Meloni's electoral reform bid collapses in secret ballot; implications ripple to 2027

Italy's Prime Minister loses crucial parliamentary vote on amendment as coalition fractures weeks before regional elections.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government suffered a significant setback on Wednesday when MPs rejected her party's flagship electoral reform amendment in a secret ballot, exposing fissures within her coalition.

Antonio Petrella · NATIONAL

Italy's private beach monopoly draws pushback from 'free beach' campaigners

Nearly all of Italy's 8,000km coastline is controlled by concessionaires; activists fight back against profit-driven model

Nearly all of Italy's sandy beaches are privately run for profit, drawing fire from campaigners who argue the model excludes ordinary Italians and enriches concessionaires tied to organised crime and military interests.

Tommaso Veronese · NATIONAL

Trieste eyes Balkan gateway as EU expands eastern trade routes

Single permit rule enforcement opens logistics opportunity for Italy's northeastern port amid EU legal push on member states

The European Commission's legal action against 17 member states over work permit procedures creates an opening for Trieste to position itself as a primary gateway for third-country labour and goods moving through the Balkans into Central Europe.

Sergio Madrussan · REGIONAL

EU advances trade ban on Israeli settlements as Italy weighs bloc consensus

European foreign policy chief Kallas pushes measure forward; Italy's role in coalition-building under scrutiny amid diplomatic tensions

The European Union is moving to restrict trade with Israeli settlements, a move that tests Italy's commitment to EU foreign policy coordination and its relationship with Washington.

Adriana Sole · INTERNATIONAL

Stellantis Q2 shipments rise 10% on North American demand

The Turin-based automaker reports 1.6 million units as European recovery lags amid regional conflict headwinds

Stellantis reported consolidated shipments of 1.6 million units in the second quarter, up 10 per cent year-over-year, driven by gains in North America and Enlarged Europe but offset by weakness in the Middle East and Africa.

Lorenzo Ferraris

Italian alpinist completes self-powered traverse of nation's 20 highest peaks

Herve Barmasse's Endurance Italia project links summits by bicycle, foot and sailboat across the peninsula

Italian mountaineer Herve Barmasse has finished a months-long self-powered journey connecting Italy's 20 highest peaks, using bicycle, hiking and Mediterranean sailing to traverse the country without motorised transport.

Camille Bréan

Israeli hiker dies in fall near Swiss-Italian border in Alps

32-year-old from northern Israel killed during Alpine expedition in high-altitude terrain

A 32-year-old Israeli citizen from the northern village of Hurfeish was killed on July 13 after falling from a great height in the Alps near the Swiss-Italian border.

Camille Bréan

Italian alpinist completes self-powered traverse of Italy's 20 highest peaks

Herve Barmasse's Endurance Italia project combines climbing, cycling and sailing across the peninsula

Italian mountaineer Herve Barmasse has completed a landmark expedition linking Italy's 20 highest summits using only human and wind power, a journey that tested both the Alps and the Apennines.

Klara Hofer

Europe's June heatwave claims at least 12,000 lives across nine countries

Mountain regions face compounding climate stress as high-altitude cooling fails amid unprecedented heat

At least 12,000 excess deaths were recorded across nine European countries during June's heatwave, with Alpine and Mediterranean zones facing particular vulnerability as traditional cooling mechanisms fail.

Klara Hofer

Slovenia's Vinčić to referee World Cup final as EU border region stakes claim

Slovenian official Slavko Vinčić chosen for Argentina-Spain showdown, marking rare prominence for the small Balkan nation on global sports stage

FIFA has appointed Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić to officiate the 2026 World Cup final between Argentina and Spain, elevating a neighbour of Friuli-Venezia Giulia to unprecedented prominence in international football.

Sergio Madrussan

Lamborghini commits to automatic-only future as manual gearbox fades

Sant'Agata supercar maker says racing DNA rules out simulated manual option, even as enthusiasts mourn the shift

Lamborghini will not develop a manual transmission, simulated or otherwise, for any future production model, its chief marketing officer told Road & Track this week.

Giulia Benati

European tourism rebounds; Tuscany braces for surge

International arrivals up 5% in Q2 as hotel stays rise across the continent—and Florence prepares for peak season

European tourism recovered sharply in the second quarter of 2026, with international arrivals climbing 5% year-on-year and nearly 80% of destinations reporting gains.

Costanza Bardi

Tecnam's southern airline gambit tests Italy's isolated regions

Italian airframer plans new carrier to link Campania and the Mezzogiorno, bypassing Rome's hub dominance

Tecnam, the Italian aircraft manufacturer, has unveiled plans for a regional airline to serve southern Italy's fragmented air network, targeting cities that lack direct connectivity.

