban on genetically modified food products when Europe's highest court waded into a bitter dispute between Rome and the US biotechnology giant Monsanto.

Italian Cops Frown on Farmstays
Agriturismo - the holiday for those who love the Italian countryside but balk at the cost of an Italian villa - has as many dark secrets as any other aspect of life in the Bel Paese (the beautiful country). Almost one-third of the farmer-caterers visited by a special carabinieri unit last...

John Hooper Tries to Win £47m on the Italian Lottery
Foreigners are flocking to Italy in the hope of winning its record £47m lottery jackpot. John Hooper forks out five euros to join the frenzy.

Italians Keep Face By Faking Holidays
According to a survey published yesterday, some 3 million Italians fake their holidays. "So where are you going on holiday?"

Crude Niger forgeries surface in Italian paper
Forged documents on which the British and US governments allegedly based their case that Iraq was seeking uranium from Niger were so crudely drafted that it is unlikely they would have stood up to more than a few hours' - or minutes' - scrutiny by any specialist, it emerged yesterday.

Squabbles Split Italian Right
If the way that Italian politicians are openly goading the biggest nation in the EU is surprising, then the way they are conducting internal politics is even more so, says John Hooper.

Schröder Cancels Italian Holiday Over Jibes
Relations between Germany and Italy, both mainstays of the European Union, were last night sunk in their deepest and most personally acrimonious crisis since the second world war. After the German chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, scrapped his holidays in Italy to protest at anti-German...

Murdoch to launch Italian news channel
Rupert Murdoch's Italian satellite TV service has confirmed it will launch a 24-hour news channel drawing on the success of Sky News in the UK and Fox News in the US.

Italy Sparks Row on First Day at Eu Helm
Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's controversial prime minister, who takes over the European Union presidency for the next six months, turned his fire on France and Germany by warning that Europe must not try to compete as a power block with the United States . Amid unease across the continent...

Image of Industrial Italy Shrinks
Car maker's latest rescue plan will cost 12,000 jobs, 12 factories and 1.8bn euros from shareholders.

Net Closes on Italian Web Pirates
More than 180 people have been charged and a further 10,000 are being investigated by the Italian police after a series of raids to shut down one of Europe's biggest internet piracy rings, it was revealed yesterday. Operation Mouse, led by the financial police, began with a single email...

Explosives Found on Italian Airliner
Explosives were found on an Italian airliner due to fly from the coastal town of Ancona to Rome yesterday, police said. Airport police said they found the explosives wrapped in a lifejacket under a passenger seat in the Alitalia plane after an anonymous caller said there was a bomb on...

New director's dignity decree outlaws Italy's TV bimbos
Italian state television may soon be stripped of perhaps its greatest aid to keeping Italians glued to their screens: the skimpily clad female body.

Italy's Jews wait for royal apology
It was a rocky start for what was intended as a romantic trip down memory lane for Italy's exiled royal family, the Savoys, who returned to Rome last week to meet government officials, only to be greeted by angry Italian Jews still waiting for an apology for the royals' anti-Semitic leanings during the Second World War.

Italy to call for Abbas extradition
Italy today said that it would ask for the Palestinian faction leader who masterminded the 1985 hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro, and was seized by US forces in Baghdad last night, to be extradited to face trial.

Italian men embrace feminine side
Over the centuries, sculptors have used the white marble from quarries around the medieval Tuscan town of Pietrasanta to cut the muscle-rippling male figures that grace squares and fountains across Italy.

On the game: Italians mimic Monopoly to ensure sex slaves receive a chance
Italians will soon be able to play at being prostitutes in a Monopoly-style board game in which players must dodge police raids, turf wars and serial killers to earn a living.

Exiled Royals Dip a Toe in Italy
Prince Victor Emmanuel and family party in Naples but steer clear of Rome.

Caine spills the beans on Italian Job ending
It was cinema's greatest cliffhanger. But now Michael Caine has blown the gaff on the ending of The Italian Job. More than three decades after the release of what has become a cult film, the star has solved the riddle playing on the minds of so many fans: what exactly happened after the credits rolled as his gang's getaway coach teetered on a precipice?

British drugs giant in Italian bribery investigation
Italian prosecutors are investigating the giving of perks given to Italian doctors by the British pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline allegedly in return for prescribing more of their drugs.

Italian Judge Frees Pakistanis Held in Terrorism Raid
An Italian judge ordered the release of 28 Pakistani men yesterday after they spent two weeks in a Naples prison, admitting there was not enough evidence that any of them were involved in an al-Qaida plot. Police in Naples had claimed to have broken up a cell linked to al-Qaida and foiled...

Troubled Italian icon may be sold to GM
The house that Gianni built is at even greater risk of tumbling down now that the Fiat patriarch has died. The company his grandfather helped found as Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torini in 1899 is in crisis.

Italians Mourn the Playboy Prince, Their Symbol of Success and Style
Death of Gianni Agnelli leaves the family struggling to save its empire.

