As Gorgonzola exports begin to boom, formaggio fraudsters try to get a cut of the action with fake versions of the cheese. One trick is to give the imitation variety a name that has a familiar ring.
Tag: italy
Near the northern city of Ferrara, a priest has denied communion to a mentally-disabled child, saying that it can only be offered to those who “understand the mystery” of the rite. The parents are taking their case to the European Court
Amanda Knox will publish her account of being accused – and cleared – of murdering her roommate Meredith Kercher. Her ex-boyfriend has a book deal too. But the victim’s father, who still believes the pair murdered his daughter, is fighting back with his o
Following the volatile reign of Silvio Berlusconi, the longtime European “technocrat” and economics professor Mario Monti has achieved surprising consensus both inside and outside of Italy. But can he make it last if he doesn’t stick around?
How three African men escaping the civil war in Libya braved the Mediterranean Sea on a small fishing boat to find love in the most unexpected circumstances.
Former Turin mayoral candidate Alberto Musy was shot multiple times by a man wearing a motorcycle helmet who was waiting for him in the stairwell of his apartment building.
Venice is dedicating a retrospective to one of the defining icons and arbiters of 20th-century fashion (and culture), Diana Vreeland. The influential and ever demanding editor of Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue helped label clothing and luxury design a
Professor Giulio Fanti has spent much of his life in search of a scientific explanation for the Shroud of Turin, the linen cloth that purports to bear the image of the crucified Jesus of Nazareth. He has now arrived at his best conclusion, which may requi
The finer things in life sometimes just need a twist to be shared by everyone. The authentic coffee-and-steamed-milk recipe for cappuccino will now be available in Italian caffès for those who are lactose intolerant. The capriccino recipe replaces cow&
Half a millennium ago, the Holy See established secret archives that today house millions of documents, including private papal records, meant to be protected both from the elements, and prying eyes. It is also a great resource for historians.
Up close and inside the mind of the Italian designer, who is set to be honored with a show of her creations at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Crotone was once called the “Milan of the South,” thanks to its bustling industry and entrepreneurial spirit. But over the past 20 years, the Calabrian city has seen its factories close and locals forced onto welfare. A snapshot of every
Already blamed for causing a cruise ship disaster that killed 25 people, Italian skipper Francesco Schettino now faces allegations that past ships he captained were places of “corruption, drugs and prostitution.”
Considered the most famous drawing ever of the human body, Leondardo Da Vinci’s ‘Vitruvian Man’ was thought to have been the fruit of the Italian artist-scientist’s singular genius. But now a similar image that pre-date
Five centuries after his death, Florentine explorer and chronicler Vespucci is still derided for having his name slapped on two continents that many think should’ve been called North and South Colombia. But the history, and the man, are more subt
While mobsters and terrorists have walked on probation, Antonio Marano – first jailed for theft of a motorcycle – has spent virtually every hour behind bars since 1971. Indeed, the man who has served more time than anyone in post-War Italy became a true c
Barolo and Brunello have long competed to be considered the top Italian red wine. Now makers of both wines have decided to market their bottles together, an approach the French have always used. The Italy v. France battle is on to woo millions from the Am
Italian police have busted a nationwide operation that passed off ordinary water from local faucets as having special powers from such Catholic holy shrines as Lourdes and Fatima.
The possibility is still a ways off, but scientists down here on Earth are already trying to figure out how to grow plants up there – in space. Future missions to Mars or the Moon would benefit greatly, they say, from a bit of healthy roughage.
Dance officials at the world-famous Milan opera house were forced to issue a formal denial this week of reports of rampant ballerina eating disorders. Now a second dancer, and the mother of another, have added new accusations of a troubling atmosphere at
At 86, Father Gabriele Amorth still performs several exorcisms per day. He sees the devil everywhere, including in the music of Marilyn Manson. And he’s convinced that Satan – as much as he feared John Paul II – fears Pope Benedict XVI even more.
