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 February 14th is famous the world over as Valentine’s Day – or as it’s known in Italian, 'la festa di San Valentino'. But where did the idea of a day dedicated to lovers come from? And was Saint Valentine himself really Italian? https://www.thelocal.it/20220214/where-does-valentines-day-come-from Mon, 14 Feb 2022 10:09:18 +0100 where-does-valentines-day-come-from Sixty-one years ago, Italy suffered the worst man-made environmental disaster in its history: an inland tsunami that swept away entire villages and left nearly 2,000 bodies behind. https://www.thelocal.it/20181009/in-pictures-the-vajont-dam-disaster Tue, 09 Oct 2018 16:29:31 +0200 in-pictures-the-vajont-dam-disaster Raunchy scenes may redden faces at a new exhibition in Pompeii on art and sexuality in the ancient Roman city, where sculptures and paintings of breasts and buttocks abound. https://www.thelocal.it/20220504/phallus-of-pompeii-italian-art-exhibition-reveals-ancient-sexuality Wed, 04 May 2022 11:41:46 +0200 phallus-of-pompeii-italian-art-exhibition-reveals-ancient-sexuality On Holocaust Memorial Day, we look at one of the small but powerful ways victims of the genocide are remembered in Italy and other countries. https://www.thelocal.it/20170127/stumble-stones-how-romes-smallest-monuments-honour-holocaust-victims Fri, 27 Jan 2017 09:52:04 +0100 stumble-stones-how-romes-smallest-monuments-honour-holocaust-victims Pompeii archaeologists said Saturday they have unearthed the remains of a "slave room" in an exceptionally rare find at a Roman villa destroyed by Mount Vesuvius' eruption nearly 2,000 years ago. https://www.thelocal.it/20211106/italian-archaeologists-find-slave-room-at-pompeii-in-rare-find Sat, 06 Nov 2021 15:46:30 +0100 italian-archaeologists-find-slave-room-at-pompeii-in-rare-find Where did Italy get its name? The Local delves into the etymology... https://www.thelocal.it/20211105/why-is-italy-called-italy Fri, 05 Nov 2021 17:17:04 +0100 why-is-italy-called-italy Florence suffered its worst flood on record 55 years ago today, killing dozens of people and leaving cultural treasures in ruins. https://www.thelocal.it/20191104/in-photos-the-great-flood-of-florence-arno-1966 Mon, 04 Nov 2019 19:11:03 +0100 in-photos-the-great-flood-of-florence-arno-1966 G20 leaders arrive this weekend in Rome's historic EUR neighbourhood, created by Benito Mussolini to glorify his fascist regime and its links with ancient Rome. https://www.thelocal.it/20211029/g20-leaders-meet-in-romes-eur-district-built-by-mussolini Fri, 29 Oct 2021 12:01:27 +0200 g20-leaders-meet-in-romes-eur-district-built-by-mussolini Dante Alighieri is chiefly remembered as the author of the Divine Comedy and as the father of the Italian language. On the 700th anniversary of his death in the night between September 13 to 14th, 1321, here are five things to know about the titan of world literature. https://www.thelocal.it/20210914/five-things-to-know-about-dante-on-the-700th-anniversary-of-his-death Tue, 14 Sep 2021 14:36:53 +0200 five-things-to-know-about-dante-on-the-700th-anniversary-of-his-death The Italian football team and its fans are known for belting out rousing renditions of the country’s national anthem before matches. But what exactly are they singing? Here’s how you can join in. https://www.thelocal.it/20210706/il-canto-degli-italiani-what-the-italian-national-anthem-means-and-how-to-sing-it Tue, 06 Jul 2021 17:53:25 +0200 il-canto-degli-italiani-what-the-italian-national-anthem-means-and-how-to-sing-it Historians are searching for relatives of the Italian Renaissance artist as a study of his genealogy aims to ‘better understand his genius’. https://www.thelocal.it/20210707/italian-researchers-discover-14-descendents-of-leonardo-da-vinci-living-in-tuscany Wed, 07 Jul 2021 15:37:32 +0200 italian-researchers-discover-14-descendents-of-leonardo-da-vinci-living-in-tuscany The reopening of Rome's Colosseum was announced on Friday after meticulous restoration of the "hypogeum", or below-ground area, with a new pathway offering intimate views and an app explaining the grisly details of the behind-the-scenes area. https://www.thelocal.it/20210626/colosseums-underground-labyrinth-restored-to-eerie-splendour Sat, 26 Jun 2021 13:11:10 +0200 colosseums-underground-labyrinth-restored-to-eerie-splendour Italian police said on Monday they had recovered hundreds of illegally-excavated archaeological finds worth €11 million from a "wealthy Belgian collector". https://www.thelocal.it/20210622/italian-art-squad-police-recover-800-illegally-excavated-archaeological-finds Tue, 22 Jun 2021 13:52:24 +0200 italian-art-squad-police-recover-800-illegally-excavated-archaeological-finds The fossil remains of nine Neanderthal men have been found in a cave in Italy, the culture ministry announced Saturday, a major discovery in the study of our ancient cousins. https://www.thelocal.it/20210508/evidence-of-nine-neanderthals-found-in-italian-cave Sat, 08 May 2021 18:59:46 +0200 evidence-of-nine-neanderthals-found-in-italian-cave It doesn't look like much from the outside, but a building in central Rome holds a hidden treasure in the basement: the remains of a Roman era home, including elaborate mosaics. https://www.thelocal.it/20210507/ancient-roman-home-and-mosaics-unearthed-during-italian-apartment-renovation Fri, 07 May 2021 15:39:49 +0200 ancient-roman-home-and-mosaics-unearthed-during-italian-apartment-renovation Dante Alighieri, the giant of world literature who wrote the Divine Comedy, was commemorated on Thursday for Italy's national 'Dantedi' (Dante Day), in the year that marks 700 years since his death. https://www.thelocal.it/20210325/dante-day-how-italy-is-celebrating-its-national-poet Thu, 25 Mar 2021 18:40:17 +0100 dante-day-how-italy-is-celebrating-its-national-poet Venice celebrates the 1,600th anniversary of its founding on March 25th. We look at some of the intriguing things you might not know about the lagoon city and its 16 centuries of history. https://www.thelocal.it/20210325/16-surprising-facts-about-venice-to-mark-16-centuries-of-the-lagoon-city Thu, 25 Mar 2021 12:25:03 +0100 16-surprising-facts-about-venice-to-mark-16-centuries-of-the-lagoon-city Dante Alighieri will forever be associated with Florence, city of his birth and the dialect he helped elevate such that it would become the basis of Italy's national language. Yet when Dante died 700 years ago, Florence isn't where he ended up. https://www.thelocal.it/20190904/dantes-tomb-italy-ravenna-florence Wed, 04 Sep 2019 11:50:20 +0200 dantes-tomb-italy-ravenna-florence Despite coronavirus restrictions, tickets are sold out until June for Rome’s most recently unveiled historic site. https://www.thelocal.it/20210305/in-photos-rome-reopens-forgotten-mausoleum-of-emperor-augustus Fri, 05 Mar 2021 15:29:40 +0100 in-photos-rome-reopens-forgotten-mausoleum-of-emperor-augustus An ornate Roman chariot has been discovered "almost intact" near Italy's buried city of Pompeii, the archaeological park announced on Saturday, calling it a discovery with "no parallel" in the country. https://www.thelocal.it/20210228/roman-chariot-unearthed-almost-intact-near-italian-ancient-city Sun, 28 Feb 2021 13:41:08 +0100 roman-chariot-unearthed-almost-intact-near-italian-ancient-city