Rome rallies behind Meloni as Trump rift deepens into trade threat

Italian government unites after US president's 'begged for photo' claim; diplomats fear retaliatory tariffs

Italy's political establishment has closed ranks around Premier Giorgia Meloni after Donald Trump's public suggestion she sought his attention at the G7, but anxiety about trade retaliation is mounting in Rome's corridors.

Davide Ruspoli · NATIONAL

Ancient microbes found alive in Ötzi the Iceman after 5,300 years

South Tyrol Museum study reveals unexpected bacterial persistence in glacier mummy, reshaping understanding of microbial survival

Researchers have detected living microbes inside Ötzi the Iceman, the 5,300-year-old mummy preserved in an Alpine glacier, challenging assumptions about microbial longevity in extreme conditions.

Klara Hofer · SCIENCE

Iran's post-deal oil surge reshapes Mediterranean shipping economics

Eleven tankers carrying 20 million barrels leave Chabahar as geopolitical shift ripples through global energy trade

Following a US-Iran interim peace deal, Iranian oil exports have resumed at scale, sending 11 tankers laden with 20 million barrels from Chabahar this week—a geopolitical shift with direct consequences for Mediterranean port traffic and fuel costs.

Marina Doria · INTERNATIONAL

Romagna carves separate identity as Sangiovese and Albana gain ground

Eastern Emilia-Romagna's wine districts chart distinct course as international buyers seek regional distinction beyond the broader label

Romagna's two flagship wines—Sangiovese di Romagna and Albana di Romagna—are anchoring a broader effort by the eastern Adriatic region to establish itself as a distinct wine territory.

Elena Marcheggiani · REGIONAL

Bologna's film festival captures streaming generation

Il Cinema Ritrovato enters digital age as restored cinema gains international influence

Over 40 years, Bologna's Il Cinema Ritrovato festival has evolved into an influential gathering that restores and rediscovers overlooked films for an audience shaped by streaming platforms.

Giulia Benati

Florence under red alert as heatwave intensifies across central Italy

40°C temperatures forecast to test tourism and heritage conservation in Tuscany's summer peak

Florence faces a red heat alert as Italy's first major summer heatwave intensifies, with temperatures approaching 40°C expected to strain the region's tourism and cultural infrastructure.

Costanza Bardi

Rome braces as Europe's heatwave intensifies toward 40°C

Red alert issued across central Italy; authorities prepare emergency protocols as temperatures set to peak mid-week

Europe's punishing heatwave is reaching critical intensity across central Italy, with Rome and Lazio placed under red heat alert as temperatures approach 40 degrees Celsius.

Davide Ruspoli

Abruzzo's mountain parks brace for record heat as Europe swelters

Red alerts issued across Italy as temperatures near 40°C threaten hikers and wildlife in Apennine highlands

As Europe faces a brutal heatwave with temperatures forecast to reach 40°C and beyond, Abruzzo's national parks and mountain interior confront the dual hazard of extreme heat and the region's vulnerability to heat-related emergencies.

Marco Di Sante

Meloni-Trump rupture deepens; Molise braces for trade retaliation fallout

As the US president and Italian premier clash publicly, the South's fragile export economy faces new uncertainty in a relationship already strained over Ukraine and the Pope.

Italy rallies behind Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after President Trump publicly attacked her, but economists and regional leaders fear trade retaliation could deepen the South's economic fragility.

Antonio Petrella

Campania braces as European heatwave intensifies toward 40°C

Italy's summer heat surge tests the region's tourism infrastructure and coastal economies as temperatures climb across the South.

Italy faces its first major heatwave of summer with temperatures approaching 40°C, threatening to strain Campania's peak tourism season and coastal hospitality sector.

Rosaria Esposito

Red alert issued as heatwave sweeps toward Puglia

Italy's southern regions brace for temperatures near 40°C as western Europe enters brutal summer surge

Puglia faces its first major heatwave of the summer as temperatures across Italy are forecast to approach 40°C this week, with the BBC and Guardian reporting sustained heat alerts across southern Europe.

Francesca Lazzari

Calabria braces as European heatwave peaks, threatening summer harvest

Temperatures approaching 40°C pose risk to citrus and bergamot crops as heat alert spreads across southern Italy

A severe heatwave sweeping Europe is intensifying across Italy's south, with Calabria facing temperatures near 40°C and risks to its agricultural heartland.

