Italy

In Heatwave, Romans Turn to Vintage Snow Cones to Stay Cool

Forget ice cream, sorbet or even the beloved Italian gelato, when Roman’s swelter in a heatwave, they turn to the traditional "Grattachecca". It may be difficult for non-Italians to pronounce think -"gratta-kekka" - but the Roman-style shaved ice is colorful, cheap and refreshing like no other. In a turn-of-the-century kiosk near the Tiber ...

Child Dies in Italy as European Heatwave Sets Records and Sparks Wildfires

A young boy died of heatstroke in Italy while wildfires threatened a UNESCO site in Spain and French cities saw record temperatures, as a heatwave baked Europe on Monday. The four-year-old Romanian boy died days after being found unconscious in the family's car in Sardinia. The boy was airlifted to a Rome hospital but died of irreversible brain ...

Italy’s Fast Fashion Hub Turns Into Chinese Mafia Crime Battleground

When Zhang Dayong lay in a pool of blood on a sidewalk in Rome after being shot six times, few suspected a link to Italy's storied textile hub of Prato. But a "hanger war" is raging in the city near Florence — turning Europe's largest apparel manufacturing center and a pillar of Made in Italy production into a battleground for warring Chinese ...

Turkey, Italy and Libya Hold Talks in Istanbul

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday hosted a mini-summit in Istanbul with the prime ministers of Italy and Libya's UN-recognized government for talks on several issues, including migration, officials said. Images from what the Turkish presidency called "Turkey-Italy-Libya cooperation summit" at Erdogan's Istanbul office showed ...

Julia Roberts, Jude Law to Feature at Star-Packed Venice Film Festival

US megastar Julia Roberts is to make her debut at the Venice Film Festival this year, which will also feature Jude Law playing Russian leader Vladimir Putin and a hard-hitting film about Gaza. Roberts is one of many A-listers set to appear at the increasingly influential Venice film extravaganza from late August for the premiere of her latest ...

Western Nations Call for Immediate End to Gaza War as Israel Expands Offensive

More than two dozen Western countries called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza on Monday, saying suffering there had "reached new depths" as Israel's military expanded its operations to the central city of Deir el-Balah. After more than 21 months of fighting that have triggered catastrophic humanitarian conditions for ...

Venice Film Festival: Italy Kicks Off with Sorrentino’s 'La Grazia'

The acclaimed director will launch the festival on August 27, 2025, with this highly anticipated work, fifteen years after leaving a mark with Il Divo or La Grande Bellezza. Early commentators have described La Grazia as a “love letter to Italy, to cinema and to powerful women.” The world premiere will take place at the historic Palazzo del ...

New Gaza-Bound Aid Boat Leaves Italy

A Gaza-bound boat carrying pro-Palestinian activists and humanitarian aid left Sicily on Sunday, over a month after Israel detained and deported people aboard a previous vessel. The Handala, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, left the port of Syracuse shortly after 12:00 pm (1000 GMT), an AFP journalist saw, carrying about fifteen ...

Dozens Hurt in Fuel Station Blast Heard Across Rome

A huge explosion at a petrol station in a Rome suburb on Friday injured nearly 30 people, two of them seriously, and rattled windows across the Italian capital. The blast around 8:20am (0620 GMT) was preceded by a fire caused by a gas leak during refuelling, according to Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, who provided the toll of injured. Gualtieri ...

How Robots and Raw Earth Are Redefining Homebuilding

They look like cocoons, settled on the ground as if they had naturally grown there. No straight lines, no concrete, just earth, carefully layered by two robotic arms moving with the grace of a choreographed dance. In 200 hours—barely eight days—an entire house takes shape. Printed on site using only natural materials. Its name? TECLA. Its ...

Léa Massari, Quiet Elegance of European Cinema and Silent Memory of the Silver Screen

Léa Massari, the delicate and unforgettable star of the silver screen, passed away in Rome at the age of 91. Born Anna Maria Massatani, she embodied Italian cinema through and through, and won over French audiences with her subtle performances and enigmatic presence. Her filmography was defined by integrity, restraint, and an irresistible ...