Italy’s most overcrowded prison, Canton Mombello, is now at twice its capacity, creating conditions that have pushed 35 inmates to commit suicide this year alone.
country: Italy
Stay updated with comprehensive news on Italy from Worldcrunch. Discover insights on Italian politics, economic developments, societal issues, and cultural landmarks with translations from top international sources. Highlights include Rome, Milan, Venice, the Italian film industry, modern cuisine, and events like the Venice Biennale.
As citizens across the EU prepare to elect a new parliament, Italian author Viola Ardone remembers her late grandmother who, despite an elementary education and lack of political interest, never missed an election.
After taking in an undocumented Nigerian baby some 30 years ago, a patient of our Naples-based psychiatrist is worn down by the legal process and the risk of her daughter’s “repatriation.”
The story of an Italian father trying to figure out what to do to make his son “normal,” which taught a crucial lesson about living with someone who is autistic — and it may apply to all of us.
Bavaria’s ban of the schwa (ə) and other symbols used in gender-sensitive writing is yet another step in the debate over inclusive language. But language changes when society does, not the other way around.
A winemaker in Italy reclaimed her grandparents’ vineyards and created her own queer winery dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community, including wines bearing the names of women accused of witchcraft. And yet this innovative and sustainable initiative has generated unforgivable homophobic and sexist comments on social networks.
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Brigida’s Dream Of All-Inclusive Hotels
On International Day against Homophobia & Transphobia, our Naples-based psychiatrist remembers Brigida, a former trans patient who shared her life story and aspirations.
As her patients turn to her to find an explanation to the unspeakable, our Naples-based psychiatrist admits that she may not have the answer.
After seeing the 2024 Met Gala photos, the common denominator seems to be how uncomfortable most women appeared to be. Squeezed in tight dresses and high heels, and often in need of a man — who’s always wearing a comfortable suit — to somehow achieve the perfect level of what we call “femininity.”
Cecchettin was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend in northern Italy, a murder case that quickly turned into a political movement. The supposed motive is chilling in what it says about the current state of male-dominated society.
Despite stereotypes that portray Gen Z as hyperconnected and glued to their smartphones, studies show that young people are actually moving away from social media and using it more passively than their Millennial parents and teachers.
As technology advances, machine translation threatens to replace the art of learning languages. Will we lose the cultural richness and personal growth that comes from mastering a foreign tongue?
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Vocational Acumen From An Early Age
The five-year-old son of our Naples-based psychiatrist has some very definite ideas about his future career.
Determined to reinterpret the roots of Islam, progressive Muslim women are breaking down conservatism that’s been blocking their emancipation, and questioning the authority of established institutions and the scholarly consensus on religious norms.
Gugliemo Marconi, the legendary Italian inventor of wireless communication, the man who connected the world, is not celebrated as he should be — because of his politics. As Italy marks the 150th anniversary of his birth, it may be time for the nation to finally come to terms with Marconi the inventor and the entrepreneur — and let go of the fact that he was a member of the Fascist Party.
We love prequels and sequels to TV series and novels, from Harry Potter to The Handmaid’s Tale. We want to rediscover the characters we loved and know everything about them. But is it right to pursue something that never ends?
While more than 2 million Italians and millions more around the world are thought to have fibromyalgia, the hunt for a cure for this chronic pain disorder is a long road. Between small legislative advances and psychedelics, Mariachiara Rafaiani shares her hopes for understanding and relief.
After two inmates reported a policeman in an Italy prison accusing him of being gay, the Head of the prison made the officer take a test to verify his sexual orientation. And we call ourselves a civilized nation?
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Assigned Mario At Birth, Monique At Jail
A patient runs into our Naples-based psychiatrist and has a few questions about his/her identity.
After seven workers with the NGO World Central Kitchen were killed by an Israeli drone, we must ask what drives humans to give themselves to others, and risk everything. It should put any lingering cynicism to rest.
