The Local

As some 10.5 million people in the country prepare for an Easter getaway, drivers on Italy's roads can expect heavy traffic over the long weekend. , ...ادامه مطلب

Italy may have launched a winter Covid vaccination campaign, but even doctors are unaware of it as official information is scarce, writes Silvia Marchetti. , ...ادامه مطلب

Italians are famous for criticising foreigners who fall foul of their country's unwritten culinary rules. But even Italians make food-related mistakes, writes Silvia Marchetti. , ...ادامه مطلب

Nearly 23 percent of Italy's population is over 65. Photo: Olivier Morin/AFP Italy's population is older than ever after another drop in the number of babies bo here last year. Some 464,000 babies were bo in Italy in 2017, according to the latest figures from national statistics bureau Istat. That was 9,000 below the 2016 total, which was already 12,000 fewer than the year before that. The trend stretches back further: over the past ten years, births have fallen by 100,000. The declining birthrate, combined with longer life expectancy, has left Italy with a significantly older population. By the start of of 2018, for the first time ever the mean age of Italy's residents was over 45 years old. Nearly 60 percent of them were 40 or older; nearly 23 percent were over 65. In contrast, only 27 percent were aged 15-39, and around 13 percent were 14 or younger. Deaths also increased in 2017, leaving Italy with fewer people: just under 60.5 million by the end of last year, around 100,000 fewer than at the start. Even an increase in the number of foreign nationals arriving in Italy (up 12 percent) and a decrease in the number of Italians leaving (down around 3 perce, ...ادامه مطلب

Pope Francis pictured during his weekly general audience. Photo: Andreas Solaro/AFP Pope Francis waed on Wednesday against the temptation of fake news, drawing a parallel between ethically compromised joualism and the biblical tale of Adam, Eve, the snake and the forbidden fruit. In his annual World Communication Day message held on the feast day of Francis de Sales, the patron saint of joualists, the Pope referred to Eve being fooled by the snake as "the first fake news"."We need to unmask what could be called the 'snake-tactics' used by those who disguise themselves in order to strike," he said. Fake news" was popularised as a phrase by Donald Trump during his victorious 2016 US presidential election campaign and first year in the White House. Trump uses it as a barb towards what he believes is a mainstream media biased against him, but it has come to be used as a way of describing the proliferation of outlets and websites publishing invented news stories as a tool of political propaganda.Pope Francis used the story of Adam and Eve, from the Old Testament's Book of Genesis, to highlight that "there is no such thing as harmless disinformation; on the contrary,, ...ادامه مطلب

File photo of Patrick Cutrone. Photo: Miguel Medina/AFP Teenager Patrick Cutrone scored an extra-time winner and goalkeeper Antonio Donnarumma emerged from the shadow of his star brother Gianluigi as Milan dumped city rivals Inter out of the Italian Cup on Wednesday. The 19-year-old Cutrone broke through after 104 minutes at the San Siro after the match had ended 0-0 in regular time to set up a two-legged semi-final against Lazio, who saw off Fiorentina 1-0 on Tuesday. But Milan's third-choice goalkeeper Antonio Donnarumma, 27, elder brother of the regular keeper Gianluigi, 18, played a key role on his debut, after his sibling was ruled out with an injury and second-choice Marco Storari, 40, pulled out during the warm-up. The video assistant referee saved Donnarumma's blushes after he put the ball into his own net, but otherwise it was an assured debut for a player previously branded a "parasite" by Milan's hardcore ultra fans. "When I heard Marco was injured, I was a little stunned, but I told myself to take this chance and have fun," Donnarumma told Milan TV. "I always trained well, I always did my work in silence. Work pays off and f, ...ادامه مطلب

An Amazon distribution centre in the UK. Photo: Chris J Ratcliffe/AFP AFP [email protected] @thelocalitaly 20 December 2017 17:32 CET+01:00 Workers at Amazon's distribution centre in Italy went on strike for about two hours on Wednesday to demand better pay and conditions, the second time workers have walked off the job in less than a month. The workers at Amazon's Castel San Giovanni facility in the north of the country have been demanding better wages and a restructuring of work conditions for weeks. Some 500 workers previously observed a one-day strike on November 24th, to coincide with the US online retailer's 'Black Friday' sales bonanza, as did some 2,000 workers at six sites in Germany. "Employees on the day's first shift [between 05:00 and 13:00 GMT] stopped work during the last two hours," a company spokeswoman said. "A general meeting is under way and we do not know what action the movement will give," she said, adding that deliveries were not affected by the walkout. The Amazon facility employs about 400 full-time workers, ...ادامه مطلب