Saverio Gallo

Cagliari's loan star Palestra draws Chelsea into European transfer race

The defender's season on loan from Atalanta has caught attention of top clubs across Europe's elite leagues.

Marco Palestra, who spent the 2025-26 season on loan at Cagliari, has emerged as one of Italy's most promising defenders and now attracts interest from Chelsea and other major European sides.

Gavino Sanna

Red heat alerts sweep southern Europe as temperatures edge toward 44°C

France, Italy and Spain face dangerous conditions; Sardinia's summer tourism season braces for intensity.

Red heat alerts have been issued across southern Europe, with temperatures forecast to reach 44°C in parts of France and sustained danger to public health across the continent.

Gavino Sanna

Pentagon chief's NATO audit puts Italy's defense burden in focus

Hegseth's review of US forces in Europe signals pressure on allies over spending and strategic alignment with Washington.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's announcement of a sweeping review of American military forces in Europe, coupled with criticism of NATO members' defence spending, has placed Italy's defense budget and its divergence from Washington on key strategic issues under renewed scrutiny.

Adriana Sole

EU hardens migration rules; Italy braces for offshore detention shift

Parliament approves law allowing member states to establish deportation centres abroad, reshaping enforcement on the Mediterranean frontier.

The European Parliament has approved a sweeping overhaul of EU migration policy that permits member states to establish detention centres outside the bloc, a move that will reshape enforcement on Italy's Mediterranean border and test the country's commitment to international asylum standards.

Adriana Sole

In the Dolomites, Sinner forged Italy's tennis crown

The BBC traces how the world's best player emerged from the Alpine foothills to reshape Italian sport's global standing.

Jannik Sinner is the world's best tennis player; the BBC examines the journey that made him in the Dolomites' foothills.

Tobia Marenghi

Maresca to Manchester City as Chelsea demands compensation

Manchester City nears settlement with Chelsea over Italian manager's appointment, resolving contract breach dispute.

Manchester City and Chelsea are close to a financial settlement that will clear the way for City to appoint Enzo Maresca as manager, ending a contract dispute.

Tobia Marenghi

Bologna's Festival of Forgotten Films Draws Global Cinephiles

Il Cinema Ritrovato celebrates restored cinema as streaming platforms reshape how audiences discover lost works

Bologna's nine-day festival of rediscovered and restored films opens Saturday, positioning Italy's archival mission against the algorithms of the streaming age.

Eleonora Vanzetti

Heatwave threatens Alpine region as temperatures approach 40°C

Piemonte braces for sustained heat with red alerts issued across northern Italy and western Europe

Italy's Alpine regions, including Piemonte, face an intensifying heatwave this week with temperatures forecast to approach 40°C, threatening tourism, agriculture and power supply amid a broader European heat emergency.

Lorenzo Ferraris

Alpine heatwave intensifies across Trentino-Alto Adige as temperatures near 40°C

Centre-north Italy faces dangerous heat surge this week; high-altitude regions face unprecedented stress on tourism and infrastructure

Italy's first major summer heatwave is intensifying across the north, with Trentino-Alto Adige bracing for temperatures approaching 40°C and sustained heat that threatens mountain tourism and Alpine ecosystems.

Klara Hofer

Modern locomotive enters Italian service on Brenner corridor as rail freight shifts north

Stadler's Euro9000 begins commercial runs from Verona toward Alpine pass, signalling investment in cross-border transport infrastructure

The first Stadler Euro9000 locomotive has begun operating in Italy, running from Verona toward the Brenner Pass, marking a step in modernizing the rail corridor that links the Veneto industrial heartland to Central Europe.

Tommaso Veronese

Bologna braces as heatwave pushes toward 40°C

Italy's productive plain faces peak summer heat as Europe's crisis talks accelerate

A punishing heatwave sweeping across Europe is intensifying across Italy's centre-north, with temperatures in Emilia-Romagna expected to approach 40°C this week.

Giulia Benati

The historian who taught us to listen to the silenced

Carlo Ginzburg's death reminds us that understanding power means understanding those it crushes—a lesson the world still needs.

Editorial Board

Europe's heat is Italy's mirror

As temperatures approach 40°C across the continent, Italy faces not just summer weather but a recurring test of how societies prepare for the foreseeable.

Editorial Board