Theater director Emma Dante is a singular voice in contemporary theater. The Sicilian director’s theater company is based in her native Palermo, which serves as a troubled muse, and yet offers little tangible support. That she finds in the top th
The ebbs and flows of human migration include the moments when certain immigrants choose to return to their native land. Moncef Ghezal is set to go back to Tunisia after seven years of farm work in southern Italy. His story reflects big changes on both sh
As a cold snap covers much of Europe, the Italian capital was hit with record snowfall over the weekend, but is largely cleared of major disruptions. But surrounding towns, which were hit with even more snow and strong winds, have been largely cut off fro
Villa Altachiara is among the most luxurious residences on the Italian Riviera. After the mysterious death of the last owner, it has become impossible to find a buyer. Superstitious locals blame a curse dating back to ancient Egypt’s King Tutankh
In the face of both economic and identity crises in Europe, Italy’s leading public intellectual pleads for more human exchanges across borders, to go beyond Erasmus university students, who in any case, are beginning to get together to breed a ne
Ciccolella is an Italian family business that leads Europe’s flower market. In 2004, the company forged a unique partnership with Edison, to use hot-water runoff from a new power plant to heat its green houses. Now more expansion — and innovatio
In Milan’s principal wholesale fruit and vegetable market, shelves are empty due to an ongoing truckers strike in southern Italy. Truck drivers are livid over austerity measures being pushed through by Italy’s new reformist Prime Ministe
With new no-nonsense Prime Minister Mario Monti committed to cracking down on tax evasion, La Stampa explores the time-honored (and cutting-edge) tricks that some Italian merchants use to duck requirements that all purchases are registered in official sal
By now, the world knows Captain Schettino, accused of steering the Costa Concordia liner into shallow waters, then abandoning the passengers of his sinking ship. But there is another Captain, Gregorio De Falco, who desperately tried to order Schettino to
Essay: As the death toll climbs in Italy’s cruise ship disaster, Concordia captain Francesco Schettino must answer charges that he abandoned his post in the hour of greatest need. It’s a tale as old as the sea itself, where courage or fe
Panic was unleashed aboard the Costa Concordia after it ran aground Friday night off the tiny Italian island of Giglio. Claudio Masia, 49, had his entire family to rescue, from his two children to his elderly parents. In the end, he couldn’t quit
From portraits of world famous authors to pulsating religious rites in his hometown, Sicilian photographer Ferdinando Scianna has an expansive body of work. A major retrospective is on display now in two locations in Palermo.
Good news for people who can “only” afford cars like the Mercedes S-Class or Porsche 911 Turbo S. Ferrari, Lamborghini and other ultra-deluxe automakers are starting to market models that run in the $200,000 range.
Though he still gets his kicks doing motorcross and car rallies, Rossi, now 32, has secured his status as one of history’s best ever motoGP racers. Before the 2012 season, he reflects on the death of a fellow Italian racer, and eyes the road to one more c
Considered by many to be the greatest long-distance solo sailor, Giovanni Soldini now leads an Italian crew in a quest to break the speed record for crossing the Atlantic. The challenge coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking in the sa
Essay: The small tragedies of the economic crisis have begun to creep into the daily headlines. Reading about a business owner’s suicide, an Italian columnist learns it’s not always easy to find the right way to speak — and write — abo
Once a must-stop for the European jet set, Rome’s Café de Paris on the via Veneto fell under the grip of the powerful Calabrian mob. But after a criminal investigation three years ago put the locale under state control, managers are now serving &
In the southern town of Oria, a shiny new “mini” soccer field and gym facilities have been built over the precious remains of 15 Messapian tombs dating from the Third Century B.C. The mayor defends the choice of youth activity over ancie
Italians know that love can never be reduced to euros and cents. Still, by surveying intended sentiments behind purchases, one market research project tries to put a price tag on saying ‘ti amo’ (I love you). It’s cheaper than &