The Italian Almanac

Italian News - August 31

The Italian authorities have sent out a ship 
carrying  a  team of its top scientists on a 
mission to find a highly precious commodity: 
10,000-year-old sand.   

Italian Television - August 31

French actress Clotilde Courau  married 
Prince Emanuele Filiberto acquiring the 
title of Princess.  Now she is to  work 
playing Princess Giovanna of Savoy.  

Italian News - August 30

"Goodbye Ugo! You will always be with us". 
Then  a  few pics showing him near a river 
and  on  the  house's  terrace  and  three 
signatures: Andrea, Laura and Ilaria.   

Italian News - August 30

Pierluigi Collina,  the  world's  most 
famous referee, shocked Italian soccer 
on Monday by quitting because of a row 
over a sponsorship deal.  

Italian News - August 28

Soragna, a small town near Parma,  thumbs 
some  magnificent noses at Italy's beauty 
obsession by holding a yearly "King Nose" 
contest.   

Italian Art - August 28

How did paintings by Venetian Renaissance 
artists get  their special glow?  Barbara 
Berrie, at the  National  Gallery of Art, 
discovered one of their secrets.  

Italian News - August 27

Immigrants in Bergamo are to have a greater voice 
in labour relations,  thanks to a new  initiative 
designed to  give foreign  workers  top positions 
within local trade unions.  

Italian News - August 26

Despite forest fires, overbuilding,  hunting 
and poaching,  the  wildlife  population has 
been showing signs of a major and unexpected 
recovery.  

Italian News - August 26

A priceless set of ancient jewelry, probably 
from Egypt,  is  the  latest  archaeological 
jackpot experts have struck on the  southern 
Italian island of Pantelleria.  

Italian News - August 25

The Italian home town of silent movie  great 
Rudolph Valentino is continuing its campaign 
to  revive  the  actor's  legend with a  new 
cinema fest.  

Italian Science - August 25

The study by  the  National Institute of Marine 
Sciences (ISMAR) has shown that on a day-to-day 
basis, dolphins communicate with dialect unique 
to their own pod.  

Italian News - August 25

Italian government,  hoping to cash  in on 
Italy's most  abundant  natural  resource,  
approved incentives this summer that could 
see solar panels blooming on rooftops.  

Italian News - August 23

On the small Italian  island of Lampedusa a 
"field hospital"  maintained by  volunteers 
from the WWF group gives a second chance to 
injured sea turtles.  

Italian News - August 23

When Assisi officials asked residents to 
'adopt' graves at the local Commonwealth 
WWII cemetery, they would never have bet 
on such an enthusiastic response.  

Italian News - August 22

Alarm  about the potentially lethal  health 
threats  posed  by ad-lib  tattooists.  The 
sector is unregulated, making Italy a 'Wild 
West' of tattooing.  

Italian News / Music - August 21

Organizers  say the 18th edition of  the 
Ferrara  Buskers  Festival,  which  runs 
between August 22 and 28, is going to be 
the most colourful yet.  

Italian News - August 20

Puglia has taken the first step in fighting 
the loss of its ancient olive trees,  which 
have become the latest lifestyle  accessory 
for well-to-do Northern Italians.    

Italian News - August 20

A Dutch couple  on vacation in  Venice 
thought they were getting a great deal 
when they  picked  up a stylish  Prada 
handbag from a street vendor.  

Italian News - August 19

At first sight, Seborga is a typical picture 
postcard village on the Italian Riviera with 
minute squares and narrow streets meandering 
beneath an imposing bell tower.    

Italian News - August 19

In today's tough economic climate, Italy's 
grandparents are  increasing a key  source 
of support for young families, a new study 
has revealed. 

Italian News - August 19

A new barrier  will soon ring the  Colosseum 
as  part of tighter security measures  being 
implemented across Italy in the wake of last 
month's terror attacks in London.    

Italian News - August 18

Pope Benedict XVI has apologized after he 
forgot to bless the hundreds  of pilgrims 
who attended  his weekly audience at  his 
Italian summer residence. 

Italian News - August 18

Siena was girding  itself for its  renowned 
Palio  race  on   Tuesday  amid  heightened 
security in the wake of last month's terror 
attacks in London.    

Italian Music - August 16

Italian composer Ennio Morricone, best 
known for film scores that have graced 
silver  screen productions,  will make 
his Seoul debut next month. 

Italian News - August 14

When the  giant submarine came lumbering  down 
the lonely strip of highway headed for its new 
home in  a Milan  museum,  hundreds  of mobile 
phones were raised to capture images.   

