The Islands: News archives from Italian islands

Horrific animal cruelty as puppies left to die in 43º without shade or water

Four puppies die of heat exposure in Sicily

July 21, 2026July 21, 2026Deborah CaterLeave a Comment

Left on a terrace in Sciacca without water or shade as temperatures hit 43°C, the deaths of the puppies have reignited calls for tougher penalties for animal cruelty in Italy.

Government scraps Tavolara Bay luxury glamping project

July 3, 2026July 3, 2026Deborah CaterLeave a Comment

Rome revokes Special Economic Zone authorisation for the Tavolara Bay glamping development at Cala Finanza, two days after a municipal council U-turn and a mass protest on the beach.

Villa Certosa has been purchased by the Qatari Al Thani family

Qatar’s Al Thani dynasty acquires Berlusconi’s Sardinian villa

June 26, 2026June 26, 2026Deborah CaterLeave a Comment

Villa Certosa, the extravagant Costa Smeralda estate that served as the late prime minister’s playground for politicians, billionaires and Bunga Bunga parties, has found a buyer three years after Berlusconi’s death. The Qatari Al Thani royal family has made the winning bid.

sCHOOLBUS OVERTURNS VIGILI DEL FUOCO + UFFICIO STAMPA, PRESS OFFICE, HANDOUT PHOTO, NO SALES, EDITORIAL USE ONLY + NPK

Fourteen children injured as school bus overturns in collision

May 30, 2026May 30, 2026Deborah CaterLeave a Comment

A Nissan Qashqai, whose driver allegedly ran a stop sign, struck a school bus head-on in Mazara del Vallo. The bus overturned, resulting in two children to hospital in Palermo by helicopter.

Sardinia from the air Delta Air Lines have started direct New York to Sardinia flights

Delta launches first direct New York–Sardinia flight

May 23, 2026May 23, 2026Deborah CaterLeave a Comment

Delta Air Lines’s new JFK–Olbia service, chosen by a public vote, marks a historic shift in transatlantic access to one of the Mediterranean’s most coveted destinations.

The biggest arancina in the world being lifted from the fryer. Still from video by Tele One

Palermo sets new record with 62kg arancina

April 22, 2026April 22, 2026Deborah CaterLeave a Comment

Palermo has claimed its place in the record books with the creation of a giant arancina weighing 62.3 kilograms. Unveiled last Sunday on Palermo’s Mondello beach, it surpasses a previous record set in Messina in 2023.

Elvira Amata - facing corruption charges

Sicily’s tourism councillor, Elvira Amata, sent to trial for corruption

April 21, 2026April 21, 2026Deborah CaterLeave a Comment

Elvira Amata, Sicily’s regional tourism councillor and a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, has been ordered to stand trial on corruption charges. She is the latest in a series of judicial difficulties to beset the right-wing coalition’s Sicilian operation.

Culture Capital 2025 - Agrigento Sicily, Valley of the Temples

The Valley of the Temples, Agrigento

March 6, 2026March 6, 2026Deborah CaterLeave a Comment

The archaeological landscape known as the Valley of the Temples, located near Agrigento on the southern coast of Sicily, is one of the most important surviving testimonies of ancient Greek civilisation outside Greece. Spread across a ridge overlooking the Mediterranean, the site contains some of the best-preserved Doric temples in the world and offers a […]

Sicilian mafia boss Santapaola dies in prison

March 3, 2026March 3, 2026Deborah CaterLeave a Comment

Benedetto “Nitto” Santapaola, one of the most powerful figures in the Sicilian mafia during the late 20th century, has died at the age of 87 after more than three decades behind bars.

Sicily breaks a century-old Mondello beach concession over Mafia ties

March 1, 2026March 1, 2026Deborah CaterLeave a Comment

Sicilian authorities have revoked a 116-year-old management concession for Mondello Beach after concerns emerged about links to organised crime, regional officials announced.