Why Capers Are Such a Delicacy in Italy

Jul 2, 2022 One of the oldest cultivated plants in the Mediterranean region thrives in the south of Italy: the caper shrub. Apart from its fruit, the flower buds are eaten, too - and they're a real delicacy. The best capers traditionally come from the volcanic island of Pantelleria, south of Sicily. Capers are the flower buds of the caper shrub native to the entire Mediterranean region. They are pickled in salt or oil and fermented for several months. Before sunrise, workers begin harvesting the buds by the light of their work lamps. Later, the flowers might open, at which point they are worthless. Gabriele Lasagni of the traditional caper manufactory "Bonomo & Giglio" is considered the "revolutionary of capers", because he transforms the traditional capers into innovative products.

Offspring of Italy’s Last King Sue State in Battle to Reclaim Crown Jewels

THE GUARDIAN: King Umberto II descendants take legal action over treasure kept in Bank of Italy deposit box for 76 years

Umberto II, right, with his wife, Princess Marie José of Belgium, in 1930. Photograph: Sueddeutsche Zeitung photo/Alamy
The descendants of Italy’s last king are suing the Italian state in their fight to reclaim the crown jewels, which for almost 76 years have been stashed in a treasure chest in a safety deposit box at the Bank of Italy amid a long-running mystery over their ownership.

The legal action comes after the offspring of King Umberto II failed to reach an agreement with the bank to return the jewels, which comprise more than 6,000 diamonds and 2,000 pearls mounted on brooches, necklaces and tiaras worn by various princesses and queens during the monarchy’s 85-year existence.

The first hearing will take place on 7 June at the court of Rome, said Sergio Orlandi, the lawyer representing Umberto II’s son, Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia, and three daughters, Maria Gabriella, Maria Pia and Maria Beatrice. » | Angela Giuffrida in Rome | Wednesday, February 9, 2022

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WIKIPEDIA: Monarchy of Italy

The Italian Monarchist.

Descendants of Italy’s Last King Attempt to Reclaim Crown Jewels

THE GUARDIAN: Items have been in storage since 1946, when Umberto II was banished as Italians voted to abolish monarchy

Crown Prince Umberto of Italy with his bride, Princess Marie-José of Belgium, in 1930.Photograph: Sueddeutsche Zeitung Photo/Alamy
Descendants of the last king of Italy have made their first formal request to reclaim the crown jewels, which for almost 76 years have been stashed in a treasure chest in a safety deposit box at the Bank of Italy amid a long-running mystery over their ownership.

The bank took delivery of the jewels, comprising more than 6,000 diamonds and 2,000 pearls mounted on brooches and necklaces worn by various queens and princesses, on 5 June 1946, three days after Italians voted to abolish the monarchy and nine days before King Umberto II, who ruled for just 34 days, was banished into exile along with his male heirs.

Umberto II had tasked Falcone Lucifero, the minister of the Royal House, to bring the jewels to Luigi Einaudi, the then governor of Bank of Italy who later became president, for safekeeping.

The jewels are said to have been the only part of the royal estate that were not confiscated by the Italian state after the monarchy was scrapped, an element that might help the descendants of the House of Savoy, including Umberto II’s son, Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia, and three daughters, Maria Gabriella, Maria Pia and Maria Beatrice, win back possession. » | Angela Giuffrida in Rome | Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Silvio Berlusconi Angles for Italy’s Presidency, Bunga Bunga and All

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The billionaire former prime minister is working hard to persuade lawmakers to vote for him next week, despite an unusual résumé for a job resting on moral authority.

Silvio Berlusconi in Milan in October. | .Claudio Furlan/LaPresse, via Associated Press
ROME — Early this month, Silvio Berlusconi sat at a dining room table in his mansion with his girlfriend, more than a half-century younger, and an old political ally. As they feasted on a pumpkin souffle and truffle tagliatelle, the 85-year-old Italian former prime minister and billionaire made hours of phone calls, working his way down a list of disaffected lawmakers he hoped to persuade to elect him president of Italy next week.

“‘We are forming the Bunga Bunga party and we want you with us,’” Christian Romaniello, a lawmaker formerly with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement, recounted Mr. Berlusconi as saying, referring to the sex-fueled bacchanals that Mr. Berlusconi has deemed merely “elegant dinners.” According to Mr. Romaniello, Mr. Berlusconi then added, “‘But I’ll bring the ladies.’”

The Italian presidency, the country’s head of state, is a seven-year position usually filled by a figure of unimpeachable integrity and sobriety whose influence flows from moral authority. The current holder, Sergio Mattarella, is a quiet statesman whose brother was murdered by the mob. Another contender is Mario Draghi, the prime minister and a titan of European politics who has led the country to a period of unusual stability.