Italian News - August 14

Petty thieves, phony taxi drivers and drug 
smugglers have a tough time  since Italian 
police  stepped up  sweeps  through Rome's 
Fiumicino airport. 

Italian News - August 13

It’s a bad season for Alpine  glaciers.  The 
retreat of  the ice is  allowing  vegetation 
to grow back, which means that summer skiing 
is no longer an option.   

Italian News - August 13

Italian archaeologists believe  they  are 
on the verge of finding the ancient ships 
downed in the battle  of the Aegates more 
than 2,000 years ago. 

Italian News - August 12

A  flock of gluttonous herons is  pitting 
environmentalists against a worried local 
official  who objects  to their habit  of 
dining off choice trout. 

Italian News - August 12

Speaking  as the summer holiday season  was 
getting into full swing, Folco Quilici said 
the  health of Italian waters had  improved 
dramatically in recent years. 

Italian News - August 10

Once again the Feast of Saint Lawrence  will 
be toasted with wine throughout Italy in the 
hope that wishes made on a falling star will 
come true. 

Italian News - August 10

In the past month 76 parked cars and 104 
motorcycles have  been set ablaze during 
the night,  with engines  exploding  and 
flames damaging buildings.

Italian Art - August 10

A leading art historian has called for a 16th 
century  masterpiece  to be locked up  safely 
after another  renowned  Florentine sculpture 
was damaged by vandals last week. 

Italian News - August 9

A Macedonian  man who  drove away from  a 
service  station  without  his wife  only 
noticed she wasn't in the car when police 
phoned him six hours later.

Italian News / Europe - August 9

One and a half years after its sister  spacecraft 
Mars Express  arrived at  Mars,  Europe's  newest 
planetary  probe is ready to depart on  the first 
leg of its journey to the mysterious Venus. 

Italian News - August 8

Many Italians can't remember when  fireflies 
brightened summer nights, but scientists say 
the luminous  insects are making a  comeback 
this season.

Italian News - August 8

A 8,000-year-old pirogue - a canoe made  from 
a hollowed tree trunk - was discovered on the 
bed  of  Lake Bracciano at a depth of just 12 
metres. 

Italian News - August 7

Transport Minister Pietro Lunardi has  issued 
a series of directives to prevent beach-goers 
from being injured by motorboats or  jet skis 
when they go for a swim.

Italian News - August 6

Tim Grobben, 31, and Ben Stinkens, 21,  from 
Belgium,  beat a bristling array of  cameras 
and high walls that Clooney has installed at 
his lakeside home. 

Italian News - August 6

In  the wake  of the latest  instructions 
from soccer authority,  Italian  referees 
are wondering whether they have to remove 
their wedding rings before matches.

Italian News - August 5

Tax authorities have taken a novel approach 
to tax  fraud in beach-side bars in  Italy. 
News reported that the trial project was so 
successful that it would be expanded. 

Italian News - August 5

Italy  assumed command of  the  NATO's 
International   Security    Assistance 
Force (Isaf) from Turkey and will hold 
it for the next nine months.

Italian News - August 5

Rome's centuries-old cobblestone  streets 
may  soon be  relegated to a  few tourist 
friendly pedestrian squares as Rome paves 
over the huge slabs. 

Italian News / Music - August 4

Luciano Pavarotti  will bring  his 
production  of 'La Boheme'  to the 
Valley of the Temples for a single 
performance.

Italian News - August 4

The Italian government continued its 
clampdown on soccer hooliganism with 
a new decree that turns up the  heat 
on troublemakers. 

Italian News - August 3

Women accused of witchcraft more than four 
centuries  ago left  behind an  impressive 
series of graffiti in a Palermo prison  as 
they waited to be burned at the stake.

Italian Science - August 3

Italian scientists have revealed in a new study
that human brain does not necessarily  perceive 
events in the order they happen,  it may decide 
to sense more important things first.

Italian News - August 3

A famous 16th-century statue of Neptune 
in Florence's  central square has  been 
damaged  by vandals who tried to  climb 
up it during the night.

Italian News - August 2

James Bond, the world's most  famous 
secret agent, is to abandon the fast 
sports cars of the  past for  a Fiat 
Panda with a top speed of 90 mph.

Italian News - August 2

An attempt to set the new world record for 
the longest pizza will be made later  this 
month in Pesaro, a small city on the upper 
Adriatic coast.

Italian News - August 1

Italy's beach playboys, the seaside predators 
who would make a pass at every girl under the 
sun, appear to be a dying breed, according to 
a new report.

Italian Movies - August 1

While  the rest of the nation heads for  its 
holidays,  most of  Italy's top  film-makers 
will be sweating the summer away on the sets 
of their latest movies.