Archive for 'News'
Anche le Suore di Clausura firmano il Referendum Posted by Geoff on Aug 3, 2012
Financially, times are hard here in Italy. Politicians continue to preach austerity. Yet, when it comes to their own exorbitant salaries they remain, as usual, somewhat evasive. Hence the proposal of a referendum by l’Unione Popolare for the abolition of article 2 of law 1.261 of 1965, that regulates the indemnity awarded to members of…
Il Premio Bancarella – The Rules Posted by Serena on Jul 26, 2012
To follow on from my previous Premio Bancarella blog, today I’m going to explain how the competition actually works. What makes the Premio Bancarella unique amongst Italian book prizes is the fact that it’s not awarded by a jury of critics, but is completely organised by booksellers from all over the country, including the Canton…
Via D’Amelio Posted by Serena on Jul 19, 2012
Sunday the 19th of July 1992, a hot summer afternoon, people are thinking about their holidays, going to the beach, relaxing, spending time with friends and family, when suddenly our tranquillity is shattered: a car bomb explodes in Via D’Amelio in Palermo killing judge Paolo Borsellino and the five members of his police escort, Agostino…
Azzurri come Italia Posted by Serena on Jul 6, 2012
Following on from yesterday’s blog: “Il Calcio, ce l’abbiamo quasi fatta” here is another interesting video, this time of the speech given by il Presidente della Repubblica Italiana, Giorgio Napolitano. In his speech, Napolitano makes clear how important Italy’s performance during the European Championship was for the Italian people ‘oltre l’aspetto sportivo’ (beyond the sport…
Il Calcio, ce l’abbiamo quasi fatta! Posted by Serena on Jul 4, 2012
Well, at least we got to the final! Not bad, considering that the Italian football team, commonly known as Gli Azzurri due to their blue shirts, went to the European Cup without great expectations, and finished in second place. In this video Cesare Prandelli, the coach of the Nazionale Italiana di Calcio (Italian National Football…
Il Costo della Benzina Posted by Serena on Jun 18, 2012
Here is a brand new Italian word that has come into fashion in the last few months: l’accisa. I came across this word for the first time last November, just after the floods which brought so much damage to Liguria and Toscana, when the President of the Regione Toscana announced the introduction of un’accisa sulla…
La Crisi in Italia Posted by Geoff on Jun 4, 2012
Family and friends in England often ask me what impact the financial crisis is having on people here in Italy. Not an easy question to answer! Certainly the work situation is pretty bad, as described in this article from the Italian newspaper La Stampa: In Italia ci sono 630 mila posti da coprire Le offerte?…