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 Local Italy's reporter Elaine Allaby got the news this week that her daughter's nursery is being converted into tourist accommodation. In a city already desperately short of childcare, the rental market is now coming for essential services. https://www.thelocal.it/20260328/inside-italy-my-daughters-nursery-is-the-latest-casualty-of-romes-airbnb-boom Sat, 28 Mar 2026 10:14:16 +0100 inside-italy-my-daughters-nursery-is-the-latest-casualty-of-romes-airbnb-boom Card payments are becoming more common in Italy but you still need to carry cash everywhere, as The Local Italy’s editor Clare Speak was reminded this week. https://www.thelocal.it/20260221/inside-italy-why-are-italians-still-devoted-to-the-old-world-of-cash-payments Sat, 21 Feb 2026 10:07:21 +0100 inside-italy-why-are-italians-still-devoted-to-the-old-world-of-cash-payments Apartment hunting in Florence means wading through countless suspicious listings, but editor Clare Speak finds that the scammers at least follow some predictable patterns. https://www.thelocal.it/20260214/inside-italy-the-rental-scam-problem-in-italy-is-real-but-theyre-not-always-hard-to-spot Sat, 14 Feb 2026 10:01:22 +0100 inside-italy-the-rental-scam-problem-in-italy-is-real-but-theyre-not-always-hard-to-spot Whether it be learning to question doctors who aren't listening or navigating the copay maze, editor Clare Speak explains how you can avoid mistakes when seeing an Italian doctor. https://www.thelocal.it/20260207/inside-italy-how-to-avoid-the-mistakes-i-made-when-going-to-an-italian-doctor Sat, 07 Feb 2026 10:08:38 +0100 inside-italy-how-to-avoid-the-mistakes-i-made-when-going-to-an-italian-doctor Generous subsidies and abundant solar power made buying an electric car seem irresistible, but with so few charging points available in southern Italy, editor Clare Speak fears she may come to regret it. https://www.thelocal.it/20260131/inside-italy-we-just-bought-an-electric-car-in-the-south-what-could-go-wrong Sat, 31 Jan 2026 10:10:00 +0100 inside-italy-we-just-bought-an-electric-car-in-the-south-what-could-go-wrong In this week's Inside Italy review, we examine how Italy and the Vatican responded to a surprising invitation, and ask whether the world of Italian fashion is timeless or due for an update. https://www.thelocal.it/20260124/inside-italy-the-popes-peace-board-invite-and-the-end-of-an-era-for-italian-style Sat, 24 Jan 2026 10:15:37 +0100 inside-italy-the-popes-peace-board-invite-and-the-end-of-an-era-for-italian-style In this week's Inside Italy review, we look why Italy is holding a referendum on a topic that has failed to spark much public debate, plus how Rome and other car-reliant Italian cities are cutting their speed limits. https://www.thelocal.it/20260117/inside-italy-why-italy-is-holding-another-referendum-and-will-anyone-vote Sat, 17 Jan 2026 11:11:32 +0100 inside-italy-why-italy-is-holding-another-referendum-and-will-anyone-vote Italy has been shivering in this week's wintry weather, but some areas were better at dealing with it than others - and it revealed some differing cultural attitudes to the cold. https://www.thelocal.it/20260110/inside-italy-colpo-daria-might-seem-bonkers-but-dont-question-italians Sat, 10 Jan 2026 11:17:55 +0100 inside-italy-colpo-daria-might-seem-bonkers-but-dont-question-italians In this week's Inside Italy review, we look at why Italy's regions are now free to limit tourist rentals, and why politicians love talking about who owns Italy's gold reserves. https://www.thelocal.it/20251220/inside-italy-tuscany-takes-on-airbnb-and-who-owns-italys-gold Sat, 20 Dec 2025 11:01:42 +0100 inside-italy-tuscany-takes-on-airbnb-and-who-owns-italys-gold In this week's review, we look at how a family-friendly Christmas fair fits in with Meloni's mainstream take on nationalist politics, and why high art and hot priests are equally popular in the