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Vatican excommunicates ultra-conservative Catholic faction over bishop ordinations
Pope Leo's first major doctrinal crisis: Society of Saint Pius X members face severance from Church
The Vatican has excommunicated members of the Society of Saint Pius X after the group ordained bishops without papal consent, marking the Pope's first significant internal challenge.
Saverio Gallo · NATIONAL
Alpine drought cuts hydropower output as northern Italy faces energy crunch
Falling water levels in Piedmont's mountain reservoirs force grid operators to rely more heavily on thermal and imported power
Low precipitation in the Alps is reducing hydroelectric generation across northern Italy, forcing grid operators to compensate with costlier thermal and imported power sources.
Lorenzo Ferraris · ECONOMY
Slovenia tightens eastern border as migration flows shift northward through Balkans
Trieste region faces renewed pressure as asylum seekers redirect routes toward Alpine crossings
Slovenia has announced enhanced border controls along its eastern frontier following a surge in migration attempts, a move that is redirecting asylum seekers toward Italy's northeastern frontier and the Alpine passes that feed into Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
Sergio Madrussan · INTERNATIONAL
Venice's day-tripper levy draws 1.2m visitors in debut month
Entry fee experiment raises €2m as the lagoon tests whether price controls overtourism
Venice collected €2 million in entry fees from 1.2 million day visitors in June, the first full month of its controversial five-euro levy—a test of whether pricing can manage the city's chronic over-tourism.
Tommaso Veronese · REGIONAL
Regional dispatches
Pope's migration stance reaches inland Italy's spiritual heartland
As pontiff defends migrants on Mediterranean frontier, Assisi grapples with what his moral clarity means for a region built on pilgrimage and faith
Pope Leo's July 4th visit to Lampedusa, defending migrants against anti-immigration rhetoric, echoes through Umbria's pilgrimage towns and raises questions about how inland Italy reconciles tourism, faith and moral witness.
Niccolò Mariani
Europe's record heatwave tests Umbria's farming margins
As late June temperatures rival 2003's worst episode, inland Italy's small agricultural producers face a reckoning on water, soil and survival
A powerful European heatwave in late June has ranked among the worst ever recorded, according to climate experts, with consequences rippling through Umbria's agriculture and threatening the region's food heritage.
Niccolò Mariani
Vatican excommunicates SSPX; ultraconservative schism tests Marche parishes
Pope Leo's first doctrinal crisis fractures traditional Catholic communities across central Italy as rebel bishops defy Rome
The Vatican's excommunication of ultraconservative bishops who ordained without papal consent has exposed deep rifts in Italian parishes, with Marche communities now forced to choose between Rome and the breakaway Society of Saint Pius X.
Elena Marcheggiani
Vatican's excommunication fractures Catholic parishes across southern Italy
As Pope Leo breaks with ultraconservative faction, Molise's faithful confront a rupture in the Church itself
The Vatican's excommunication of the Society of Saint Pius X has split Catholic communities, with implications for rural parishes in the South where traditional practice runs deep.
Antonio Petrella
Vatican excommunicates ultraconservative faction, risking first major schism under Pope Leo
Society of Saint Pius X defies papal authority, triggering excommunication of bishops and followers across Italy
The Vatican has excommunicated members of the ultraconservative Society of Saint Pius X after the group ordained bishops without papal consent, opening a theological rift that threatens Catholic unity.
Rosaria Esposito
Vatican excommunicates ultra-conservative bishops, fracturing Italian parishes
Society of Saint Pius X schism tests Pope Leo's first doctrinal crisis as rebel group defies papal authority
The Vatican has excommunicated all members of the ultra-conservative Society of Saint Pius X after the group ordained bishops without papal consent, creating the first major ecclesiastical crisis of Pope Leo's papacy.
Adriana Sole
EU transport ministers deadlock on Brenner freight rules
Alpine pass dispute pits Austrian efficiency against Italian sovereignty as Brussels seeks uniform transit standards
European transport officials remain divided on how to regulate heavy goods traffic through the Brenner Pass, with Austria and Germany pressing for stricter emissions controls that Italy resists as a threat to regional autonomy.
Klara Hofer
Dolomites face visitor pressures as overtourism strains mountain infrastructure
Tourism authorities and environmental groups weigh management options to address soaring visitor numbers and protect fragile ecosystems
International travel media report that tourism authorities in the Dolomites are considering visitor management measures to address soaring numbers threatening mountain trails, villages and water resources.
