Life in Italy

News from Italy

OBAMA PRAISES MONTI BEFORE WHITE HOUSE MEETING

(ANSA) - Rome, February 9 - United States President Barack
Obama has richly praised Italian Premier Mario Monti ahead of
Thursday's meeting between the leaders at the White House.

Obama complimented Monti on the efforts being made to
steer Italy out of its debt crisis, with the approval of a tough
austerity package in December, and his moves to make structural
economic reforms.

MILAN BOURSE UP, SPREAD AND YIELD DOWN

(ANSA) - Rome, February 8 - Italy bucked a downward European
market trend on Wednesday as the Milan bourse closed up and the
yield and spread were down.

The spread between 10-year Italian and German bonds, a
measure of Italy's credibility on the sovereign-debt market,
dropped to 360 as the yield went down to 5.58%, brushing off
news that there was still no conclusion on a Greek bailout deal.

The Milan Ftse Mib index went up 1.08% to close at 16,669
points.

CASE DROPPED AGAINST 'BUNGA BUNGA' WITNESSES

(ANSA) - Rome, February 8 - A Milan judge has dropped a case
filed by veteran TV anchor Emilio Fede accusing two young women
of defamation for saying he took them to an alleged sex party at
ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi's Milan villa.

In his lawsuit filed last April Fede said the statements
leaked to the press were "absolutely false and denigratory" to
himself and other persons cited.

The two former beauty contestants, Ambra Battilana and
Chiara Danese, gave detailed accounts of the former premier's
alleged 'bunga bunga' parties and claimed Fede said they should
have sex with him and Berlusconi if they wanted to further their
careers.

SEX ABUSE COST CHURCH $2 BILLION

(ANSA) - Rome, February 8 - Sexual abuse claims have cost
the Catholic Church roughly $2 billion, according to a report
Wednesday.

"Financial losses are affecting the current mission of the
Church," said the report by Americans Michael Bemi, president of
the National Catholic Risk Retention Group, and Patricia Neal,
child protection consultant from Oklahoma.

They presented their findings at the international
symposium Healing and Renewal, meant to address the Church
sex-abuse scandal.

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Art Deco in Italy- I

Story of Art Deco Style Part I: Rome Quartiere Coppede'

We were taught at school, or better still we were brainwashed, into believing that languages were divided into two broad categories: those that were generally defined as "living" and those considered as "dead" languages. The former were those languages spoken in some part of the globe, while the latter were only studied, but did not constitute a means of communication anywhere in the world except under exceptional circumstances when used for dialogue at elevated cultural levels.

Italy in February

Monday, January 11th, 2010

February is among one of the best months to visit Italy for those who are travelling on a tight budget. Usually, the peak tourist seasons in Italy are during the summer and the spring months and most visitors avoid traveling to the country in the winter months. For this reasons airfares and hotels are available at very low rates in comparison to the peak seasons. However, because of the famous festivals and carnivals that are celebrated through Italy in February, some parts of the country (Venezia, Viareggio) would again be expensive in comparison to the rest of the places.

Let's Talk About The Weather

Friday, October 8th, 2010

In today's lesson you'll learn to talk about the weather in Italian. If you're planning on visiting Italy it's probably best to learn some key words so you can understand basic discussions about the weather to help you decide what you should wear or if it makes more sense to take a stroll or stay inside. Knowing how to speak about the weather is especially important in Italy because it can vary so much for region to region and depending on the time of year. So while you may find dry and sunny days in Catania in July the same time of year in Padova is muggy and humid.

Recent Articles

Italy is not only made up of coward captains

Anna De Filippo

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

Italy is not only made up of coward captains

After the sinking of the Costa Concordia, the images of this episode of Italian marine tragedy are now broadcast everywhere in the world.

Again Italy hits the headlines with a negative rebound on its image. The title of "Captain coward" is repeated from one corner of the world to the other, affecting negatively the idea of how Italians really are.

However, the figure of the Francesco Schettino, who showed fear and selfishness in abandoning its vessel, is sharply in contrast with that of another face of Italy: the resolute captain De Falco.

Doing business in Italy

Anna De Filippo

Friday, January 20th, 2012

Doing business in Italy: some cultural conventions to know

Cultural factors and influences play a key role even when it comes to talking about doing business. We know that Americans take much into account the cultural context they work within, while it is not exactly the same for Italians, who believe culture doesn't influence very much the successful business results. Perhaps they are sometimes too influenced by their habits and customs in their business decisions.

Cost of Living in Italy

Monday, January 23rd, 2012

A common question asked in our forum is "How much do I need to earn to live comfortably in Italy?" Following user Pola's question, a few users have tried giving an accurate answer. We thought it would be a good idea to have an article here on the website to answer this very common question.

Captain Coward and the Sinking of the Concordia

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

Wednesday, January 18

There has been so much excellent commentary combined with a whole lot of conjecture on this terrible incident, I didn't want to weigh in on what seems to be a singular act of bravado by a seriously inept commander. Usually, guys love to show off. But when Evil Knievel jumps over a cliff, or a motocross racer does it, they usually only put themselves in danger (save for the spectators down below).

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