Rosaria Esposito

Naples and the Mezzogiorno join battle over Italy's privatised coastline

Free-beach campaigners challenge profit-driven model that dominates Campania's 8,000km of coast

Activists across southern Italy are challenging the commercialisation of public beaches, confronting mafia involvement, military interests and corporate control that have locked ordinary Italians out of their own shore.

Rosaria Esposito

Italy's free-beach fight: campaigners challenge private monopoly

Nearly all of Italy's 8,000km coastline is run for profit; activists say it's time to liberate the sand

Almost the entire Italian coastline is controlled by private concessionaires who charge for beach access and amenities, prompting a grassroots campaign to reclaim public shores.

Costanza Bardi

Italy's free beach fight reaches southern coast

Calabrian activists challenge decades of private concessions as 'liberate the lidos' movement gains ground

A Guardian investigation into Italy's privatised coastline finds the South at the frontline of a campaign to reclaim public sand, where mafia connections and military control complicate the battle.

Saverio Gallo

EU legal action exposes Italy's migrant permit bottleneck

Brussels targets 17 states over single-permit rules; Italy's southern frontier feels the strain

The European Commission has launched legal proceedings against Italy and 16 other member states over delays in implementing a combined work-residence permit system, a move that highlights processing failures at Europe's migration gateway.

Saverio Gallo

Sicily's shores face reckoning as private beach operators face 'liberation' push

Campaigners challenge near-total privatisation of Italy's coastline, fighting entrenched interests from mafia to military

Almost all of Sicily's sandy stretches are run for profit; now free-beach campaigners are fighting back against the mafia, the military and those profiteering from sun loungers.

Concetta Vassallo

Italy's private beach war reaches Sardinian coast as 'free beach' movement gains ground

Almost all of Italy's 8,000km of coastline runs for profit; Sardinia's island autonomy puts it at the centre of a fight over public access and environmental control

A campaign to liberate Italy's privately run beaches is gathering momentum, with Sardinia's extensive coastline and island status placing the region at the heart of a conflict between commercial operators, environmental activists, and the state.

Gavino Sanna

Nicaragua cuts diplomatic ties with Italy over Red Brigades harboring dispute

Managua severs relations after Rome criticises it for sheltering terrorist convicted in 1978 Moro assassination

Nicaragua has severed diplomatic relations with Italy over disagreement about the harboring of a Red Brigades operative convicted in the 1978 assassination of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro.

Adriana Sole

Antonelli extends F1 title lead as Mercedes dysfunction deepens

Italian driver wins Belgian Grand Prix; Russell crashes out as team reliability crisis widens 50-point gap

Kimi Antonelli won the Belgian Grand Prix to extend his championship lead to 50 points over Mercedes teammate George Russell, who crashed on the opening lap after a collision with Lewis Hamilton.

Tobia Marenghi

Europe's June heatwave claimed 12,000 excess deaths across nine countries

An AFP analysis documents the scale of summer heat mortality across the continent.

At least 12,000 excess deaths swept across nine European countries during June's heatwave, according to an AFP analysis.

Antonio Petrella

'Liberate the lidos': Puglia's free-beach movement challenges privatisation

Southern coast leads Italian fight to reclaim public sand from commercial operators and organised crime networks

A grassroots campaign to open Italy's privatised beaches is gaining momentum in Puglia, where nearly all sandy stretches are run for profit by operators linked to mafia interests and military control.

Francesca Lazzari

Marche's beaches face 'free beach' uprising against private concessions

Campaigners challenge profit-driven model along Italy's 8,000km coastline as coastal access becomes a battleground

A movement to liberate Italy's beaches from private operators is gaining ground, with the Adriatic coast emerging as a flashpoint in a struggle over public access to sand and sea.

Elena Marcheggiani

Nicaragua cuts diplomatic ties with Italy over Red Brigades fugitive harbored in Managua

Central American nation retaliates after Rome criticizes asylum for terrorist convicted in 1978 Moro assassination

Nicaragua has severed diplomatic relations with Italy after Rome condemned Managua for sheltering a Red Brigades member convicted of murdering Prime Minister Aldo Moro in 1978.

Davide Ruspoli

Violent hailstorm halts Milan concert; summer weather turns erratic across Alps and Apennines

Bad Bunny show abandoned as extreme weather strikes northern Italy, reflecting broader climate volatility affecting mountain regions

A violent hailstorm forced organisers to evacuate a sold-out Bad Bunny concert in Milan on Saturday, part of a pattern of extreme weather events increasingly affecting Italy's highlands.

Marco Di Sante

When the US ambassador summers on his yacht, diplomacy takes a back seat

Tilman Fertitta's absence from Rome during tensions with Prime Minister Meloni signals a deeper cooling in US–Italy relations that no amount of Aperol can warm.

Editorial Board

Eight years on, Genoa's verdict names negligence—but Italy's bridges remain

The conviction of 32 people for the Morandi Bridge collapse exposes a systemic failure of maintenance and oversight that extends far beyond one motorway operator.

Editorial Board