Then there is Mr. Berlusconi, who despite his recent bad health, waxen appearance and weakened political standing, is making an unabashed push to win a career-culminating position that he hopes will wash away decades of stains — his allies say unjustly thrown mud — and rewrite his legacy. » | Jason Horowitz | Wednesday, January 19, 2022

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How Traditional Panettone Is Made in Italy | Regional Eats

Dec 8, 2021 • Panettone is famous for its tangy flavor and yellow, soft and gooey dough that is like no other. The secret behind it is an Italian yeast called lievito madre, or mother yeast. It gives panettone a tangy flavor and the just perfect texture. But it’s not an easy yeast to work with: you need time and patience to master it. In Milan, the birthplace of panettone, lievito madre is the one and only yeast bakers are allowed to use. We visited Pavé, a local bakery, to find out what else makes Milanese panettone so special.

No Ho Ho: Italian Church Apologises over Bishop’s Claim about Santa Claus

THE GUARDIAN: Antonio Stagliano was trying to focus on the story of Saint Nicholas when he told children Santa did not exist, says church in Sicily

A man dressed as Santa Claus rides past a crowd in Rome. An Italian bishop was forced to apologise after telling children there is no Santa. Photograph: Matteo Nardone/Pacific Press/REX/Shutterstock
A Roman Catholic diocese in Sicily has publicly apologised to outraged parents after its bishop told a group of children that Santa Claus doesn’t exist.

Bishop Antonio Stagliano didn’t mean the comments, and was trying to underline the true meaning of Christmas and the story of Saint Nicholas, a bishop who gave gifts to the poor and was persecuted by a Roman emperor, said the Rev Alessandro Paolino, the communications director for the diocese of Noto.

Italian news reports quoted Stagliano as saying during a recent religious festival that Santa doesn’t exist and that his red costume was created by Coca-Cola for publicity. » | Associated Press | Saturday, December 11, 2021

Gay Man Reacts to Homosexuality in Italy

Omosessualità in Italia

Italy Tackles Rural Exodus | DW Documentary

Jun 26, 2021 • More Italians are migrating to big cities, and every year around 200,000 leave to go abroad. Entire villages now stand empty. So small towns are providing incentives for incomers - like rent-free homes in Campania or one euro house prices in Sicily.

The Italian countryside is full of hilly landscapes, breathtaking panoramas and picturesque hamlets. Yet small towns and villages are dying out. Lack of jobs and poor infrastructure are driving people to leave. In the coming years, some 2,500 places could become ghost towns, although the Coronavirus pandemic has slowed this development.

During the strict lockdown, the Vittoria family from Naples decided to escape the confines of the big city. In the fall of 2020 they packed their belongings and moved to Teora in Campania. Here mayor Stefano Farina is trying to repopulate his small town by paying newcomers‘ rent for two years if they enroll their children in the local school. That’s also enticed the Greenwoods to move from Manchester, in the UK, to Teora with their four children. The town has acquired some thirty new residents from around the world and ensured the survival of its school.

Seven hundred kilometers to the south, Mussomeli in Sicily is selling abandoned homes in its old town for just one euro. Here, too, more than half of the buildings stand empty. The initiative has proved so successful an agency had to be founded to deal with prospective foreign buyers. They must commit to renovating the house within the next three years, but are not obliged to reside in Italy. Mussomeli is most concerned with saving its dilapidated town center.

The Imaginary Disease – How Italian Doctors Saved Jews from the Nazis | DW Documentary

"Syndrome K" might be the only deadly disease that ever saved lives. Despite the fact that it never really existed.

This film tells the story of three courageous Roman Catholic doctors who saved Jewish lives at a hospital in Rome by means of a convincing lie: they told the Nazis their patients were infected with a highly fatal and contagious disease called Syndrome K.

This incredible story takes place during the Nazi occupation of Rome in October 1943. As Jewish people were being deported to Auschwitz, some Jews sought refuge in the Fatebenefratelli hospital. There, the doctors invented a disease to protect them. Advising their patients to fake symptoms, including coughing, when Nazi officers arrived to carry out inspections, these doctors declared the ward far too contagious for the soldiers to enter. The ruse worked.

Jewish survivors and one of the Italian doctors who carried out the plan were interviewed for this film. In combination with archival footage, these accounts make for a chilling, heroic WWII story.

Italy Smoking: Want to Light Up in Milan? Not Any More, You Can't

BBC: It's all change for the trendy crowds along the canals of Milan, used to holding a glass of aperitivo in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Because a ban on smoking outdoors has just come into force in a range of public places.

Smoking within a 10m (30ft) distance of other people is no longer permitted from Tuesday at bus and tram stops as well as in the city's parks and green spaces, sports and recreational grounds, children's play areas, stadiums and cemeteries.

Italy was the first country in the EU to pass a law backing an indoor ban on smoking in public places in 2003.

Milan is now the first Italian city to introduce such an extensive outdoor ban, part of a package of measures to improve air quality and combat climate change.

Other planned regulations, which will come into effect in phases over the next three decades, also target factors like car emissions and heating fuels. » | Dany Mitzman | Bologna | Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Coronavirus: Reviving Italy's Wine Windows

When the coronavirus forced Italy's pubs and restaurants to close, century-old wine windows allowed some to keep safely serving their customers.

