Giorgia Meloni’s government is watering down Italy’s anti-mafia laws – four dangerous examples: Author Alison Jamieson once described the fight against organised crime in Italy as the “mafia-antimafia seesaw”. There have been plenty of ups and downs in this long history. And yet, at the moment, it looks as though the seesaw is weighted on …
Italy’s far-right claim The Lord of the Rings – but they’ve misread Tolkien’s message: Region of Mordor on the map of Middle-earth. Erman Gunes/Shutterstock Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni and I have precious little in common. But one important thing we share is The Lord of the Rings. Both she and I regard the J.R.R. …
Silvio Berlusconi: the property developer who became a media tycoon – and Italy’s most flamboyant prime minister: Silvio Berlusconi, who has died at the age of 86, was born into a middle-class family in Milan, a city heavily affected by the second world war. He attended a private school belonging to a religious order, and …
ChatGPT: lessons learned from Italy’s temporary ban of the AI chatbot: The Italian data protection authority used an emergency procedure to impose the temporary ban. Shutterstock / Diego Thomazini In March 2023, Italy became the first western country to block the advanced chatbot known as ChatGPT. The Italian data protection authority, Garante, cited concerns over …
Modern mafia: Italy’s organised crime machine has changed beyond recognition in 30 years: The arrest of Matteo Messina Denaro, one of Sicily’s most infamous mafia bosses, has reminded many Italians of the extreme violence he was associated with when operating as a leading figure of Cosa Nostra. Denaro appears to belong to another time – …
Dante was the founder of Italy’s right wing, claims culture minister – an expert explains why he’s wrong: Dante in Verona, by Antonio Cotti (1879). Bonhams “Dante was the founder of right-wing thinking in our country,” proclaimed Italy’s culture minister, Gennaro Sangiuliano, at an electoral meeting of the prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s party, Fratelli d’Italia, …
Italy’s pasta row: a scientist on how to cook spaghetti properly and save money: shutterstock Nitr via Shutterstock Italians are notoriously – and understandably – protective of their cuisine, as regular arguments about the correct toppings for pizza or the appropriate pasta to use with a Bolognese ragu will attest. So it was hardly surprising …
Italy’s election is a case study in a new phase for the radical right: Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the populist radical right party Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d’Italia), may have emerged as the victor in Italy’s recent elections, but she did so at the head of a delicately balanced coalition of parties – one …
Raphael: it’s time we stopped dismissing Italy’s great painter as style over substance: How bountiful and benign heaven sometimes shows itself in showering upon one single person the infinite riches of its treasures, and all those graces and rarest gifts that it is wont to distribute among many individuals, over a long space of time …
Three reasons why Mattarella’s reappointment as Italy’s president is a huge relief for the west: After a tumultuous week of secret votes and intense negotiations between political parties, Italy has reconfirmed Sergio Mattarella as head of state for a second seven-year term. The decision implies that Mario Draghi, the Italian prime minister for nearly a …
Italy’s citizenship debate: how a country of emigrants is learning to live with immigrants: The American actor Richard Gere is one among several witnesses scheduled to testify at the high-profile trial of the Italian politician Matteo Salvini, Italy’s former interior minister. Salvini is facing charges of kidnapping after allegedly blocking the humanitarian ship Open Arms …
Did COVID end Italy’s populist moment?: “It is our darkest hour: but we will make it.” In March 2020, the (now former) prime minister of Italy, Giuseppe Conte, echoing the words of Winston Churchill, summed up the depth of his country’s crisis in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is easy, with hindsight, to …
Mario Draghi: is Italy’s addiction to technocratic leaders a cause for concern?: Italy loves technocrats. The latest proof is the decision to install Mario Draghi, former governor of the Bank of Italy and former president of the European Central Bank, as prime minister. This followed the resignation of Giuseppe Conte, who lost the support of …
South Africa in the news: Coronavirus global updates, June 13: Greece set to open to tourists after nearly 3-month lockdown; Italy’s death toll rises by 78: The number of confirmed global infections stands at 7,629,227, with the highest being reported from US, followed by Brazil and Russia. India stood fourth with 2,97,535 infections.: “South Africa” …
Coronavirus: locked-down Italy’s changing urban space: An empty street in Turin, Italy. MikeDotta/Shutterstock, CC BY-NC-ND The past days have seen a dramatic transformation of Italy’s urban space in a time of great tragedy. With the population under orders not to leave home apart from for specific needs, cities and villages have undergone a kind of …
IT@CA – ITALY’s CREATIVITY, CULTURE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN CANADA – a Culture interest event taking place on 2019-10-25 08:00:00 in Canada FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ITALY's CREATIVITY, CULTURE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP The Embassy of Italy in Ottawa, Consulate General of Italy in Toronto, Italian Trade Agency (ICE), Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Italian National Tourist Board (ENIT), …
Italy’s new government: why a political novice is a strategic choice for prime minister: After a confusing election and months of negotiations, Italy has a government once again. But don’t be surprised if it gets a new one before too long. The two winners of the 2018 election – the Five Star Movement (M5S) and …
Italy’s referendum: what’s at stake and what you need to know: Renzi: in a tight spot. EPA/Alessandro di Meo On December 4, Italians will cast their vote in a historic referendum. The exact details of the question they are voting on are quite technical – whether or not to accept constitutional reforms promoted by the …