Bolzano courthouse collapses; no deaths reported in Alpine city

Structural failure at regional judicial seat raises questions about building safety across Italy's aging infrastructure

A courthouse in Bolzano, capital of the German-speaking South Tyrol region, partially collapsed on Friday, but no fatalities were reported.

Klara Hofer · NATIONAL

EU legal action over work permits exposes Italy's migrant processing strain

Brussels pursues 17 member states on single-permit directive as the northeast absorbs mounting cross-border arrivals.

The European Commission has launched legal proceedings against 17 member states, including Italy, over the implementation of a new single-permit system that grants third-country nationals combined work and residence authorization.

Sergio Madrussan · NATIONAL

Red Sea piracy surge forces Genoa port to weigh Suez alternatives amid shipping disruptions

Renewed attacks in Gulf of Aden threaten to reroute Mediterranean trade flows away from northern Italian ports

Escalating piracy in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden is forcing shipping operators to reconsider routes that feed major European ports, with potential consequences for Genoa's container and general cargo traffic.

Marina Doria · ECONOMY

Ancient DNA reveals malaria killed Medici Grand Duke in 1587

Yale and Pisa researchers solve 16th-century mystery, shedding light on disease in central Italy

Skeletal remains of Francesco de Medici confirm mosquito-borne parasites ended the Grand Duke's life, not poison as long suspected.

Niccolò Mariani · SCIENCE

Antonelli seizes Belgian GP pole as Mercedes asserts F1 command

Italian teenager's dominant qualifying lap overshadows Russell's struggles and Verstappen's title challenge.

Kimi Antonelli claimed pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix, with Mercedes teammate George Russell trailing in fourth as the German team reasserts control in the title fight.

Tobia Marenghi

Italy's mafia exit law tests resolve in regions where crime networks run deep

New legislation offers families legal escape from organised crime; Marche's own 'Ndrangheta presence complicates implementation

Italy has passed legislation allowing families to break away from mafia life through new identities and witness protection, a law that tests whether regions like Marche can enforce it against entrenched criminal networks.

Elena Marcheggiani

Vatican rejects U.S. characterization of Pope as political leader

Holy See responds to Trump administration's framing of pontiff's role and statements

The Vatican has pushed back against the U.S. ambassador's attempt to portray Pope Leo XIV as a political actor rather than a spiritual leader.

Davide Ruspoli

Lamborghini charts digital path as manual transmissions fade

Motor Valley's supercar maker commits to automated systems, signalling shift in how engineers view driver engagement

Lamborghini will not develop manual or simulated manual gearboxes for future production models, its chief marketing officer told Road & Track, cementing a divide between the region's two supercar makers.

Giulia Benati

Italy's mafia exit law tests family bonds in the deep South

New legislation offers new identities to break organised crime cycles; Basilicata and Calabria face test of enforcement in regions where 'Ndrangheta networks run deep

Italy has passed legislation allowing families of mafia members to break free from organised crime through new identities and witness protection, a measure that faces its sternest test in Calabria and the South where criminal networks are most entrenched.

Pietro Lasorsa

Sicily watches as Italy's mafia exit law takes shape

New legislation offers families escape from organised crime, testing the island's resolve to break intergenerational recruitment cycles.

Italy has passed legislation allowing children and young adults raised in mafia families to break away from organised crime under new identities, a measure that will be tested first and hardest in Sicily.

Concetta Vassallo

Sinner claims fifth Grand Slam title, retains Wimbledon crown

Italian tennis star extends dominance over Zverev with victory in London final

Jannik Sinner defeated Alexander Zverev to win his second consecutive Wimbledon title and fifth major championship overall.

Niccolò Mariani

Genoa bridge verdict closes first trial; 32 convicted of negligence in 2018 collapse

Former motorway operator CEO sentenced to 12 years as court holds infrastructure failures to account

An Italian court has convicted 32 defendants, including the former chief executive of Autostrade per l'Italia, over the 2018 collapse of the Morandi bridge that killed 43 people.

Marina Doria

New British passport rule traps young dual nationals in Rome for weeks

Post-Brexit entry requirements leave families separated as Home Office enforces stricter documentation

A 15-year-old British girl spent six weeks stranded in Rome after Britain's new passport rules prevented her from returning to school, part of a growing pattern affecting dual nationals.

Davide Ruspoli

U.S. Ambassador's superyacht stirs diplomatic row in Venice

Tilman Fertitta's 117-metre yacht draws protests as tensions simmer between Rome and Washington

The arrival of U.S. Ambassador Tilman Fertitta's superyacht in Venice has triggered protests and heightened security, exposing broader tensions between the Trump administration and the Meloni government.

Rosaria Esposito

Tivoli opens Lecce flagship as Salento tourism reaches new heights

International hotel group's fourth Italian property signals investor confidence in Puglia's southern boom

Tivoli Hotels & Resorts has opened a 48-room property in Lecce's city centre, marking the brand's entry into Puglia as foreign investors capitalize on Salento's rising appeal.

Francesca Lazzari

Eight years on, Genoa's reckoning with infrastructure neglect

The conviction of 32 people over the 2018 Morandi Bridge collapse exposes a structural problem Italy cannot ignore: the cost of deferred maintenance.

Editorial Board

When the world's gaze turns inward

Venice's protest against a US ambassador's superyacht reveals the tension between Italy's role as a global stage and its struggle to control its own narrative.

Editorial Board