Klara Hofer
Vatican excommunicates ultraconservative SSPX faction over unauthorized bishop ordinations
Excommunication marks major ecclesiastical crisis as group defies papal authority
The Vatican has excommunicated members of the Society of Saint Pius X after the group ordained bishops without papal authorization, according to multiple news outlets.
Marina Doria
Pope rebukes Trump on migrants, speaks from Mediterranean frontier
Pope visits Lampedusa on US anniversary to defend those crossing the sea
A pope visited the Italian island of Lampedusa on July 4th, honouring migrant dead and implicitly challenging the Trump administration's immigration stance.
Marco Di Sante
Pope Leo's Lampedusa vigil reframes migration as moral test for the West
On US anniversary, pontiff honours migrant dead and challenges Trump's immigration stance from Mediterranean frontier
Pope Leo spent July 4th at a migrant cemetery on Lampedusa, using America's 250th birthday to rebuke anti-immigrant rhetoric and defend those who die crossing the Mediterranean.
Rosaria Esposito
Pope visits Lampedusa on July 4th, addresses migration crisis
Pontiff honours migrants at Mediterranean island cemetery, urges Europe to do more
A papal visit to the Italian island at the centre of Europe's migration crisis coincided with America's 250th anniversary, with the pontiff praising historical traditions of welcoming immigrants.
Saverio Gallo
Vatican excommunicates ultraconservative SSPX group in major internal crisis
The Society of Saint Pius X faces excommunication after ordaining bishops without papal consent
The Vatican has excommunicated members of the ultraconservative Society of Saint Pius X after the group ordained bishops without papal consent, marking a significant internal disciplinary action within the Catholic Church.
Gavino Sanna
Pope challenges US on migration legacy as anniversary visit rebukes Trump
Chicago-born pontiff uses 250th-birthday moment to urge America to live up to Declaration ideals on welcoming immigrants
Pope Leo has used his first major address to his home country to praise the US history of welcoming migrants, urging Americans to live up to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence.
Adriana Sole
Italian banks navigate eurozone pressure as funding costs rise
Milan-listed lenders face headwinds from sovereign debt stress and eurozone weakness
Italian lenders are navigating renewed pressure from eurozone economic uncertainty and rising funding costs, according to reporting from major financial outlets.
Beatrice Comolli
Alpine permafrost collapse accelerates as heat reaches peak altitude
Scientists warn of irreversible thaw across Mont Blanc massif; Valle d'Aosta faces infrastructure and tourism risks
New research from European glaciology institutes shows permafrost across the Alps is thawing at unprecedented rates, threatening mountain infrastructure and tourism routes in the Valle d'Aosta.
Camille Bréan
Mont Blanc tunnel closure strands cross-border commerce as repair work extends
Valle d'Aosta's vital trade artery faces weeks of disruption; French and Italian authorities cite safety concerns
The Mont Blanc tunnel, the region's main commercial link to France, remains closed for extended maintenance, forcing trucks and traders to reroute across higher Alpine passes.
Camille Bréan
Prosecco exports face climate pressure as Veneto vineyards adapt
Rising heat and shifting rainfall threaten the northeast's signature wine as producers experiment with altitude and new varieties
Prosecco producers in the Veneto are confronting climate stress that threatens yields and flavour profiles, prompting experimentation with higher-altitude vineyards and heat-resistant cultivars.
Tommaso Veronese
Vatican excommunicates ultraconservative bishops in major schism
Society of Saint Pius X members face excommunication after ordaining bishops without papal consent
The Vatican excommunicated six bishops of the Society of Saint Pius X and all members who formally adhere to the group, according to France 24 and The Guardian, in a major test of papal authority.
Concetta Vassallo
Stellantis faces mounting pressure as Turin plant idles extend
Supply chain fractures and weak demand force Italy's largest automaker to cut output deeper into summer
Stellantis has extended production shutdowns at its flagship Turin facility as global automotive demand weakens and component shortages persist.
Lorenzo Ferraris
Opinion
The Spread That Never Sleeps
Foreign financial desks return to Italy's bond yield gap with a regularity that reveals as much about their anxieties as about Italy's finances.
Editorial Board
The Mediterranean Frontier and the Words We Use
How the international press names the people crossing the central Mediterranean shapes what Europe believes it is permitted to do about them.
Editorial Board