Christmas shopping in Rome. Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP For many of us, Christmas is a time of the year to indulge and treat ourselves, spending extra time with friends and family and tucking in to plenty of delicious food. But it's also a good time to think about helping those who might be having a less than merry Christmas. As a foreigner in Italy, it can be difficult to find out about opportunities to volunteer locally, particularly if your Italian skills need some work, so The Local has gathered together a list of ways to donate your time and money for a good cause across the country. If you know of any other charities which are accepting help or donations in Italy this Christmas, get in touch at [email protected] READ ALSO: Six quirky traditions that make an Italian Christmas Rome In Ostia, you can leave a gift for someone in need under a tree set up in the main square of the Rome suburb by a local charity aiming to show resistance to the recent mafia violence in the area. You can put any gift there -- just write on it whether it's most suitable for a man, woman, or child -- and it will remain up until Epiphany on January, ...ادامه مطلب

Alfa Romeo will get back on track. Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images North America/AFP Alfa Romeo will once more race in Formula 1, the Italian car maker announced on Wednesday, after it agreed a sponsorship deal with Swiss team Sauber. The new Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team will make its debut in the 2018 season, the first time that the company has competed on an F1 track in more than 30 years. “Alfa Romeo fans will once again have the opportunity to support an automaker that is determined to begin writing an exciting new chapter in its unique, legendary sporting history,” said Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Alfa Romeo’s parent company, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. The part, ...ادامه مطلب

The last time the Trevi Fountain got a dye job, in 2007. Photo: Christophe Simon/AFP Police have arrested a man for dyeing the Trevi Fountain, the second time in ten years that Rome's iconic water feature has run red. Exactly seven years and, ...ادامه مطلب

The wolves captured on camera. Photo: Oasi LIPU The wolf is the symbolic animal of Rome, a city founded by two brothers who were raised by a she-wolf - or so the legend goes. And now, for the first time in over 100 years, newly-bo wolves have been spotted living just outside the Italian capital. Hidden cameras in the Oasi LIPU Castel di Guido, a wildlife sanctuary spanning 180 hectar, ...ادامه مطلب

Beautiful sunsets and empty streets: That's autumnn in Rome. Photo: Moyan Brenn/FlickrIt's never a bad time for an Italian holiday, but autumn is when the country really comes into its own. Read on for the top reasons you should book a trip here now. 1. The Colours Autumn by Lake Como. Photo: rglinsky/Depositphotos Whether it's the autumn sunshine illuminating reddish city buildings, the changing , ...ادامه مطلب

A screenshot from the advert. Photo: YouTubeA sex toy commercial is being run on Italian television for the first time, testing attitudes towards sex and women. The advert for the pleasuring device aired on satellite channels Realtime, NOVE and DMAX for the first time in July but is now also being shown on terrestrial channels Mediaset and La7, according to Corriere della Sera.  The same report claims it's the first time an advert for a sex toy has been aired on national television.  The 30-second clip showcases sex toys by mysecretcase.com. The company's website says the store was bo in 201, ...ادامه مطلب

England's Under  21s are hoping to follow in the success of their Under 20 counterparts and reach a major footfall final for only the third time ever.  Andy Boothroyd's team face arch sport nemesis Germany in their semi final in Tychy, Poland, this evening for a place in the touament's final. Ital, ...ادامه مطلب

To mark the European Heritage Days on September 24th and 25th, Italy is opening the doors to many of its usually-closed sites, and some of its most famous are opening on Saturday evening, with a special €1 entry rate. There are more than 50,000 events taking place across Europe, but Italy is surely the best place to enjoy the cultural weekend, with more Unesco World Heritage sites than any other country, plus plenty of undiscovered gems. Over 380,000 people took part in the event last year, which was created to promote cultural dialogue between the European nations. Some sites which are usually closed will open their doors to the public for a rare glimpse, while others will be putting on special events for the occasion. Many of the most famous hotspots are staying open late, with a mere €1 fee for a nighttime visit. In Campania, both the ruined cities of Pompeii and its lesser-known but equally impressive cousin Herculaneum are participating in the scheme, along with Naples' archeo,for one day,for one day lyrics,for one day only,for one day your here and then your gone lyrics,for one day leave,for one day trip,for one day picnic,for one day yesung,for one day evermore,for one day evermore chords ...ادامه مطلب