Europe's population peaks in 2029, deepening the South's demographic crisis

As the EU faces long-term decline, Molise confronts accelerating emigration of the young and the end of natural growth

The EU's population will peak in 2029 before entering sustained decline, according to new analysis—a milestone that throws into sharper relief the demographic emergency already unfolding in southern regions like Molise, where young people have been leaving for decades.

Antonio Petrella · NATIONAL

Stellantis Q2 shipments rise 10% on North American strength

Turin-based automaker reports 1.6 million units as European sector faces structural headwinds

Stellantis reported consolidated shipments of 1.6 million units in the second quarter of 2026, up 10 percent year-over-year, driven primarily by North America and Enlarged Europe despite regional conflict pressures.

Lorenzo Ferraris · ECONOMY

Jinjiang fire kills 28, exposes Marche's reliance on Chinese footwear

A deadly blaze in China's shoe capital raises questions about supply-chain concentration for Italy's leather and footwear districts.

A fire at a shoe factory in Jinjiang, China's primary footwear manufacturing hub, killed at least 28 people this week, casting fresh scrutiny on the industrial dependencies that anchor Marche's shoe and leather economy.

Elena Marcheggiani · REGIONAL

Sinner claims fifth Grand Slam, extends dominance as Italian tennis reshapes global game

Jannik Sinner retains Wimbledon title with straight-sets victory over Zverev, signalling sustained shift in tennis hierarchy

Jannik Sinner of Italy retained his Wimbledon title on Sunday, defeating Alexander Zverev of Germany in the men's singles final to claim his fifth Grand Slam crown.

Niccolò Mariani · SPORT

Europe's demographic cliff looms as Abruzzo empties

EU population peaks in 2029 before decline, a crisis already reshaping the Apennine highlands and mountain villages

The European Union's population will peak in 2029 and then fall for decades, according to a new report—a trend Abruzzo has been experiencing for years as young people flee the mountains for cities and abroad.

Marco Di Sante

Italy advances Holocaust art restitution as first formal process takes shape

Landmark legislation would create mechanism to return looted cultural property from Fascist and Nazi eras

Italy has advanced legislation to establish its first formal process for returning art and cultural property seized during the Holocaust and Fascist period.

Eleonora Vanzetti

Italy's Strait Bridge Becomes NATO Defense Spending Workaround

Rome counts massive infrastructure project toward military spending targets as Trump pushes allies to raise defense budgets to 5% of GDP by 2035.

Italy is counting a record-breaking bridge project across the Strait of Messina toward its NATO defense spending commitments, a creative accounting move that reflects broader European tension over Trump's military spending demands.

Adriana Sole

Kering weaves Milan into luxury supply chain with craft school push

French conglomerate signs partnerships with eight Italian institutions at Mind Milano innovation hub, signalling long-term commitment to artisanal skills pipeline.

Kering has signed memorandums of understanding with eight Italian educational institutions at Milan's Campus Valore Italia, aiming to anchor traditional craftsmanship to the future of luxury production.

Beatrice Comolli

Lamborghini hints at wider Sterrato line as off-road supercars gain traction

Motor Valley carmaker signals shift beyond road-focused hypercars, testing market appetite for adventure variants

Lamborghini's chief marketing officer told Motor1 at Goodwood that the Sterrato concept—pairing supercars with all-terrain capability—may extend beyond the Huracán.

Giulia Benati

Lazio's beach clubs ban packed lunches, sparking customer fury

Private resorts on Lazio coast enforce food policies that bar homemade sandwiches; families protest restrictions on what they can bring.

A child's smuggled sandwich at a private beach club on the Lazio coast has ignited the latest row over Italian resorts' bans on outside food.

Davide Ruspoli

The New York Times discovers Veneto beyond the lagoon

International travel coverage highlights the region's countryside, waterways and small towns as Venice alternatives

The New York Times has published a travel guide to northeastern Veneto, positioning the region's rural and urban treasures as an escape from Venice's overtourism.

Tommaso Veronese

Po Valley drought deepens as northern Italy tightens water rationing

Alpine snowmelt decline and sustained heat threaten irrigation and hydropower across Piedmont and Lombardy

Water reserves are being depleted rapidly across northern Italy as the Po Valley's main river dries up, with local officials warning of accelerating scarcity amid a third summer heatwave.