Exiled Italian Royals Go Home
The male heirs to Italy's deposed royal family brought more than half a century of exile to a close yesterday with a one-day visit to Rome for an audience with the Pope. Victor Emmanuel, aged 64, accompanied by his wife, Marina Doria, and his son, Emmanuel Filiberto, 30, took advantage of...

Italian Mps Threaten to Censor Textbooks
Umberto Eco leads campaign as spectre of fascism is invoked. A proposal by the Italian parliament aimed at eliminating alleged leftwing bias from school history books has prompted a massive and furious reaction from the country's academics.

Italy's University Heads Resign Over Proposed Budget Cuts
The heads of Italy's universities all announced their resignations yesterday in protest at funding cuts in next year's budget, which they claim threaten the future of higher education. The unprecedented move by all 77 university rectors is an embarrassment for the government of Silvio...

Italian Promises Cloned Human Baby in January
The Italian fertility expert Severino Antinori once again put himself at the centre of a storm yesterday when he predicted that an unidentified woman would give birth to a cloned baby in the first week of January. In the six years since the announcement of the birth of Dolly the sheep -...

Italian Plane Hijacked on Way to Paris
A plane hijacked with up to 74 passengers and crew on board landed safely in southern France today. French police said a man had been taken into custody. A spokesperson for the national police in Paris would not confirm or deny whether the plane had been hijacked, but said that "the...

Italian Newspaper Names Palace Accused
Efforts by St James's Palace to keep secret the name of the aide to Prince Charles accused of raping a male servant appeared to be unravelling last night after the Italian newspaper La Repubblica revealed the identity of the man in its print editions and across the world on its website...

Royal aide named by Italian newspaper
The royal aide believed to be at the centre of homosexual rape allegations was today named in an Italian newspaper.

Italian Disco Owner is Held
An Italian is among the suspects who have been arrested in connection with the main Bali bombing.

Italian Police Warned As Activists Gather
Thousands of activists against globalisation met in Florence yesterday for the first European Social Forum, a gathering of organisations engaged in "building a planetary society centred on the human being". It is the biggest get-together of the enemies of neo-liberalism since the killing...

Six killed in Italian earthquake
Rescuers working close to the epicentre of a strong earthquake that today rocked central and southern Italy said five children and an elderly woman are feared dead.

Italy hit by general strike
Italy's biggest union led millions of workers in a one-day general strike yesterday in protest at the economic policies of the Berlusconi government. The second general strike in six months caused transport chaos.

'Terror cell' broken up by Italians
Italian police have broken up an alleged al-Qaida cell which was in contact with a terrorist suspect arrested in Britain in May and was being controlled from Iran by one of the sons of Osama bin Laden, the Italian media reported yesterday.

Italy Goes Over Old Battlegrounds
Italy's 'post-fascist' National Alliance is behind two controversial attempts to commemorate the country's military past, writes Philip Willan.

Italian Court Jails Briton for Ecstasy Smuggling
An appeal court in Trieste yesterday sentenced a 28-year-old Briton to three years and eight months' imprisonment for his role in Europe's biggest ecstasy smuggling operation. Alex Bruell, the son of a Hollywood psychologist and the London socialite Biba Hiller, plea-bargained a reduction...

Italian Taste Police Coming to a Restaurant Near You
Italy is planning to introduce a system of quality control to guarantee the authenticity of Italian restaurants abroad.

Italy Fears Flood of Legal Migrants
Italy is braced for a mass return of economic migrants as thousands of South Americans of Italian origin have applied for passports in recent months.

Pim's Italian tomb is new shrine for Right
The 320-ton block of marble which entombed Pim Fortuyn in an Italian graveyard yesterday was above ground, visible from afar and, the mourners hoped, a beacon of the Dutch populist's legacy.

Italian police 'framed G8 protesters'
Italian police have been accused of fabricating evidence against anti-globalisation protesters at last year's G8 summit in Genoa by planting petrol bombs at their headquarters and falsely accusing them of stabbing a police officer.

Seoul Parties After Italians Are Sunk By Golden Goal
Millions of ecstatic South Koreans took to the streets in raucous celebration last night after their team conjured up one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history by knocking three-time winners Italy out of the competition. The capital Seoul was alive with street parties into the early...

Rory Carroll: Italian Media Hunt for Euro Scare Stories
Six months after the introduction of the single currency, the press are overplaying trivialities, says Rory Carroll.

Italian Press Hunt Euro Scare Stories
Six months after the introduction of the single currency, the media are still overplaying trivialities, writes Rory Carroll.

Parade prompts fears of Italian revisionism
Italy honoured Benito Mussolini's troops yesterday with a military parade of vehicles and uniforms from the second world war battle at El Alamein, prompting concern that the Axis forces were being rehabilitated through historical revisionism.

Liberal voice of Italy savages 'Jew-hating' Left
Oriana Fallaci, the Italian war correspondent and writer who for generations embodied the liberal conscience, has caused a sensation by attacking Islam and the European Left in tones compared to those of far-right extremists.

Italians' last action hero
Story of a brave cavalry officer and his lover may change attitudes to the Mussolini era and legacy.