No 10 Denies Reports Boris Johnson Went on Secret Italy Trip

THE GUARDIAN: Minister also rejects airport’s statement PM flew into Perugia in past fortnight

One of Boris Johnson’s ministers has denied a report in the Italian media that the UK prime minister made a secret trip to the country less than a fortnight ago, a claim Downing Street has also rejected as “completely untrue”.

Asked if Johnson had landed in Perugia in the past two weeks, which the Umbrian airport said had happened in a statement, Grant Shapps, the transport minister, told Sky News: “Not that I’m aware of. I think it’s mistaken, as far as I’m aware.”

reported on the alleged trip after the Barcelona footballer Luis Suárez flew into Perugia on 17 September. The airport put out a press release saying that as well as Suárez, Johnson had also arrived there in recent days. » | Peter Walker, Political correspondent | Monday, September 21, 2020

Italy's Coronavirus Journey: 'People Don't Sing from Balconies Anymore'

Coronavirus continues to spread globally but Italy was the first country in Europe to experience the devastating effects of the disease. The first to go under full lockdown, Sally Lockwood's special report explores the effects on the country right from the beginning of the most unprecedented crisis the world has ever seen.

Coronavirus: Italian City’s Warning to the Rest of the World

Bergamo’s streets are empty as it deals with a devastating number of coronavirus-related deaths – and residents have a warning for others. It is the worst-hit city in Italy, the country currently struggling the most with the coronavirus crisis.

Italian Doctor on How Virus 'Exploded', Having Coronavirus & How to Fight It

Dr Sylvia Bignamini is the Health Director of San Francesco Clinic in Bergamo, Italy, the city at the epicentre of the country's outbreak

She conducted the first coronavirus test in her nursing home and also caught the virus herself. She is now living and working in isolation at home.

Coronavirus Death Toll in Italy Officially Surpasses China | MSNBC

Over 3,400 people have died from the coronavirus in Italy, officially surpassing the death toll from the virus in China.

Italians Sing Patriotic Songs from Their Balconies During Coronavirus Lockdown

THE GUARDIAN: Neighbours from Naples to Tuscany make harmonies across empty streets to lift spirits and pass the time during quarantine

Italians have been singing from their balconies across the country, in an effort to boost morale during its nationwide lockdown that began this week, due to Covid-19.

Videos of Italian neighbours singing together have been appearing on social media after Italy’s prime minister Giuseppe Conte announced the restrictions that shut down virtually all daily life, and leftonly grocery stores, banks, and pharmacies open. » | Christine Kearney | Saturday, March 14, 2020



Italians Cope with Quarantine by Singing on Their Balconies »

Morning After: Boris Johnson Recovers from Lebedev’s Exotic Italian Party

THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: New prime minister refuses to say if he abandoned security for 2018 night in billionaire’s castle

A trip Boris Johnson made to Italy for a party held by a billionaire socialite ended with the then foreign secretary at an airport “looking like he had slept in his clothes”, struggling to walk in a straight line and telling other passengers he had had a heavy night, the Guardian has been told.

Pictures of the now prime minister along with an account from a fellow traveller shed further light on Johnson’s weekend away at the home of the media owner Evgeny Lebedev, who is known for hosting uproarious parties for the rich and famous at his converted castle near Perugia.

Johnson has refused to answer questions about the visit in April last year, including whether he flew to Italy against the advice of his officials and without the 24/7 security detail usually assigned to the foreign secretary.

The pictures, taken at San Francesco d’Assisi airport on Sunday 29 April 2018, suggest he did go to Italy without a police escort. According to another passenger on the flight back to the UK, Johnson was on his own, seemingly without any luggage and very much the worse for wear. » | Nick Hopkins | Friday, July 26, 2019

How Did Neo Nazis in Italy Acquire Missiles? | Inside Story

A huge stash of weapons is found in Italy with neo-Nazi sympathisers and the government says the seizure is unprecedented.

An arsenal of weapons has been seized by Italian police in a raid on a far-right group. The stockpile was discovered during an investigation into the involvement of Italy's far-right movement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine; and it included an air-to-air missile, rocket launchers and automatic rifles described as 'latest generation'. Neo-nazi propaganda material was also seized.

Police have arrested three people, including a former candidate for the neo-fascist Forza Nuova party. Fabio Del Bergiolo's house was found to contain a huge stash of arms, as well as Hitler memorabilia.

So, how significant is this? And what does it tell us about the re-emergence of Nazism and the far-right movement in Europe?

Presenter: Hazem Sika | Guests Stefano Vergine, Italian journalist; Michal Bilewicz, Chair at the Center for Research on Prejudice at the University of Warsaw; Ludovica Di Giorgi, Manager of the Far-Right Programme at the social enterprise group Moonshot Countering Violent Extremism