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 Sofia Corradi, the creator of the EU's Erasmus program which has sent millions of young people abroad throughout Europe to study, died in Rome aged 91, Italian media reported Saturday. https://www.thelocal.it/20251019/europes-erasmus-founder-sofia-corradi-dies-aged-91 Sun, 19 Oct 2025 07:55:22 +0200 europes-erasmus-founder-sofia-corradi-dies-aged-91 Italy's poor rankings in international comparisons of English language skills don't come as a surprise to many in the country. Silvia Marchetti explains why Italian students are at a disadvantage and what must be done if the situation is to change. https://www.thelocal.it/20210920/opinion-italians-have-a-hard-time-learning-english-but-can-things-improve Mon, 20 Sep 2021 18:14:16 +0200 opinion-italians-have-a-hard-time-learning-english-but-can-things-improve If you're planning to study in Italy, there's a lot to consider. We asked international students about their experiences of everything from finding accommodation to navigating unusual exam methods. https://www.thelocal.it/20220420/revealed-what-studying-in-italy-is-really-like-and-what-you-should-expect Wed, 20 Apr 2022 13:53:10 +0200 revealed-what-studying-in-italy-is-really-like-and-what-you-should-expect After Italy's education ministry confirmed Covid vaccination and mask mandates in schools will not be renewed by September, here's a look at the health precautions in place as school restarts. https://www.thelocal.it/20220823/explained-what-are-italys-covid-rules-for-schools-in-september Tue, 23 Aug 2022 15:37:07 +0200 explained-what-are-italys-covid-rules-for-schools-in-september Teaching staff who refused to get vaccinated against Covid-19 will be allowed back to work in the new school year, Italy's education ministry has confirmed. https://www.thelocal.it/20220822/covid-19-italys-unvaccinated-teachers-to-return-to-class-as-rules-ease Mon, 22 Aug 2022 19:20:07 +0200 covid-19-italys-unvaccinated-teachers-to-return-to-class-as-rules-ease The UK is missing out by barring highly skilled Italian graduates from accessing a new work visa, Italy's universities minister said on Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.it/20220519/its-their-loss-italian-universities-left-off-uk-special-study-visa-list Thu, 19 May 2022 14:16:07 +0200 its-their-loss-italian-universities-left-off-uk-special-study-visa-list As Italy’s demographic crisis continues to worsen, a falling number of students in the country's schools is expected to mean smaller classes - but also fewer teaching staff and a lower education budget. https://www.thelocal.it/20220419/italian-class-sizes-to-shrink-as-population-falls-further Tue, 19 Apr 2022 14:48:56 +0200 italian-class-sizes-to-shrink-as-population-falls-further Italian universities featured more prominently than ever before in the latest set of prestigious international rankings. Here's a look at the country's top-rated institutions and how they stack up globally. https://www.thelocal.it/20220408/ranked-italys-best-universities-and-how-they-compare-worldwide Fri, 08 Apr 2022 17:17:48 +0200 ranked-italys-best-universities-and-how-they-compare-worldwide Italy has ranked the worst in the EU for English language skills again, according to a new global survey. But why do Italians consistently come way down the league tables for foreign language proficiency? Here's a closer look at the data. https://www.thelocal.it/20211207/are-italians-really-the-worst-in-europe-at-speaking-english Tue, 07 Dec 2021 18:11:06 +0100 are-italians-really-the-worst-in-europe-at-speaking-english Italian physicist Giorgio Parisi will receive a shared Nobel prize at a ceremony on Monday, but behind the celebrations is consternation at the brain-drain that for years has seen many young scientists leave to work abroad. https://www.thelocal.it/20211205/physics-nobel-belies-italys-scientific-brain-drain Sun, 05 Dec 2021 12:25:41 +0100 