The Local

After gathering a huge online following and writing a book about her life in Italy, TikTok star Kacie Rose Bus tells The Local how the country drew her in and what she’s leaed along the way. , ...ادامه مطلب

L-R: Katja Meier, Rosalind Pratt, Valeria Duflot. 2017 has been a significant year for some of Italy's biggest names, with a comeback apparently on the cards for Silvio Berlusconi and a dramatic disappointment for the national football team just two of the year's major stories. The Local has spent the year reporting on national and local news from up and down the country, but sometimes the most interesting stories are those which don't generate global headlines. Italy is more than the twists and tus of politics or the reputation for great food and culture; more than anything, Italy is the people who live here, whether by birth or by choice. A refugee home worker, a British baker and reality TV star, and the Verona women who respond to thousands of love letters are among seven of our most inspirational interviewees this year. Read their stories below. The trained Swiss actress who ran a Tuscan refugee home Photo: Private Katja Meier came to Italy looking for a career break in an olive grove, but along the way, she and found herself running a refugee home. She spoke to The Local about the contrast between how 'expats' and refugees view and exper, ...ادامه مطلب

A Twitter account claiming to belong to Anita Raja on Tuesday night "confirmed" media reports that the translator was behind the successful Elena Ferrante novels, sending Italian media into a frenzy. But by Wednesday moing, it seemed that the account was a fake. The account, was created on Tuesday evening, with a tweet saying it would only stay open temporarily to allow for an "explanation".It used the handle @AnitaRajaSta - 'Sta' being an abbreviation for the suame of Raja's husband, writer Domenico Staone - and followed 48 accounts of joualists and news organizations (including The Local Italy). "I confirm it. I'm Elena Ferrante. But this doesn't change anything regarding readers' relationships with Ferrante's books," the account posted, at one minute to midnight on Tuesday evening. It went on to say that the way Ferrante's identity had been 'revealed' had been "gross and dangerous", and said that Raja would not give any interviews regarding the novels. "They are and rema, ...ادامه مطلب

Ferrante gained fame for writing about the working class districts of Naples. Photo: Carlo Raso/FlickrOne of literature's unresolved mysteries appears to have been cracked with the unmasking of the true identity of Italian publishing sensation Elena Ferrante. In its wake, a literary row erupted on Monday over joualistic ethics and writers' right to protect their identities and the personal back stories that may, or may not, inform their work.Claudio Gatti, an Italian investigative joualist, says he has established that Ferrante is a pen name for Anita Raja, a Rome-based translator who is married to a well-known novelist, Domenico Staone.Ferrante's best-selling novels, particularly her Naples-based quartet, have been acclaimed for their intricate, compelling storytelling and insights into the nature of female friendship.Her success has been fuelled by media interest in the mystery over the author's identity with the until-now anonymous Ferrante having granted only a handful of int,elena ferrante,elena ferrante identity,elena ferrante amazon,elena ferrante anita raja,elena ferrante my brilliant friend,elena ferrante books,elena ferrante series,elena ferrante interview,elena ferrante new yorker,elena ferrante book 2 ...ادامه مطلب

Italian surgeon Paolo Macchiarini has defended himself in an interview with a Swedish magazine. Photo: Lorenzo Galassi/TT/APScandal-hit Italian surgeon Paolo Macchiarini, who is accused of using Swedish patients as guinea pigs, has told a medical magazine that he wasn't to blame for patients' complications, in his first interview since being ousted from his post in Stockholm. Previously an inteationally renowned surgery star who operated on numerous Swedish and inteational celebrities, Paolo Macchiarini was sacked in March by Sweden's Karolinska Institute (KI) after growing controversy surrounding his medical methods.The Italian attained world fame after completing the first synthetic trachea transplant using stem cells in 2011. However six of his eight patients died, while another remains in hospital in the US."The complications are not related to the transplant," Macchiarini told Swedish medical joual Läkartidningen in an article published on Wednesday."When you are on the front line you run the risk of being attacked, and we have been, by the so-called whistleblowers. But I hope that everyone in Sweden will consider us innocent before we are convicted of anything," he argued."Those who are criticising should be aware that there are hundreds of articles on large animal studies of transplants using synthetic windpipes."KI first filed a complaint alleging that Macchiarini had downplayed the risks of the procedure in 2014 and suspended all synthetic trachea transplants shortly afterwards.A previous article in Läkartidningen described the Macchiarini case as an "ethical Cheobyl" for the institute."His actions have had tragic consequences for the individuals conceed and their families," said Mats Engelbrektson, the institute's director of human resources after announcing that he had been fired earlier this year."His behaviour has damaged the credibility of KI and research in general."Story continues below…Swedish police are investigating Macchiarini on suspicion of gro, ...ادامه مطلب