world of Italian calendars. https://www.thelocal.it/20251213/inside-italy-melonis-christmas-fair-and-the-italian-calendar-tradition Sat, 13 Dec 2025 11:28:03 +0100 inside-italy-melonis-christmas-fair-and-the-italian-calendar-tradition This week, we look at why the story of Italy's 'family in the woods' has seen huge international interest, plus whether delays in completing Italy's Winter Games venues are anything to worry about. https://www.thelocal.it/20251206/inside-italy-the-family-in-the-woods-and-italy-preparing-for-the-olympics Sat, 06 Dec 2025 10:04:37 +0100 inside-italy-the-family-in-the-woods-and-italy-preparing-for-the-olympics This week, we look at a contested proposal to raise Italy’s cash payments ceiling (again), plus why the government has declared war on “Italian-sounding” pasta sauces. https://www.thelocal.it/20251122/inside-italy-cash-payments-controversy-and-the-war-on-italian-sounding-pasta-sauces Sat, 22 Nov 2025 11:16:31 +0100 inside-italy-cash-payments-controversy-and-the-war-on-italian-sounding-pasta-sauces This week, we look at Italy's bid for recognition for its national cuisine, plus gelato in parliament and the League party's increasing irrelevance. https://www.thelocal.it/20251115/inside-italy-unesco-bid-for-italian-cuisine-and-hard-truths-for-the-league Sat, 15 Nov 2025 11:30:02 +0100 inside-italy-unesco-bid-for-italian-cuisine-and-hard-truths-for-the-league This week, we look at how populist politics have returned to Italy via the US, plus the furore over Shein's arrival in fashion capital Milan. https://www.thelocal.it/20251108/inside-italy-trump-style-politics-in-naples-and-the-ultra-fast-fashion-invasion Sat, 08 Nov 2025 13:20:02 +0100 inside-italy-trump-style-politics-in-naples-and-the-ultra-fast-fashion-invasion This week, we look at the row over Italy's 2026 budget plan and what it means for Giorgia Meloni to be "besties" with Donald Trump. https://www.thelocal.it/20251011/inside-italy-budget-chaos-and-melonis-friendship-with-trump Sat, 11 Oct 2025 14:11:25 +0200 inside-italy-budget-chaos-and-melonis-friendship-with-trump This week: Florence's latest attempt to limit tourism, and what does it mean to be given citizenship by "special merit"? https://www.thelocal.it/20251011/inside-italy-citizenship-on-merit-and-florences-tuk-tuk-ban Sat, 11 Oct 2025 14:11:25 +0200 inside-italy-citizenship-on-merit-and-florences-tuk-tuk-ban In this week's Inside Italy review, we look at why mass tourism isn't solely responsible for Venice’s population decline, as resident numbers hit a new record low. https://www.thelocal.it/20250913/inside-italy-why-venices-population-crisis-goes-deeper-than-tourism Sat, 13 Sep 2025 12:05:01 +0200 inside-italy-why-venices-population-crisis-goes-deeper-than-tourism In this week's Inside Italy newsletter, we look at how Italians really cope with sweltering summers, and whether that advice will really work for people in other countries. https://www.thelocal.it/20250705/inside-italy-how-do-italians-cope-with-the-sweltering-summers Sat, 05 Jul 2025 11:27:36 +0200 inside-italy-how-do-italians-cope-with-the-sweltering-summers In this week's Inside Italy newsletter, we look at whether long August breaks in Italy are still the norm for many Italians - and whether foreign tourists are really to blame for rising prices. https://www.thelocal.it/20250614/inside-italy-are-italians-being-priced-out-of-long-august-holidays Sat, 14 Jun 2025 14:20:39 +0200 inside-italy-are-italians-being-priced-out-of-long-august-holidays In this week's Inside Italy newsletter, we look at why the government is so enthusiastic about the Messina Strait bridge project, and why work may begin soon despite the challenges threatening to blow it off course. https://www.thelocal.it/20250614/inside-italy-why-building-a-bridge-to-sicily-wont-unite-italians Sat, 14 Jun 2025 14:20:39 +0200 inside-italy-why-building-a-bridge-to-sicily-wont-unite-italians