(ANSA) - Naples, October 21 - A young woman was killed
Friday when her car was swept away in a mudslide, the second
life claimed in torrential downpours across central and southern
Italy.
The 23-year-old and a friend were driving in an area around
Mount Vesuvius when a river of mud and debris consumed their
vehicle. The friend apparently survived by clutching a street
light.
Heavy storms wreaked havoc in Rome Thursday, drowning a
32-year-old man from Sri Lanka in his underground apartment.
(ANSA) - Genoa, October 7 - Italian divers on Friday located
in the waters off Genoa the wreck of a luxury British
transatlantic liner sunk by a German submarine during the First
World War when it was being used by the Royal Navy as a troop
ship.
The wreck of SS Transylvania, split in two and pointing
upwards, was found on the Ligurian coast at a depth of 630
metres near the island of Bergegi.
"This is an extraordinary find," the divers said.
It was located after local fishermen complained of losing
hooks in the area, they said.
(ANSA) - Rome, October 4 - Special events will be banned at
Rome's iconic tourist attractions Piazza Navona and the Trevi
Fountain until the end of the year because of a rash of recent
attacks by vandals.
Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno released a statement on Tuesday
saying the decision was taken "to protect the public assets of
the city of Rome and in particular the artistic and monumental
heritage of the historic centre as recognised by UNESCO's world
heritage status".
(ANSA) - Rome, September 21 - Tourism boomed in Italy during
the first six months of the year, Tourism Minister Maria
Victoria Brambilla said Wednesday.
The number of foreign visitors rose by 6.6%, she said.
Some 24.5 million Italians went on holiday in Italy in the
three summer months - June, July and August - while so-called
green tourism surged with an 11% rise in July and a 13% leap in
August, a visibly pleased Brambilla told a media conference.
''The growth and development goal for tourism (this year)
has already been met," she said.
(ANSA) - Naples, September 19 - The Miracle of San
Gennaro was repeated on Monday when the blood of Naples' patron
saint liquefied at 9.30am.
The event was announced to the thousands packing the city's
cathedral and square outside, who cheered and let off
firecrackers.
A visibly moved Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, the Archbishop
of Naples, held up a phial containing the blood of the
3rd-century saint while a traditional white handkerchief was
waved.
(ANSA) - Rome, September 16 - The Minneapolis Institute of
Arts (MIA) has agreed to return to Italy a 5th-century BC Greek
wine-mixing vase as part of a significant programme of
restitution and swaps between the US and Italy.
The bowl, or 'krater', is believed to have come from an
archaeological site at Rutigliano near Bari.
Italian Culture Minister Giancarlo Galan thanked the MIA,
saying "this success has been made possible by the fact that
Italy decided to go the diplomatic route".
(ANSA) - Rome, September 14 - Italy's tourism industry
received a boost in August as hotels recorded a spike in
visitors in the holiday season.
Federalberghi, the association which represents 34,000
hotels from budget to luxury accommodation, said there was a
3.5% increase in visitor hotel stays in the month of August.
While the number of Italians rose only 0.6%, there was an
8.4% rise in the number of foreigners staying at Italian hotels
in August, the organisation said.
(ANSA) - Rome, September 14 - World-famous mountain climber
Walter Bonatti died late Tuesday in Rome.
He was known for death-defying mountaineering feats such as
the first-ever ascent of K2 when he was just 24 years old and
for the first solo winter climb of the Matterhorn north face.
Bonatti, 81, passed away from complications related to an
unspecified illness.
A viewing will be held in the Alpine town of Lecco, which
is outside Bergamo, where he was born.
(ANSA) - Stromboli, August 26 - Visits to one of Italy's
most active volcanoes, Stromboli, were stopped on Friday after a
string of eruptions recorded in the past 24 hours.
The volcano is found on the island of the same name in the
Aeolian archipelago off the northeast coast of Sicily.
The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said it
had recorded 11 seismic signals associated with landslides on
the Sciara del Fuoco, or stream of fire, the magma canyon that
runs from the top of the volcano towards the sea.
(ANSA) - Venice, August 24 - A hospitality tax that will
levy a toll on overnight visitors to Venice went into effect
Wednesday.
Revenue from the tax, which the city says "contributes to
maintaining the beauty of Venice", is intended to go towards
restoration and upkeep of the lagoon city, which experts
categorically agree is suffering under the weight of 20 million
tourists a year.
The city estimates that the measure will earn eight million
euros in revenue in 2011, and 23 million in the following two
years.
(ANSA) - Rome, August 22 - Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno said
Monday that work will start in January on modifying American
architect's Richard Meier controversial Ara Pacis Museum.
Alemanno, who once pledged to tear down the building
hosting Roman Emperor Augustus's Altar of Peace, said a wall
that blocks the view of two nearby historic churches will be
knocked down.
The changes, which will made in agreement with Meier, will
be part of a revamp of the section by the River Tiber where the
Ara Pacis stands.
(ANSA) - Rome, August 22 - Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno said
Monday that work will start in January on modifying American
architect Richard Meier's controversial Ara Pacis Museum.
Alemanno, who once pledged to tear down the building
hosting Roman Emperor Augustus's Altar of Peace, said a wall
that blocks the view of two nearby historic churches will be
knocked down.
The changes, which will made in agreement with Meier, will
be part of a revamp of the section by the River Tiber where the
Ara Pacis stands.
(ANSA) - Rome, August 19 - Italians are bracing for a
heatwave that is expected to lift temperatures up to 40 degrees
celsius in several cities including Rome, Trieste and Turin for
the next week.
According to the Civil Protection Department, 11 cities are
expected to be hit by rising temperatures from Bolzano and
Bologna, Perugia in the centre and Latina, south of Rome.
The central region of Umbria surrounding Perugia on Friday
declared a "state of emergency" for four days from Sunday to
Wednesday in anticipation of the sweltering temperatures.
(ANSA) - Rome, August ???? - E' affidato all'architetto
italiano Giancarlo Zema il disegno del progetto del resort semi
subacqueo Amphibious 1.000, un resort che verrà costruito in una
riserva marina del Qatar. Lo rivela la stampa di Doha.
L'emirato ha investito 465 milioni di dollari per questo
progetto che prevede la realizzazione di quattro grandi alberghi
su un'estensione di un kilometro quadrato con 80 "meduse suites"
di quattro piani ciascuna e dotate di "aquarium lounge" privato.
I clienti si sposteranno all'interno del resort su yachts a
idrogeno lunghi 20 metri costruiti in alluminio e forniti di
aree di osservazione subacquea.
Citato dal quotidiano locale The Peninsula, Giancarlo Zema ha
(ANSA) - Rome, August 12 - Culture lovers will be able to
visit historic sites and art museums across Italy on August 15,
which is a national holiday.
The Culture Ministry has announced 325 museums and monuments,
castles, galleries and gardens will remain open to the public on
Monday, which is normally the day of the week when sites are
closed.
Many of the sites will have added attractions and special
events including concerts and guided tours to mark the occasion
as an estimated 36 million Italians enjoy their summer vacation.