physics-nobel-belies-italys-scientific-brain-drain Italy had long benefitted from a regular flow of English native speakers from the UK, but language schools are now struggling to recruit British teachers due to the effects of Brexit and Covid travel restrictions. https://www.thelocal.it/20211013/finding-english-teachers-in-italy-now-virtually-impossible-after-brexit Wed, 13 Oct 2021 15:59:22 +0200 finding-english-teachers-in-italy-now-virtually-impossible-after-brexit With the new school year approaching, teachers in Italy are wondering what Covid-19 requirements they'll need to meet when they return to class. https://www.thelocal.it/20210816/reader-question-do-international-school-teachers-have-to-be-vaccinated-to-work-in-italy Mon, 16 Aug 2021 13:34:32 +0200 reader-question-do-international-school-teachers-have-to-be-vaccinated-to-work-in-italy You may have lived here for years, read the textbooks, gone to the classes, even survived an Italian dinner party... but do you ever get the sinking feeling you'll never be truly bilingual? https://www.thelocal.it/20190420/the-signs-youll-never-be-truly-fluent-in-italian Sat, 20 Apr 2019 11:46:33 +0200 the-signs-youll-never-be-truly-fluent-in-italian As Italy looks at making Covid-19 vaccines mandatory for school staff, how do people in the country feel about the idea - and how strong is Italy's ‘No Vax’ sentiment really? https://www.thelocal.it/20210720/pressure-to-vaccinate-italys-teachers-inflames-anti-vax-movement Tue, 20 Jul 2021 17:34:19 +0200 pressure-to-vaccinate-italys-teachers-inflames-anti-vax-movement Italian health experts have recommended that the coronavirus measures in place at the start of the next school year should be kept the same as last year, amid concerns about a possible new wave of infections fuelled by the Delta variant. https://www.thelocal.it/20210705/covid-19-italian-schools-set-to-keep-using-masks-and-distancing-from-september Mon, 05 Jul 2021 15:36:56 +0200 covid-19-italian-schools-set-to-keep-using-masks-and-distancing-from-september Pfizer/BioNTech said on Friday it has asked European regulators to authorise its Covid-19 vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds, a move seen as a crucial step toward achieving herd immunity. https://www.thelocal.it/20210430/could-12-to-15-year-olds-in-eu-soon-be-given-the-pfizer-covid-vaccine Fri, 30 Apr 2021 17:38:58 +0200 could-12-to-15-year-olds-in-eu-soon-be-given-the-pfizer-covid-vaccine Around two thirds of Italian students returned to class on Wednesday, as Italy partially relaxed the coronavirus restrictions which had kept all schools closed since mid-March. https://www.thelocal.it/20210407/concerns-remain-about-testing-as-two-thirds-of-italian-pupils-return-to-school Wed, 07 Apr 2021 12:32:13 +0200 concerns-remain-about-testing-as-two-thirds-of-italian-pupils-return-to-school Is language learning through immersion still possible during a pandemic? Despite social distancing and reduced opportunities to practise ‘la bella lingua’, there are still ways to take your Italian to the next level. https://www.thelocal.it/20210205/learning-italian-in-lockdown-how-to-boost-your-language-skills-during-covid-19 Fri, 05 Feb 2021 14:16:50 +0100 learning-italian-in-lockdown-how-to-boost-your-language-skills-during-covid-19 Italy on Tuesday postponed the return of high schools as coronavirus restrictions were extended. https://www.thelocal.it/20210105/coronavirus-concern-about-distance-learning-as-italy-extends-high-school-closures Tue, 05 Jan 2021 11:26:17 +0100 coronavirus-concern-about-distance-learning-as-italy-extends-high-school-closures Despite some progress in their foreign language skills Italians are still behind most other EU countries when it comes to speaking English, according to a new global ranking. https://www.thelocal.it/20201119/italians-ranked-among-worst-in-the-eu-at-speaking-english-again Thu, 19 Nov 2020 13:34:22 +0100 italians-ranked-among-worst-in-the-eu-at-speaking-english-again