Lorenzo Ferraris

Alpine summer heat intensifies as Valle d'Aosta braces for sustained high temperatures

Record heat across Italy strains mountain infrastructure and tourism as temperatures near 42°C

Italy's mountain regions face mounting pressure as heatwaves push temperatures toward record levels, raising questions about water supply and seasonal tourism capacity.

Camille Bréan

Italy Advances Bill to Return Holocaust-Era Looted Art

Parliament introduces legislation creating framework for government restitution of cultural property seized under fascist racial laws.

The Italian Parliament has introduced a groundbreaking bill that would allow the government to establish a formal mechanism for returning Holocaust-era looted art, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Adriana Sole

Tecnam eyes regional airline to revive southern air routes

Italian airframer's new venture targets underserved connections across the Mezzogiorno and beyond.

Tecnam, the Italian aircraft manufacturer, has announced plans for a new regional airline to expand air mobility services across southern Europe, signalling fresh investment in routes that have long struggled to compete with road and rail.

Rosaria Esposito

Vatican rejects U.S. claim Pope speaks as politician

Trump administration's envoy sought to portray pontiff as Holy See's political leader; Vatican clarifies his role as spiritual messenger.

The Vatican has pushed back against the Trump administration's attempt to characterise Pope Leo XIV as a political actor, asserting instead that he is proclaiming the Gospel.

Davide Ruspoli

Abruzzo faces critical wildfire danger as heat wave intensifies

Mountain region joins Italy's emergency alert as temperatures approach 42°C and forest fire risk climbs across central Apennines

Abruzzo has moved into critical wildfire alert status as a fresh heat wave sweeps across Italy, threatening the region's forests and rural communities from the high Apennines to the coastal plain.

Marco Di Sante

Southern solar scheme leaves millions untouched as businesses shun incentives

More than €200m remains unallocated in Italy's self-consumption program as Molise and the South struggle to absorb green funding

Italy's €262 million photovoltaic incentive scheme for southern businesses has approved only 566 projects, leaving over €200 million unspent and raising questions about the South's capacity to absorb EU-backed green investment.

Antonio Petrella

Naples' coastal refuge: why the city stays cool as Italy burns

While southern regions scorch in record heatwaves, Campania's maritime geography offers protection — for now.

As Italian cities from Palermo to Rome endure temperatures above 42 degrees Celsius, Naples has remained cooler than inland regions, a quirk of Mediterranean geography that locals have long understood but climate scientists are now scrutinizing more closely.

Rosaria Esposito

Pagani joins Ferrari in celebrating manual transmission with V12 roadster

Motor Valley carmaker marks founder's 70th with gated shifter as industry retreats from driver-operated gearboxes

Pagani has unveiled the Huayra 70 Derecho, a twin-turbocharged V12 roadster with a manual gearbox, as the second of three cars celebrating Horacio Pagani's seventh decade.

Giulia Benati

Sicily braces as wildfire risk peaks amid 42-degree heat

Mediterranean island faces critical fire danger as temperatures surge; authorities activate emergency protocols across the region.

Sicily is entering a critical phase of wildfire danger as temperatures approach 42 degrees Celsius, with authorities activating emergency precautions across the island.

Concetta Vassallo

Istrian Peninsula draws Italian tourists as Slovenian coast rises as regional alternative

The Guardian profiles Slovenia's Adriatic shoreline as Veneto visitors seek alternatives to crowded Italian resorts

The Slovenian Riviera and Istrian Peninsula are attracting growing numbers of visitors from northeastern Italy seeking to escape overcrowded Italian beach clubs and resorts, according to travel coverage in the Guardian.

Sergio Madrussan

Japan's Crisis, Italy's Warning: When Debt Becomes Destiny

As Japan slides toward currency collapse, Project Syndicate warns that Italy and others face similar perils—a reminder that fiscal paths matter.

Editorial Board

The Packed Lunch Revolt: When Italy's Coast Turns Against Itself

A child's smuggled sandwich has exposed a deeper conflict: private beaches versus public Italy, commerce versus custom.

Editorial Board