https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Italy in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed The Arco di Sant’Andrea, a beloved feature of Italy’s southern Salento coastline, crumbled over the weekend following heavy rain and storm surges. https://www.thelocal.it/20260216/salentos-iconic-lovers-arch-collapses-after-valentines-day-storm Mon, 16 Feb 2026 12:41:16 +0100 salentos-iconic-lovers-arch-collapses-after-valentines-day-storm Climate activists dyed Venice's Grand Canal green Saturday, as countries at a UN climate conference in Brazil struggled to agree on the crucial issue of phasing out of fossil fuels. https://www.thelocal.it/20251123/climate-activists-dye-venices-grand-canal-green Sun, 23 Nov 2025 12:31:03 +0100 climate-activists-dye-venices-grand-canal-green Environmental campaign group Greenpeace has slammed the fact that budget flights between destinations in Europe are still often significantly cheaper than travelling by train. https://www.thelocal.it/20250822/unfair-budget-flights-in-europe-up-to-26-times-cheaper-than-train-routes Fri, 22 Aug 2025 18:32:46 +0200 unfair-budget-flights-in-europe-up-to-26-times-cheaper-than-train-routes Wildfires have so far ravaged more than one million hectares of land in European Union countries this year, a record since recording began in 2006, according to AFP analysis of official data. https://www.thelocal.it/20250822/record-eu-wildfires-burnt-more-than-1mn-hectares-in-2025 Fri, 22 Aug 2025 10:56:46 +0200 record-eu-wildfires-burnt-more-than-1mn-hectares-in-2025 Human-caused climate change made recent European heatwaves up to 4C hotter in many cities, pushing temperatures into deadly territory for thousands of vulnerable people, scientists have said. https://www.thelocal.it/20250709/climate-change-made-european-heatwave-up-to-4c-hotter-study Wed, 09 Jul 2025 11:03:43 +0200 climate-change-made-european-heatwave-up-to-4c-hotter-study Short, intense summer rainfall in Europe's Alpine regions is likely to become more frequent and severe in the future because of global warming, according to a study released Thursday by the University of Lausanne (UNIL). https://www.thelocal.it/20250620/climate-change-could-double-summer-rainfall-in-the-alps-study Fri, 20 Jun 2025 16:44:32 +0200 climate-change-could-double-summer-rainfall-in-the-alps-study Europe has thousands of incredible swimming spots around its beaches, lakes and rivers, but which countries have the cleanest and dirtiest waters? https://www.thelocal.it/20250621/revealed-where-in-europe-has-the-cleanest-and-dirtiest-swimming-spots Sat, 21 Jun 2025 11:12:22 +0200 revealed-where-in-europe-has-the-cleanest-and-dirtiest-swimming-spots Europe in 2025 experienced its hottest March ever recorded by a significant margin, driving extreme conditions across a continent warming faster than any other, Europe's Copernicus climate monitor said on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.it/20250408/europe-has-just-had-its-hottest-ever-march-scientists-confirm Tue, 08 Apr 2025 12:41:10 +0200 europe-has-just-had-its-hottest-ever-march-scientists-confirm Italy's prestigious white truffles are becoming an increasingly rare and expensive delicacy as their natural habitat is endangered by global warming, sudden temperature changes and long droughts. https://www.thelocal.it/20241111/climate-change-threatens-italys-prized-white-truffle-trade Mon, 11 Nov 2024 11:08:20 +0100 climate-change-threatens-italys-prized-white-truffle-trade Blocking a road to protest inaction against climate change could soon be punishable with prison in Italy as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's hard-right government cracks down on demonstrations, even peaceful ones. https://www.thelocal.it/20241005/italy-targets-climate-activists-in-anti-gandhi-demo-clampdown Sat, 05 Oct 2024 11:01:06 +0200 italy-targets-climate-activists-in-anti-gandhi-demo-clampdown There have been several fatal incidents on the slopes of Mont Blanc during the summer of 2024 - a sign that the dangers facing the hundreds of mountaineers who attempt to climb the peak each year are increasing as the climate crisis worsens. https://www.thelocal.it/20230710/why-is-climbing-mont-blanc-so-dangerous Mon, 10 Jul 2023 17:48:05 +0200 why-is-climbing-mont-blanc-so-dangerous The Mediterranean Sea reached its highest temperature on record Thursday August 15th, Spanish researchers told AFP on Friday, breaking the record from July 2023. https://www.thelocal.it/20240816/28-9c-mediterranean-sea-breaks-daily-temperature-record Fri, 16 Aug 2024 16:06:45 +0200 28-9c-mediterranean-sea-breaks-daily-temperature-record As a record drought continues to wither crops in Sicily, rainwater is being dumped into the sea, sparking anger among local farmers. https://www.thelocal.it/20240810/rainwater-dumped-in-the-sea-in-drought-hit-sicily Sat, 10 Aug 2024 10:52:40 +0200 rainwater-dumped-in-the-sea-in-drought-hit-sicily Harvest was well underway on western Sicily's vineyards this week after grapes ripened earlier than usual amid high temperatures and a months-long drought. https://www.thelocal.it/20240808/harvest-starts-early-in-sicilys-vineyards-amid-crushing-drought Thu, 08 Aug 2024 15:57:16 +0200 harvest-starts-early-in-sicilys-vineyards-amid-crushing-drought Hundreds of Sicilians on Friday protested against water shortages and poor water management amid a crushing drought that's been gripping the Italian island for months. https://www.thelocal.it/20240803/we-want-water-sicilians-protest-against-shortages Sat, 03 Aug 2024 10:22:15 +0200 we-want-water-sicilians-protest-against-shortages A crushing drought on the Italian island of Sicily has withered crops, deprived livestock of pastureland and fanned a spate of wildfires, causing damage already estimated at 2.7 billion euros this year. https://www.thelocal.it/20240730/theres-no-hope-how-a-months-long-drought-is-devastating-sicily Tue, 30 Jul 2024 11:09:59 +0200 theres-no-hope-how-a-months-long-drought-is-devastating-sicily As climate change causes rising temperatures across the Mediterranean Sea, an invasive predator is wreaking havoc for fishermen and holidaymakers off the coast of Sicily. https://www.thelocal.it/20240729/bearded-fireworm-stalks-shallows-as-mediterranean-warms Mon, 29 Jul 2024 13:35:09 +0200 bearded-fireworm-stalks-shallows-as-mediterranean-warms Authorities in Sicily deployed a naval tanker Friday to help move water from one side of the drought-hit island to the other, as another southern Italian region declared a water emergency. https://www.thelocal.it/20240727/sicily-uses-navy-tanker-to-resupply-drought-hit-areas Sat, 27 Jul 2024 12:18:16 +0200 sicily-uses-navy-tanker-to-resupply-drought-hit-areas New research by Italian scientists estimated that large areas of Venice including the famous Saint Mark’s Square will be submerged by 2150 due to rising sea levels and the city’s sinking foundations. https://www.thelocal.it/20240620/italian-scientists-predict-parts-of-venice-will-be-underwater-by-2150 Thu, 20 Jun 2024 14:53:22 +0200 italian-scientists-predict-parts-of-venice-will-be-underwater-by-2150 The latest medium-range forecasts predict temperatures several degrees above seasonal average again this summer with a series of heatwaves and an elevated risk of drought, warned Italian meteorologists on Monday. https://www.thelocal.it/20240617/exceptionally-hot-summer-temperatures-predicted-for-italy Mon, 17 Jun 2024 13:10:43 +0200 exceptionally-hot-summer-temperatures-predicted-for-italy