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 famous for the small, picturesque towns which dot the landscape, but a recent report suggests almost 2,500 risk becoming ghost-towns. https://www.thelocal.it/20160601/nearly-25000-picturesque-italian-villages-risk-becoming-ghost-towns Wed, 01 Jun 2016 15:23:11 +0200 nearly-25000-picturesque-italian-villages-risk-becoming-ghost-towns Italy is a country of half-finished projects. In fact, there are 671 incomplete public works projects across the country, according to data compiled by Linkiesta. https://www.thelocal.it/20150806/five-ghost-buildings-that-cost-italy-dearly Thu, 06 Aug 2015 18:08:55 +0200 five-ghost-buildings-that-cost-italy-dearly Nearly 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) from home, the Icelandic coastguard's Tyr lurches wildly as it chases a suspect cargo ship off the coast of Italy in gale force winds. https://www.thelocal.it/20150212/the-seamen-battling-a-tide-of-human-misery Thu, 12 Feb 2015 09:26:00 +0100 the-seamen-battling-a-tide-of-human-misery Cold, cramped, sick and miserable, aboard an old cargo ship left drifting towards the Italian coast - this was the "journey of death" some 768 desperate Syrian migrants had embarked on in the hopes of a better life in Europe. https://www.thelocal.it/20150107/hope-turns-to-despair-for-italy-ghost-ship-migrants Wed, 07 Jan 2015 09:39:00 +0100 hope-turns-to-despair-for-italy-ghost-ship-migrants The man who piloted nearly 770 illegal Syrian migrants aboard the Blue Sky M cargo ship towards Italy has described how he became the "captain" of the human trafficking vessel, according to Italian media. https://www.thelocal.it/20150105/captain-of-migrant-ghost-ship-recounts-journey Mon, 05 Jan 2015 09:25:00 +0100 captain-of-migrant-ghost-ship-recounts-journey People smugglers likely raked in more than $1.0 million from the hundreds of desperate migrants crammed into just one of the "ghost ships" abandoned off the coast of Italy this week, the International Organization for Migration said on Friday. https://www.thelocal.it/20150102/traffickers-raked-in-over-1m-on-single-ghost-ship Fri, 02 Jan 2015 18:33:00 +0100 traffickers-raked-in-over-1m-on-single-ghost-ship The EU vowed on Friday to fight people smugglers' new tactic of abandoning "ghost ships" full of migrants off European coasts. https://www.thelocal.it/20150102/eu-vows-to-fight-new-tactics-by-migrant-smugglers Fri, 02 Jan 2015 15:49:00 +0100 eu-vows-to-fight-new-tactics-by-migrant-smugglers The village of Barmaz in northern Italy has been lying abandoned for 50 years, but a young architect has presented a plan for its restoration as part of his university thesis. https://www.thelocal.it/20131125/italian-architect-in-bid-to-restore-ghost-village Mon, 25 Nov 2013 13:00:00 +0100 italian-architect-in-bid-to-restore-ghost-village