Italy will pay up to 17 billion euros ($19 billion) to break up two insolvent Venetian banks, which have posed a threat to country's banking system, the gove ment announced Sunday. Both face bankruptcy and European authorities had urged Italy to devise a rescue framework, selling off the good asset

The centre-right coalition prevailed in local council elections in several major northe towns, weakening the grip of Matteo Renzi's centre-left Democratic Party (Pd) and strengthening the marginal far-right Lega Nord. Local elections in 168 Italian councils and cities have retu ed a number of une

No matter where you go in Italy, Italians are passionate about their coffee. But some pay a higher price for their passion than others. Find out where to get you bargain macchiato and where to expressly avoid espressi. Coffee is to Italians what beer is to the British or pancakes to the Americans, s

Excavations to finish metro Line C in the capital continue to throw up ancient Roman archeological finds. After a military barracks last year, the latest discovery is two Pompeian buildings near the Aurelian Wall. Two ancient Roman edifices have been discovered during excavations to extend Metro Lin

It’s hard to believe that just a few hours drive from Rome, a small population of bears has survived in isolation for thousands of years. They live in the Apennine mountains that run along the centre of Italy, where high peaks merge into woodland, lakes and pasture, with humans scattered in vill

Italian motorcycling star Max Biaggi has left intensive care in a Rome hospital two weeks after being admitted following a training accident, he revealed on Twitter. xa0"This time, I almost risked not being here," wrote Biaggi, who celebratedhis 46th birthdayxa0on Monday. "The greatest gift is to le...

The Vatican expressed "grave conce " on Monday for one of its bishops in China, saying he was being held in an unknown location after being "forcibly removed" from his diocese. Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said the Holy See was "profoundly saddened" by the situation of Peter Shao Zhumin, who he sai

At the 11th hour, the Italian gove ment has vowed to rescue two troubled Venetian banks with the aid of a retail bank, plus billions of taxpayers' cash. The gove ment was due to meet over the weekend to devise the rescue framework for Banca Popolare di Vicenza and Veneto Banca, the finance ministr

A game of Calcio Storico in Florence. Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFPOn June 24th each year, Florence's main square tu s into an arena for a sport which is a brutal combination of rugby, football, and wrestling. The Local explores the history of the unique tradition. Calcio Storico (Historical footba

A market at Rome's Campo dei Fiori. Photo: Randy OHC/FlickrWhenever you travel to Italy, you can be assured of good food. But in the stiflingly warm summer months, visitors may not be in the mood for heavy plates of pasta and pizza ... or at least not all the time. Italians eat with the seasons, mea

Italian tailor Raniero Mancinelli, 80, working on a cardinal robe. Photo: Vincenzo Pinto/AFPRaniero Mancinelli cannot afford to drop a stitch. Pope Francis is creating five new cardinals next week and the race is on to have their scarlet robes ready in time. The Italian tailor's family shop, located

AFP [email protected] 23 June 201717:17 CEST+02:00 Share this article File photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images North America/AFP AFP [email protected] 23 June 2017 17:17 CEST+02:00 Italy's competition watchdog on Friday fined British Airways and Etihad Airways for failing to adequately inform cu

Raggi pictured earlier this week. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFPRome mayor Virginia Raggi has dramatically changed her tune on migration in recent weeks, in a shift to the right echoed by the Five Star Movement party's leader Beppe Grillo. The shift gives an insight into how both party politics and the

Pope Francis waves during his weekly general audience in St Peter's Square. Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFPPope Francis is supporting a series of aid projects in South Sudan, the Vatican said Wednesday, sending money in his place after a trip to the war-to country was ruled out. The Vatican will don

File photo of an ambulance leaving an Italian hospital. Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFPA doctor was stabbed to death outside the hospital where she worked on Wednesday evening, according to Italian media reports which say the woman had previously reported her suspected killer for stalking. The victim

A centurion crossing the road. Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFPAs the mercury rises in Italy and the days and nights get unbearable, it's worth looking to Ancient Rome for tips on keeping your cool. The Romans were no strangers to the summer heat. In fact, the mode term: "the dog days of summerx94" act

In search of the perfect gelato. Photo: Alexandra E Rust/FlickrSummer in Italy means gelato once a day at the very least, but not all gelato is created equal. To save our readers from a disappointing ice cream experience, The Local has spoken to experts to bring you the best tips for spotting top qu

A view over Brescia, where the 1974 trade union rally bombing took place. File photo: Pedro/FlickrPortuguese police said on Wednesday they have arrested Italian Maurizio Tramonte, on the run following his 2015 conviction for a 1974 bombing which killed eight and injured 102. Tramonte, 64, was the su

Migrants walk barefoot after disembarking from a rescue boat. File photo: Giovanni Isolino/AFPA Nigerian human trafficker known as "Rambo" has been arrested in Italy on charges of torturing and killing migrants held captive in Libya, Italian police said on Tuesday. The suspect named John Ogais, 25,

Angelino Alfano speaks to press. Photo: Mahmoud Zayyat/AFPItaly's Foreign Minister, Angelino Alfano, said Italy was working "with conviction" to guarantee the rights of Brits in Italy and Italians in the UK post-Brexit, after meeting with the UK's Brexit Secretary David Davis in Rome on Tuesday. "We