Italian Women Given Secret of Happiness
Barred from top jobs by a sexist elite, belittled and patronised by the media, Italian women were offered solace yesterday by the equal opportunities minister's "10 commandments for happiness".

Italian Bureaucrats Told to Cut the Kafka
Italian bureaucrats, a tribe famed for inscrutable ways and cultural resilience, face losing a battle against modernity. They have been ordered to speak Italian. The baroque enigmas of officialese, riddles of stylised prose and speech that have bewildered and intimidated generations of...

Polling 'coup' Angers Italy's Opposition
The Italian state broadcaster RAI's decision to entrust its opinion polls to the prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's favourite polling companies has outraged the opposition. The three-year contract went to a joint venture by Datamedia and Cirm, part of the HDC group controlled by Luigi...

'Irritated' Italy under pressure to take in Palestinians
Italy was under pressure last night from the Vatican and the United States to agree to take in the 13 Palestinian militants, but rightwing members of the coalition government were resisting in the name of injured national pride and anti-terrorism.

Italian Right Defends Arrested Police
Senior Ministers in Italy have sprung to the defence of seven police officers arrested for allegedly participating in the beating and humiliation of anti-globalisation protesters in Naples last year. The seven were arrested on Friday, sparking a revolt by around 100 of their colleagues,...

Spotlight on the Italian Right
Italy's far-right leaders have been denouncing the racist French politician, Jean-Marie Le Pen, but their instincts may not be so far removed from his, writes Philip Willan.

Italy Stops Work in Protest at New Labour Law
Italy's first full-day general strike for 20 years brought much of the country to a standstill yesterday, raising the stakes in a bitter battle between trade unions and the government about changes in labour law. The massive response to the strike call underlined just how polarised Italy...

Italian Court Tells Father to Support Stay-at-home Son, 30
In Italy few things are more sacred than the family but now the country's highest court has confirmed the importance of family bonds by ordering a father to continue maintaining his adult son until he is able to find a job that satisfies his aspirations. The loser in the family...

Italians nonplussed by US Easter terror alert
Italy has tightened security in four northern cities where Washington has warned that there may be terrorist attacks on American citizens.

Italian unions call first general strike for 20 years
Italy's three main trade unions will stage an eight-hour general strike on April 16, the first for 20 years, in an increasingly bitter battle over the reform of the country's labour laws.

Italian Unions Call Historic Strike
Italy's three main trade unions will stage an eight-hour general strike on April 16, the first for 20 years, in an increasingly bitter battle over the reform of the country's labour laws.

Threat to pelt Italian comic with eggs fails to materialise
There was an unusual degree of interest in the last night of the San Remo song festival this year, and it had nothing to do with who would be the winner.

Italian Navy 'let Immigrants Drown'
The Italian navy was accused last night of doing little to help shipwreck victims as more than 50 immigrants were feared drowned when their boat capsized in heavy seas off the southern coast of Sicily. The tragedy occurred at around 8pm on Thursday as the boat, laden with illegal...

Italy's Pupils Scold Its Ignorant Politicians
They are used to accusations of corruption, but the latest denunciation could be the first to leave Italian politicians speechless. A class of primary schoolchildren has blown the whistle on the parliament's degenerate grammar. The prolixity and passion of national debate is not, the...

Mussolini-supporting Italian Royals Allowed to Return Home
Savoys must renounce politics and claims to their former properties before male members of the royal family are allowed to return home.

Smog-sick Italians to Ban Sales of Petrol Cars
Italy's Lombardy region, one of the industrial powerhouses of Europe, is planning to ban the sale of new petrol- and diesel-powered cars as part of a unique and ambitious clean air programme.

EU fear as far-right leader eyes foreign post in Italy
European alarm about Italy's slide into euroscepticism deepened yesterday as one of Silvio Berlusconi's controversial allies emerged as the frontrunner for the post of foreign minister. News that Gianfranco Fini, head of the rightwing National Alliance, could replace Renato Ruggiero...

Surly response divides Italian cabinet
Rome's surprisingly lukewarm reception of the euro caused an embarrassing cabinet row yesterday between ministers for and against the European Union. Renato Ruggiero, the Europhile foreign minister, said he had been saddened by the negative reaction of fellow ministers to such a momentous event...

Fire kills 19 psychiatric patients in Italy
Nineteen psychiatric patients died early yesterday in a fire at a residential home near Salerno in southern Italy. The victims, aged between 30 and 60, were asleep when the fire began around 1am. Thought to have been caused by an electrical short circuit, it spread rapidly through the...

Italy stakes claim as EU food capital
Wafer-thin slices of dark red prosciutto ham, pungent cheeses and mouth-watering desserts were piled high on sparkling white tablecloths in an exclusive Brussels hotel this week when the Italian government launched its bid for the new European Food Authority.

Briefing was as intensive as...

Italy Gets Tough on Child Sex Offenders
Alessandra Mussolini, grand-daughter of Italy's fascist dictator Benito, is leading a campaign to have Italian child abusers chemically castrated to stop them from re-offending. Mussolini, a deputy for the post fascist Alleanza Nazionale party, has proposed a legal bill for parliament's...