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's government has disbanded the local council in Corleone because of suspected mafia infiltration of the Sicilian town which helped inspire Francis Coppola's "Godfather" series. https://www.thelocal.it/20160811/italy-sacks-council-in-sicilian-godfather-town Thu, 11 Aug 2016 11:57:58 +0200 italy-sacks-council-in-sicilian-godfather-town Many Italians won't even say its name out loud in case it brings bad luck, but the town of Colobraro is hoping its attempt to win big in the lottery will help it shed its reputation as the country's 'most cursed' town. https://www.thelocal.it/20160613/italys-unluckiest-town-is-trying-to-win-the-lottery Mon, 13 Jun 2016 14:12:57 +0200 italys-unluckiest-town-is-trying-to-win-the-lottery An Italian mayor has taken the unusual step of trying to sell his cash-strapped town on Facebook in order to boost its dwindling coffers. https://www.thelocal.it/20160609/mayor-of-broke-italian-town-offers-it-to-chinese-buyers-on-facebook Thu, 09 Jun 2016 13:28:22 +0200 mayor-of-broke-italian-town-offers-it-to-chinese-buyers-on-facebook Perched on a cliff of red volcano rock, the Umbrian hilltop town of Orvieto is among Italy’s most enchanting. Toni DeBella, an Italian-American expat who's lucky to call it home, tells us why. https://www.thelocal.it/20160608/an-italian-gem-why-you-must-visit-the-magical-orvieto Wed, 08 Jun 2016 09:00:03 +0200 an-italian-gem-why-you-must-visit-the-magical-orvieto 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 The Italian government has decided to dissolve the town council of Brescello for fear that its local institutions have been infiltrated by the mafia. https://www.thelocal.it/20160421/italy-dissolves-town-council-infiltrated-by-mafia Thu, 21 Apr 2016 16:37:12 +0200 italy-dissolves-town-council-infiltrated-by-mafia Prostitutes are known for their skimpy outfits and provocative demeanour, but an Italian coastal city has had enough, and is now going to fine them for their attire and flirty behaviour. https://www.thelocal.it/20160324/italian-city-to-fine-prostitutes-for-sexy-clothes-and-provocative-looks Thu, 24 Mar 2016 13:30:20 +0100 italian-city-to-fine-prostitutes-for-sexy-clothes-and-provocative-looks An ancient Roman amphitheatre, in the town of Fano, in the Marche region, is slowly rotting away beneath an abandoned factory from the early 1900s. https://www.thelocal.it/20160318/italian-town-forgets-roman-theatre-found-under-derelict-factory Fri, 18 Mar 2016 14:51:32 +0100 italian-town-forgets-roman-theatre-found-under-derelict-factory Gurro was populated by Scottish soldiers 500 years ago, who left traces of their culture everywhere. https://www.thelocal.it/20160302/gurro-italys-little-scotland-colonized-by-highland-warriors Wed, 02 Mar 2016 17:41:34 +0100 gurro-italys-little-scotland-colonized-by-highland-warriors The Grim Reaper has got his work cut out in Sellia in southern Italy, thanks to a decree ordering the village's elderly and dwindling population to stay in good shape. https://www.thelocal.it/20160115/inside-italys-medieval-village-ordering-its-elderly-to-defy-death Fri, 15 Jan 2016 09:52:29 +0100 inside-italys-medieval-village-ordering-its-elderly-to-defy-death A town in the Italian Alps was engulfed by a huge cloud of snow on Tuesday when a large avalanche careered down the side of a nearby mountain. https://www.thelocal.it/20160112/close-call-avalanche-cloud-engulfs-italian-town Tue, 12 Jan 2016 18:09:02 +0100 close-call-avalanche-cloud-engulfs-italian-town A celebrity councillor from the town of Urbino in central Italy has resigned after an "immoral" avant-garde Christmas tree was erected in the historic centre without his knowledge. https://www.thelocal.it/20151221/italy-councillor-quits-over-modern-art-christmas-tree-vittorio-sgarbi Mon, 21 Dec 2015 15:03:08 +0100 italy-councillor-quits-over-modern-art-christmas-tree-vittorio-sgarbi With an average age of 65.1 years, the Italian town of Gorreto in Liguria has the oldest population in Europe. https://www.thelocal.it/20151030/welcome-to-gorreto-europes-oldest-town Fri, 30 Oct 2015 14:09:07 +0100 welcome-to-gorreto-europes-oldest-town It is a well-known holiday destination and employees of the Italian Riviera resort of San Remo have been caught slipping into vacation mode a little too frequently. https://www.thelocal.it/20151022/lifes-a-beach-3-in-4-skip-work-in-riviera-town Thu, 22 Oct 2015 16:42:21 +0200 lifes-a-beach-3-in-4-skip-work-in-riviera-town With a population of only six, it’s been dubbed “the dying town”. But on a recent visit to the hilltop Civita di Bagnoregio, The Local spoke to one of the inhabitants, and discovered a fervent desire to keep it very much alive. https://www.thelocal.it/20150819/civita-the-italian-town-that-refuses-to-die Wed, 19 Aug 2015 13:53:55 +0200 civita-the-italian-town-that-refuses-to-die The mayor of an Italian town of just 760 inhabitants fears the arrival of a further 60 refugees could ruin its plans to host the world Wikimania Convention in 2016. https://www.thelocal.it/20150708/italy-mayor-fears-migrants-will-scupper-wiki-event Wed, 08 Jul 2015 15:56:56 +0200 italy-mayor-fears-migrants-will-scupper-wiki-event The mayor of Italy’s poorest town has been arrested for alleged involvement in a scam that saw €100,000 fleeced from the European Union as well as State and regional funds. https://www.thelocal.it/20150203/mayor-of-italys-poorest-town-arrested-for-fraud Tue, 03 Feb 2015 14:41:00 +0100 mayor-of-italys-poorest-town-arrested-for-fraud