Culture
On this day: Fire destroys Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls
One of Rome’s four great papal basilicas – Saint Paul Outside the Walls – and the last of the city’s ancient churches to have survived largely untouched since antiquity, was gutted by fire on 14/15th July 1823. It was a disaster that shook the Christian world as deeply as the Notre-Dame fire would nearly two […]
Life in Italy
Italy passes parental consent law for sex and relationship education
The Italian Senate has given final approval to legislation requiring schools to obtain written parental consent before delivering any sex or relationship education. The vote has divided the country along sharply ideological lines.
Environment
Heatwave kills off Po Delta’s clams and mussels
Lagoon water temperatures of 32 degrees are starving clams and mussels of oxygen and fuelling algae blooms not seen in a decade. It is resulting in losses of up to 100% in some areas.
WWF Italy marks 60 years of conservation
From a Rome notary’s office in 1966 to over 100 nature reserves today, WWF Italy says its diamond anniversary is a stepping stone rather than a finish line.
Carlo Petrini, founder of the Slow Food movement, dies
The Piedmontese visionary, Carlo Petrini, who turned a protest against McDonald’s into a global food philosophy leaves behind a movement active in 160 countries and an enduring legacy of culinary conscience.