While literary distinctions are evolving, the divide between local and foreign literature remains firmly in place. In 2024, it is easier for writers to change passports than to change bookshelves, says Vincenzo Latronico, an Italian writer who lived in Berlin and published a book in German.
We’ve seen some strong female leads in major TV series in recent years: Fleabag, Daenerys Targaryen or Mrs. Maisel. But how feminist are these emotionally distant characters who have a disastrous love life, a trait that just sits right next to the fact that they stand up for themselves?
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Hypocrisy At The Easter Table
Our Neapolitan psychiatrist gets told off for not treating (and eating) animals equally.
Following police violence against young people protesting in Pisa, the Italian government remains entrenched in its silence by merely promising investigations. But perhaps the issue is that the government perceives teenagers as a threat?
For more than 20 years, the Greek NGO Archipelagos has been monitoring the unique ecosystems and desertified areas of the Aegean Sea, the arm of the Mediterranean between Greece and Turkey. A ride along on the association’s main ship, the Aegean Explorer, reveals the effects of climate change, plastic pollution and industrial fishing.
Pope Francis appears incapable of grasping that for Ukraine to “raise the white flag” would be to concede defeat, and accept the victory of evil over good. Is he a poor theologian or a poor global strategist, or both?
In Trieste, on Italy’s northeastern border, more than 400 migrants have been living without food, among rats and garbage — and in a political quagmire — as they wait for responses to their asylum applications.
A kind of remote working already existed across the European countryside in the early 14th century. Daniele Rizzi considers what the pre-industrial putting-out system can teach both modern workers and modern bosses.
International Women’s Day this year shines a light on the reality that the plague of violence against women is not only physical, but also comes in the form of economical subjugation. One Italian woman shares her struggle.
Many international authors are available in other languages only after they are translated for the U.S. market. While this allows for wider circulation of work, it still determines the fate of many foreign authors, while sometimes losing their idiosyncrasies. Some publishing houses in Europe are trying a different approach. Will they be able to emancipate Europe from U.S. literary hegemony?
Women are used to getting advice about how they’re dressed, their unattended glass — and their route to get back home on Saturday night. This is what rape culture looks like. “Text me when you get home” is part of the silent sisterhood pact that we cherish, but also wish we didn’t need.
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Freud In The Time Of WhatsApp
Our Naples-based psychiatrist shares a one-liner that leaves little room for interpretation…
After posting online her answer to a homophobic comment about her restaurant near Milan, Giovanna Pedretti lived the peak of fame in its ups and mostly in its downs that lead to her drastic decision of ending her life.
Originally celebrated in the United States, to highlight the achievements and role of African Americans in the country’s history, the practice has found echo in recent years, in nations with a colonial past in Africa — including Italy — and in other places around the world.
Artificial intelligence can now provide you with a friend or a romantic partner — for a fee. Italian daily La Stampa tested whether true romance can blossom between human and machine, or if it’s the ultimate bug…
The advent of digital technologies has made us increasingly lonely and isolated. In the virtual world, none of us participate in decision-making, but we all receive one-sided messages that influence our behavior, including our political beliefs. If this is the case, what will the democracy of tomorrow look like?
Four hundred tubes that tell the story of the architectural adventure of the making of Beaubourg, which is about to undergo a major renovation project as its 50th anniversary approaches.
Our Naples psychiatrist on the difficulty of convincing her patients that no, sometimes a nice cup of chamomile tea won’t fix everything.
Increasingly children in homes plagued by domestic violence are the ones to finally report the abuser. It’s a grim situation when their mothers don’t back them up — but may also be a sign of progress that younger generations know how to defend their rights.
An interview with Italian filmmaker Matteo Garrone, whose movie Me Captain is nominated for an Oscar, after he won the Silver Lion for directing at the 80th Venice International Film Festival. The tale centers around the life-and-death quest of migration, a topic that remains at the center of debate in Italy — and beyond.