From November 13th-19th, you can stay for free in one of thousands of Italian B&Bs. The catch? You need to 'barter' with the hoteliers, offering them a product or service in exchange for your visit. November 2017 sees the ninth edit

Rome’s Ciampino airport has been ranked the 12th worst airport in the world. Ciampino came just ahead of Kathmandu Tribhuvan Inte ational Airport in Nepal in the survey by the travel site, ‘Sleeping At Airports’. “I had to sleep

A wax statue of Pope John Paul I is displayed in the window of the Rome wax museum. Photo: Gabriel Buoys/AFP Pope Francis has recognised the "heroic virtues" of Pope John Paul I, one of the shortest-lived popes in history, in the first

Pope Francis has outlawed the sale of cigarettes at the Vatican in a bid to lead by example on healthy living. "The Holy Father has decided that the Vatican will cease to sell cigarettes to employees as of 2018," the Vatican said i

A cruise ship and a gondola with tourists navigate at the entrance of the Grand Canal. Photo: Miguel Medina/AFP Large cruise ships will soon be banished from the centre of Venice, Italy's transport minister announced on Monday. The boats

Pope Francis at his weekly service in St Peter's Square, November 8th 2017. Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP. AFP [email protected] @thelocalitaly 8 November 2017

The councillor arrested belonged to a centre-right coalition that includes Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party. Photo: Eliano Imperato/AFP. The champagne corks had only just stopped popping in Sicily when one of the newly-elected councillors

Five Star Movement leader Beppe Grillo (C) addresses supporters of candidate Giancarlo Cancelleri (L) upon regional elections in Sicily, on Friday in Palermo. Photo: ALESSANDRO FUCARINI / AFP Sicilians cast their ballots Sunday in a regional vote

The bodies of 26 women who drowned attempting the perilous crossing from Libya to Europe were brought to Italy on Sunday, where investigators launched a murder inquiry. A seemingly endless line of black plastic body bags were lowered by

On this week's podcast we look at why Germany's far-right party is already upsetting the country's politics. On this week's podcast we look at why Germany's far-right party is already upsetting the country's politics. We also ask why EU citizens in Denmark aren't using their right to vote, and why t...

Giuseppe To atore adamantly denied the allegations on Saturday. PHOTO: ALBERTO PIZZOLI / AFP Italian director Giuseppe To atore on Saturday denied assaulting a showgirl as the Academy Award-winning filmmaker became the latest in the entertainme

Test results indicate that the disease was likely passed to the child by human error, such as a reused needle. File photo: FRED DUFOUR / AFP A four-year-old girl who died of malaria in Italy in September caught the deadly disease in hospital, the

Favignana is famous for its stone cliffs. Photo: Roberto/Flickr. Three prisoners who escaped from an island prison were recaptured as they attempted to sail to freedom, Italian police said on Thursday. The inmates had been on the loose s

A man visits Rome's Verano cemetery. Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP. In Sicily, children hunt for treats left by loving relatives no longer around. In northe Italy people leave their homes empty in case the dead want to visit. All over the count

Italian luxury carmaker Ferrari said on Thursday its net profit had surged by nearly a quarter in the three months to September, outpacing expectations, and predicted a smooth ride for the rest of the year. Adjusted net profit came in a

File Photo: Andreas Solaro/AFP. The scandal that rocked Italian football where Lazio fans posted anti-Semitic photos of Holocaust victim Anne Frank in a Roma shirt is just the latest in a long list of outrages by the club's supporters. Earl

Lake Trasimeno seen from the fortress at Castiglion del Lago. File photo: wallaceweeks/Depositphotos The Etruscan city and capital of the 'green heart of Italy' is often the focus for tourists who visit the central Italian province of Umbria. But

In this week's episode of The Local's Europe-wide podcast, Lee Roden looks at what the future might hold for Catalonia. Also, we ask whether all hope is lost for Berlin's calamitous new airport, and why Sweden can't ban begging. xa0 Presenters: James Savage and Emma Löfgren. xa0

The Italian senate overwhelming passed a new election law on Thursday, despite fierce opposition from Italy's newest political party. The senate passed the bill by 214 to 61, with one abstention.xa0 It took five confidence votes to finally

We asked you to pick your favourite Italian words. Here’s what you chose. Whether they bring back cherished memories of travelling in Italy or got you through dinners with Italian in-laws, a whole bunch of our readers can think of a whole