This is not a Caravaggio painting, it's real people. Honest. Photo: Screengrab/Italia's Got TalentA contestant on 'Italia's Got Talent' was given a standing ovation after presenting the judges with his 'living Caravaggio' paintings. Angelo, a literature student from Avigliano, in the southe Basilica...

When you think ‘science’, do you recall school projects and baking soda volcanos? Perhaps it’s time for a change of scene – a trip to Chantilly, France, for instance. Green fields stretching as far as the eye can see. A glass of golden, gleaming chardonnay. Days spent languishing in the sun as it dr...

Austria and Italy were set for showdown talks on Thursday. Photo: Raul Alejandro Rodriguez/FlickrItaly and Austria were set for showdown talks Thursday as Italian politicians and media reacted furiously to Vienna's new anti-migrant measures that could close the border between the two countries. Aust...

War veteran Harry Shindler has lived in Italy since 1982. Photo: Rosie ScammellA long-term Briton in Italy has said he is “disappointed and saddened” after losing a High Court bid to get the right to vote in the upcoming EU referendum. Harry Shindler, a 94-year-old war veteran, and Jacquelyn MacLenn...

The health of widows in Veneto improved after they lost their spouse, the study found. Photo: Sergio Pani/FlickrWidows are a lot less stressed than wives whose husbands are still alive, according to an Italian study. The surprising results of the study carried out by researchers at the University of...

When you think ‘science’, do you recall school projects and baking soda volcanos? Perhaps it’s time for a change of scene – a trip to Chantilly, France, for instance. Green fields stretching as far as the eye can see. A glass of golden, gleaming chardonnay. Days spent languishing in the sun as it dr...

A high court bid to force the British gove ment to change the law that bars long-term expats from voting in the crucial EU referendum has been thrown out by judges. Lawyers acting for the two British expats who launched the legal battle have confirmed they will seek leave to appeal directly to the U...

Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma is rumoured to be leading a Chinese takeover of AC Milan. Photo: Martin Bureau/AFPOnline retail giant Alibaba is on the verge of leading a Chinese takeover of AC Milan from disgraced former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, Italian media reported on Wednesday. Company suprem...

Six arrest warrants were issued in Lombardy as part of Italy's anti-terror operation. Photo: Raffaele EspositoSix suspected Islamic extremists have been arrested in northe Italy, among them a married couple who allegedly planned to take their two children, aged two and four, to join jihadists in Syr...

Italy is to begin fingerprinting migrants at sea in a bid to stop them fleeing for other countries after arrival. Photo: Giovanni Isolino/AFPItaly is to introduce the fingerprinting of migrants crossing the Mediterranean as soon as they are picked up by rescue boats, officials say. The move could he...

Francesco Schettino is fighting a 16 year jail term over the Concordia cruise ship disaster. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFPCosta Concordia skipper Francesco Schettino on Thursday begins his battle to avoid prison for causing the 2012 cruise ship disaster off Italy which cost 32 people their lives. Schet...

BREAKING NEWS Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has lashed out at Austria over border controls. Photo: Andreas Solaro/AFP The Local · 27 Apr 2016, 15:48 Published: 27 Apr 2016 15:48 GMT+02:00 Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said the idea of Austria closing the Brenner pass goes brazenly against Europe...

A report estimates that Italy failed to spend €9.3 billion in EU funds allocated between 2007 and 2013. Photo: Christ Goldberg/FlickrItaly risks losing an estimated €9.3 billion it received from the EU between 2007 and 2013 because it has failed to spend the money in time. For the five-year cycle be...

Swim star Federica Pellegrini will carry her country's flag at the Rio Olympics in August. Photo: Alexander Nemenov/AFPSwim star Federica Pellegrini, the golden girl of Italian sport, will carry her country's flag at the Rio Olympics in August, the national Olympic committee Coni announced on Wednes...

The Delta flight declared an emergency during the landing phase in Rome. Photo: Alessandro Ambrosetti The Local · 27 Apr 2016, 10:47 Published: 27 Apr 2016 10:47 GMT+02:00 A Delta airlines flight from New York declared an emergency during the landing phase in Rome on Wednesday mo ing. The emergency ...

Mussolini's hometown of Predappio is planning to build a museum dedicated to Il Duce. Photo: Tiziana Fabi/AFPTiptoeing through pigeon droppings in a building where Benito Mussolini once barked out orders, the mayor sighs wearily as he recounts his long battle to get agreement on what do with the cru...

The number of 100-plus citizens in Italy rose from 5,650 in 2002 to 19,000 in 2015. Photo: Stefano MortellaroThe number of centenarians in Italy has more than tripled in less than 15 years despite the growth in life expectancy stalling last year, a health report published Tuesday on revealed. From 5...

A top chef's vegan food offering did not go down well at a Bologna homeless shelter. Photo: FS999/FlickrHomeless people at a soup kitchen in Bologna threatened to “retu to the streets” after being fed vegan food last week by a famous Italian chef. Simone Salvini, who has his own TV show, was called ...

US intelligence official James Clapper has spoken of dormant Isis cells in Italy - but how real is the threat? Photo: Saul Loeb/AFPHidden Isis cells with the power to launch devastating attacks like those seen in Belgium and France are present in Italy, according to a US top intelligence official. J...

Italy has denied that it is planning to send between 600 and 900 soldiers to Libya. Photo: Marcello Pate ostro/AFPItaly’s Ministry of Defence has denied a report that the country has offered to send between 600 and 900 soldiers to Libya. Corriere della Sera reported on Tuesday that Italy was “ready ...