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 Italy is relatively generous when it comes to providing maternity benefits - but to take full advantage of them, you'll need to keep up to speed with the country's often-changing rules. https://www.thelocal.it/20240404/explained-what-maternity-benefits-are-available-in-italy-in-2024 Thu, 04 Apr 2024 13:41:20 +0200 explained-what-maternity-benefits-are-available-in-italy-in-2024 The latest list of Italy's most popular baby names has been published - and as with so many things in this country, there are regional differences. https://www.thelocal.it/20221221/revealed-these-are-italys-most-popular-baby-names Wed, 21 Dec 2022 13:57:20 +0100 revealed-these-are-italys-most-popular-baby-names Parents in Italy spend a monthly average of €303 for public nursery care and €324 for public kindergarten. How does that compare to other countries? https://www.thelocal.it/20220930/how-does-the-cost-of-childcare-in-italy-compare-to-other-countries Fri, 30 Sep 2022 13:40:56 +0200 how-does-the-cost-of-childcare-in-italy-compare-to-other-countries The Italian government is set to announce new measures to help families on Friday in a new decree. https://www.thelocal.it/20210604/italy-set-to-approve-universal-single-allowance-for-families-from-july Fri, 04 Jun 2021 17:14:05 +0200 italy-set-to-approve-universal-single-allowance-for-families-from-july The coronavirus crisis has hit Italy's already historically-low birth rate, new projections from the national statistics agency reveal. https://www.thelocal.it/20201125/italys-low-birthrate-plunging-further-due-to-coronavirus Wed, 25 Nov 2020 14:49:13 +0100 italys-low-birthrate-plunging-further-due-to-coronavirus Italy's birth rate reached another new low in 2019, according to new figures. But in the northern province of Bolzano, the birth rate is instead increasing. https://www.thelocal.it/20200714/italys-birth-rate-drops-again-except-in-one-province Tue, 14 Jul 2020 15:27:58 +0200 italys-birth-rate-drops-again-except-in-one-province Italy's parliament approved a new bill on Thursday aimed at supporting parents. Here are the measures being introduced to help make starting a family in the country a more affordable and realistic prospect. https://www.thelocal.it/20200612/what-you-need-to-know-about-italys-new-family-act Fri, 12 Jun 2020 17:11:59 +0200 what-you-need-to-know-about-italys-new-family-act The Local's readers explain how school and office closures, tourist cancellations, and other effects of the coranavirus crisis in Italy have left them wondering how they'll pay the bills. https://www.thelocal.it/20200313/i-have-no-work-tour-guides-teachers-and-business-owners Fri, 13 Mar 2020 15:35:44 +0100 i-have-no-work-tour-guides-teachers-and-business-owners Italy’s birth rate hit a record low in 2018, making it the least procreative country in the EU. Here are the measures the government is planning to introduce in 2020 to encourage Italians to be parents. https://www.thelocal.it/20191030/how-ageing-italy-plans-to-bump-up-its-birth-rate-in-2020 Wed, 30 Oct 2019 12:38:18 +0100 how-ageing-italy-plans-to-bump-up-its-birth-rate-in-2020 The Italian government could raise benefits for new parents and add tax breaks on nappies and baby formula under proposals designed to boost Italy's lagging birth rate. https://www.thelocal.it/20190515/bigger-baby-bonus-and-tax-breaks-on-nappies-italy-plan-to-boost-families Wed, 15 May 2019 11:18:09 +0200 bigger-baby-bonus-and-tax-breaks-on-nappies-italy-plan-to-boost-families Some 2.2 million families were without an employment income in 2015, Istat, the national statistics agency said on Friday, as it slammed Italy for having “one of the least efficient” social security systems in Europe. https://www.thelocal.it/20160520/22-million-italian-families-are-without-a-job-income-istat Fri, 20 May 2016 14:38:10 +0200 22-million-italian-families-are-without-a-job-income-istat With Italian lessons and strolls around Rome, the 12 Syrian asylum seekers Pope Francis brought back with him from Lesbos are settling into new lives, their hosts said on Monday. https://www.thelocal.it/20160418/popes-refugee-families-settle-into-roman-life Mon, 18 Apr 2016 16:50:47 +0200 popes-refugee-families-settle-into-roman-life Italy’s Interior Minister, Angelino Alfano, has proposed a package of family tax cuts in a bid to boost the country’s dismal birth rate and reward people "who make babies". https://www.thelocal.it/20150821/alfano-pitches-tax-cuts-for-italians-who-make-babies Fri, 21 Aug 2015 14:11:57 +0200 alfano-pitches-tax-cuts-for-italians-who-make-babies A hotel in Italy was on Wednesday named the best in the world for families, based on reviews by travel site TripAdvisor. The Local explores how Cavallino Bianco won the excellence award. https://www.thelocal.it/20150122/italian-hotel-named-best-in-world-for-families Thu, 22 Jan 2015 12:48:00 +0100 italian-hotel-named-best-in-world-for-families Italian families' wealth fell by 1.4 percent in 2013, although they are relatively better off than those in the US and Germany, the Bank of Italy has said. https://www.thelocal.it/20141218/wealth-falls-for-families-in-italy Thu, 18 Dec 2014 10:28:00 +0100 wealth-falls-for-families-in-italy Italy last year granted more first-time residence permits to non-EU citizens for family reasons than any other EU country, a new report has revealed. https://www.thelocal.it/20141022/italy-a-hub-for-foreign-families-report Wed, 22 Oct 2014 16:42:00 +0200 italy-a-hub-for-foreign-families-report Italian families will cut spending on Christmas presents this year as they continue to grapple with finances in an economy that's showing little sign of improvement. Reports show that the average Italian family will be spending 11.2 percent less on Christmas presents this year. https://www.thelocal.it/20131121/italian-families-slash-christmas-spending Thu, 21 Nov 2013 12:45:00 +0100 italian-families-slash-christmas-spending