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‘Black room’ with frescoes inspired by Trojan war described as one of most striking discoveries ever made at site in southern ItalyA banquet room replete with well preserved frescoes depicting characters inspired by the Trojan war has been unearthed among the ruins of Pompeii in what has been described as one of the most striking discoveries ever made at the southern Italy archaeological site.The...

Mayor makes offer after number of goats on Alicudi reaches six times human populationThe mayor of a remote Italian island overrun by wild goats has offered to give the animals away to anyone willing to take one in.Riccardo Gullo came up with the novel idea after a recent census estimated the number of goats on the five-square kilometre Alicudi, the smallest of Sicily’s Aeolian...

Brussels vote cancelled after it became clear law would not pass final stage with majority voteThe EU’s nature restoration laws appear on the verge of collapse after eight member states, including Hungary and Italy, withdrew support for the legislation.The laws, which have been two years in the making and are designed to reverse decades of damage to wildlife on land and in waterways, were...

Police were called to reports of dangerous driving in Bondeno, northern Italy, in the early hours of the morningPolice in Italy have fined a 103-year-old woman who was caught driving an uninsured car at night with an expired driving licence.Officers received a call at about 1am reporting a vehicle being driven dangerously in the centre of Bondeno, a town with about 13,000 inhabitants near...

Gangs steal ‘liquid gold’ amid shortages and surging prices after extreme weather damages harvestsOlive oil has become the most stolen product in supermarkets across Spain, with organised criminal gangs targeting the “liquid gold” to resell on the hidden market, according to new figures.Olive oil is now the most shoplifted product in regions that account for 70% of the country’s population, the Financial Times reports....

Destroyer Caio Duilio, part of the EU shipping protection force, took out weapon when it came within four miles of the vesselAn Italian warship participating in the EU naval protection force in the Red Sea was forced to shoot down a Houthi missile on Saturday in a rare engagement by the country’s navy, which has largely avoided direct action since the second world war.The...

Phrixus and Helle are depicted in vibrant colours with exquisite artistry in remarkable discoveryIn a remarkable discovery at the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, archaeologists have unearthed a fresco depicting the Greek mythological siblings Phrixus and Helle.Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of Pompeii Archaeological Park, described the find as a poignant reflection of history unfolding once more. Continue reading...

Cianni brothers aim to change minds with Italy’s first company to produce flour from crickets for human consumption“Go on, try it, it is good,” said José Francesco Cianni as he handed over a packet containing a light brown powder with a crispy texture. “I would even say it is really good.”Sitting in his office in a pristine warehouse-like building, down the corridor from five...

Defendants are being tried in absentia over kidnapping and murder of Italian student in 2016Italy will again attempt to secure justice for an Italian student kidnapped and murdered in Cairo with the opening on Tuesday of a second trial of four Egyptian security officers accused over the killing.Giulio Regeni, 28, had been conducting research when he was abducted in January 2016. His body was...

Florence museum boss compares process to cleaning a bathroom as media are granted privileged accessMichelangelo’s David is recognised as one of the most sublime works in the history of sculpture, but according to the director of Florence’s Accademia Gallery, dusting it is much like cleaning a bathroom.“You know when you clean a bathroom, you clean and clean and think you’ve done a great job...

Gun Ufuk, 29, sentenced to 20 years in prison over deadly sinking that occurred metres from shoreAn Italian court has sentenced a people smuggler to 20 years in prison for involvement in a shipwreck last year that killed at least 94 migrants.The court in the southern city of Crotone found Gun Ufuk, a 29-year-old Turkish national, guilty of crimes including causing a shipwreck and...

Vittorio Sgarbi, who denies allegations over painting, cites separate antitrust investigation in resignationAn Italian art critic who was recently placed under investigation over allegations that a 17th-century painting in his possession was stolen from a castle more than a decade ago has resigned as a junior culture minister.“I am resigning with immediate effect as undersecretary of the government and will inform [the prime minister,...

