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 A controversial project to build a bridge connecting Sicily to the Italian mainland could break EU environmental rules, Italy’s Court of Auditors warned on Thursday. https://www.thelocal.it/20251128/sicily-bridge-could-breach-eu-rules-italian-court-warns Fri, 28 Nov 2025 16:15:26 +0100 sicily-bridge-could-breach-eu-rules-italian-court-warns Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Thursday slammed a court's ruling against her government's plan to spend billions on a bridge to Sicily, insisting the project would continue regardless. https://www.thelocal.it/20251030/not-game-over-meloni-hits-out-at-court-ruling-against-sicily-bridge-plan Thu, 30 Oct 2025 11:57:46 +0100 not-game-over-meloni-hits-out-at-court-ruling-against-sicily-bridge-plan Six members of a charity which rescues migrants in the Mediterranean appeared in court in Sicily on Tuesday as an unprecedented trial began. https://www.thelocal.it/20251021/trial-begins-for-italian-migrant-rescuers-accused-of-aiding-illegal-immigration Tue, 21 Oct 2025 18:38:44 +0200 trial-begins-for-italian-migrant-rescuers-accused-of-aiding-illegal-immigration Italy's government has approved a controversial €13.5-billion project to build "the longest single-span bridge in the world" connecting Sicily to the Italian mainland. https://www.thelocal.it/20250806/historic-moment-italy-to-give-final-go-ahead-for-contested-sicily-bridge-project Wed, 06 Aug 2025 15:16:34 +0200 historic-moment-italy-to-give-final-go-ahead-for-contested-sicily-bridge-project Salvage workers on Friday raised a superyacht that sank off Italy during a pre-dawn storm last year, killing UK tech mogul Mike Lynch and six others. https://www.thelocal.it/20250620/italy-salvages-superyacht-that-sank-off-sicily-killing-seven Fri, 20 Jun 2025 17:55:41 +0200 italy-salvages-superyacht-that-sank-off-sicily-killing-seven The Italian government says it will begin work on the world's largest suspension bridge connecting Sicily to the Italian mainland this summer, though many believe it will never be built. https://www.thelocal.it/20250612/senseless-project-italy-forges-ahead-with-contested-messina-bridge-plan Thu, 12 Jun 2025 17:58:35 +0200 senseless-project-italy-forges-ahead-with-contested-messina-bridge-plan Work to raise a superyacht that sank off Sicily's coast last year, killing UK tech mogul Mike Lynch and six others, was suspended on Saturday after the death of a specialised diver, according to local news reports. https://www.thelocal.it/20250510/recovery-of-sunken-yacht-in-italy-suspended-after-divers-death Sat, 10 May 2025 15:31:27 +0200 recovery-of-sunken-yacht-in-italy-suspended-after-divers-death The crewman on watch duty the night that the Bayesian yacht sank off Sicily's coast, killing British tech mogul Mike Lynch and six others, said he sounded an alarm and woke the captain, Italian media reported on Sunday. https://www.thelocal.it/20240901/sicily-yacht-disaster-sailor-says-sounded-alert Sun, 01 Sep 2024 13:15:28 +0200 sicily-yacht-disaster-sailor-says-sounded-alert A formal investigation into the deadly sinking of UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch's yacht widened to include two crew members in addition to the captain, media reports said on Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.it/20240828/captain-and-two-crew-members-under-investigation-over-sicily-yacht-sinking Wed, 28 Aug 2024 15:46:14 +0200 captain-and-two-crew-members-under-investigation-over-sicily-yacht-sinking The captain of a luxury yacht that sank off Sicily's coast last week, killing UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch and six others, was being investigated in a probe for potential manslaughter, reports said on Monday. https://www.thelocal.it/20240826/captain-investigated-over-sicily-yacht-sinking Mon, 26 Aug 2024 13:29:57 +0200 captain-investigated-over-sicily-yacht-sinking Sicilian prosecutors said Saturday they were investigating potential crimes of negligent shipwreck and manslaughter after a superyacht sank killing seven people, including UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch. https://www.thelocal.it/20240824/sicily-prosecutors-open-manslaughter-probe-after-yacht-sinking Sat, 24 Aug 2024 14:40:32 +0200 sicily-prosecutors-open-manslaughter-probe-after-yacht-sinking As volcanic activity continues on the island of Sicily, could travellers this summer be faced with delays, diversions and flight interruptions? https://www.thelocal.it/20240712/etna-and-stromboli-what-are-the-risks-of-travelling-to-sicily-this-summer Fri, 12 Jul 2024 12:54:01 +0200 etna-and-stromboli-what-are-the-risks-of-travelling-to-sicily-this-summer The cheap homes hotspot of Sambuca di Sicilia has launched its latest property offer, selling off 12 abandoned properties - this time for the symbolic price of €3. https://www.thelocal.it/20240620/why-one-sicilian-town-has-put-the-price-of-its-e1-homes-up-to-e3 Thu, 20 Jun 2024 17:54:38 +0200 why-one-sicilian-town-has-put-the-price-of-its-e1-homes-up-to-e3 Near-perfect circles of gas emerged from Mount Etna in a rare display captured on camera by residents and tourists over the weekend. https://www.thelocal.it/20240408/in-pictures-sicilys-mount-etna-puffs-smoke-rings-in-rare-show Mon, 08 Apr 2024 11:46:48 +0200 in-pictures-sicilys-mount-etna-puffs-smoke-rings-in-rare-show Two people have died and 700 tourists were evacuated from their hotel overnight following wildfires in northern Sicily, officials and Italian media reports said. https://www.thelocal.it/20230923/two-die-and-700-evacuated-in-sicily-wildfires Sat, 23 Sep 2023 12:42:49 +0200 two-die-and-700-evacuated-in-sicily-wildfires Schools were closed near Palermo and most of Sicily remained on red alert on Friday for wildfires fuelled by strong winds and unusually high temperatures. https://www.thelocal.it/20230922/schools-closed-after-high-temperatures-fuel-wildfires-in-sicily Fri, 22 Sep 2023 16:16:52 +0200 schools-closed-after-high-temperatures-fuel-wildfires-in-sicily Travellers to and from the Italian island of Sicily were still reporting a “nightmare” situation more than two weeks after a fire partially closed Catania’s airport. https://www.thelocal.it/20230802/catania-airport-chaos-what-should-passengers-expect Wed, 02 Aug 2023 12:10:42 +0200 catania-airport-chaos-what-should-passengers-expect Firefighters on Italy's southern island of Sicily have been battling huge wildfires that have left three elderly people dead. Authorities were expected to declare a state of emergency on Wednesday. https://www.thelocal.it/20230726/video-sicily-set-for-state-of-emergency-as-wildfires-blaze Wed, 26 Jul 2023 13:04:14 +0200 video-sicily-set-for-state-of-emergency-as-wildfires-blaze Seven people were killed in Italy by violent storms in the north and wildfires in the south, which could lead the government to declare a state of emergency in the hardest-hit regions. https://www.thelocal.it/20230726/seven-killed-in-storms-and-wildfires-as-italy-divided-by-extreme-weather Wed, 26 Jul 2023 12:34:36 +0200 seven-killed-in-storms-and-wildfires-as-italy-divided-by-extreme-weather Palermo airport was closed on Tuesday morning after wildfires in the hills around the Sicilian city reached the airport perimeter and road closures made it unreachable. https://www.thelocal.it/20230725/italys-palermo-airport-closed-as-wildfires-rage-in-sicily Tue, 25 Jul 2023 12:32:00 +0200 italys-palermo-airport-closed-as-wildfires-rage-in-sicily