Marco Raduano broke out of high-security wing of a prison in Sardinia in February 2023A notorious mafia boss who escaped from a high-security prison in Italy last year using bedsheets has been recaptured in France, according to authorities in both countries.Marco Raduano, recognized as dangerous on Europol’s list of most wanted criminals, was captured in Bastia on the French island of Corsica, authorities said...

First cameras were torn down by someone calling themselves Fleximan – now traffic calming measures are being targetedRenzo Bergamini, the mayor of Gualtieri, was on his way to buy the newspapers on Tuesday morning when he noticed something was amiss with one of the two speed humps positioned on the town’s ring road.“I saw that the sections of the hump were slightly misaligned,” he...

Red two-seater named after Emperor Haile Selassie’s daughter abandoned in 1936 after Italy invaded countryAlmost nine decades after it was stolen by Benito Mussolini’s fascist regime, the Italian government has officially returned Ethiopia’s first plane.The official handover of the aircraft, named Tsehay in honour of the princess daughter of Emperor Haile Selassie, was celebrated on Tuesday by the Ethiopian prime minister, Abiy Ahmed. Continue...

Hungarian ambassador summoned amid national uproar at treatment of Ilaria Salis, accused of attacking neo-NazisItaly’s government has said that authorities in Hungary went “too far” in putting in chains an Italian woman who is awaiting trial for allegedly attacking neo-Nazis.Italian ministers summoned Budapest’s ambassador in protest on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Italian prime minister hoping to position country at forefront of European cooperation in exchange for curbing illegal migrationSenior EU figures, including the European Parliament president, Roberta Metsola, are in Rome today for the Italy-Africa summit.Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has welcomed leaders in Rome for today’s discussions at the Italy-Africa summit. Continue reading...

Scheme to help African economies aimed at curbing illegal migration from continentThe Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, is poised to announce her grand plan for Italy in Africa as she strives to position her country at the forefront of European cooperation on the African continent in return for curbing illegal migration.The so-called Mattei plan, named after Enrico Mattei, the founder of the oil company...

Judge to determine whether agreement criticised by human rights groups violates constitutionA court in Albania is due to rule on whether a deal with Italy’s far-right government would violate the constitution by allowing Albanian territory to be used for reception centres for people seeking to enter the EU by sea.The agreement, announced in November by the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, would result initially...

With a fraud investigation into Chiara Ferragni under way, she and fellow social media stars are under sharp scrutinyChiara Ferragni amassed a fortune through incessant selfie-taking as part of a marketing strategy that included imparting pearls of wisdom to her millions of online followers on how to be “effortlessly cool”.But now the influencer – one of Italy’s most powerful – is struggling to maintain...

Rev Franco Reverberi is accused of crimes against humanity during country’s military dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980sItaly’s justice minister has refused Argentina’s request to extradite a priest accused of crimes against humanity during the country’s military dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s.The Rev Franco Reverberi, 86, who served as military chaplain during Argentina’s 1976-1983 military regime, faces charges related to the alleged murder...

Lt Col Carlos Luis Malatto fled Argentina in 2011 and will be tried in Rome for premeditated killing of eight people in last military dictatorshipA judge in Rome has ordered Lt Col Carlos Luis Malatto, a former Argentine army officer accused of murder and forced disappearances during Argentina’s 1976-83 military dictatorship, to stand trial in Italy for the premeditated killing of eight people.The former...

Maurizio Patriciello has had police protection since a bombing near his church in Caivano, Naples, but he vows to keep fighting crimeFather Maurizio Patriciello is running late. “I’m waiting for my bodyguards,” he says by text message.He is neither a celebrity nor a politician but a parish priest in Caivano, a desolate, crime-ridden town on the outskirts of Naples. He has been living under...

Man taken to hospital with bullet wound after incident involving pistol owned by Emanuele PozzoloItalian opposition leaders are demanding “clarity” from the prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, after a gun owned by an MP from her far-right Brothers of Italy party was accidentally fired at a New Year’s Eve gathering.Emanuele Pozzolo confirmed that the pistol belonged to him but denied firing the bullet, which grazed...