Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

WHAT CHANGES IN ITALY

On the agenda: What’s happening in Italy this week

From a long-discussed bridge to a new energy aid package: here are the key events happening in Italy this week that you should know about.

Published: 7 November 2022 10:16 CET
Giorgia Meloni's cabinet will meet this week to discuss a new aid package.
Giorgia Meloni's cabinet will meet this week to discuss a new aid package. Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)

Monday

Italy’s government will continue discussions over a new energy aid package on Monday, November 7th. While little has been confirmed so far, it is expected to extend many of the subsidies introduced under previous decrees.

READ ALSO: Key points: What we know about Italy’s next energy aid package

By Giorgia Meloni’s own admission, the new cabinet will only be able to allocate “a small amount of money” – between 7 and 10 billion euros according to the latest reports – to bring households and businesses across the country some respite from soaring energy prices.

This is set to be Italy’s fourth energy aid bill since the start of the European energy crisis.

Tuesday

The idea of building a bridge over the Strait of Messina that would connect Sicily to mainland Italy has been discussed for so long – and dismissed as unworkable so many times – that it’s a running joke among many political commentators in Italy.

But Matteo Salvini, leader of the hard-right League, appears to be taking the idea very seriously indeed and has made the project his top priority so far in his new role as infrastructure minister.

Official talks on building such a bridge will begin on Tuesday, November 8th, at which Salvini is set to meet the presidents of Calabria and Sicily in Rome. 

In his first week in office, he said on Twitter that he’s working “day and night” to give Italy and the rest of the world “the most eco-friendly feat of engineering” of modern times.

Political figures including members of the government, have already criticised the project as a “sort of mirage”.

There have been numerous plans throughout history to build a bridge over the the Strait of Messina; most recently Silvio Berlusconi’s government in the early 2000s secured partial funding from Brussels to finance a €6bn bridge, but construction work never started.

A long-discussed bridge over the Strait of Messina would connect Sicily to the Italian mainland.

A long-discussed bridge over the Strait of Messina would connect Sicily to the Italian mainland. Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP.

Thursday

The first edition of the National University Festival will kick off on Thursday, November 10th at the Link Campus University in Rome.

The festival, which seeks to become an annual recurrence, will give students and professors alike a chance to reflect on Italy’s academic heritage and start developing new guidelines for the future of education. 

In particular, this year’s edition will focus on digital culture.

Saturday

A requiem in memory of all the victims of mafia crimes will be performed in Palermo’s Teatro Massimo on Saturday, November 12th. 

The event, which will be attended by Italy’s head of state Sergio Mattarella, will round off commemorations for the 30-year anniversary of the murder of anti-mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino.

Organisers say the performance will be a chance to reflect on the role of art as a form of “collective response to mafia evils”.

Sunday

The 23rd edition of the International Alba White Truffle Auction will take place in the Castle of Grinzane Cavour in Cuneo, Piedmont on Sunday, November 13th. 

As usual, some of the best specimens of tuber magnatum, commonly known as white truffle, will be auctioned off to bidders, with all proceeds being devolved to national or international charities. 

The auction will be live-streamed on the Castle of Grinzane Cavour’s Facebook page. The event’s programme can be found here.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

WHAT CHANGES IN ITALY

On the agenda: What’s happening in Italy this week

From a nationwide public transport strike to talks over a contested electoral reform, here’s what to expect in Italy this week.

Published: 5 May 2024 10:23 CEST
On the agenda: What's happening in Italy this week

Monday

Nationwide public transport strike 

Commuters in Italy may face delays and/or cancellations on Monday, May 6th as staff at public transport operators around the country plan to strike for 24 hours. 

The protest, which is backed by some of Italy’s largest transport unions, may affect the normal operation of bus, subway and tram services but shouldn’t impact scheduled interregional and long-distance train journeys. 

The level of disruption caused by the walkout will vary from city to city, with services in large metropolitan areas currently expected to be among the most heavily affected. 

READ ALSO: The transport strikes that will hit travel in Italy in May 2024

All public transport operators in Italy are required to provide a number of ‘minimum services’ (servizi minimi) during strikes, but their exact times will vary by city and operator. 

Rai journalists’ 24-hour strike 

Scheduled TV and radio programmes from Italy’s state network Rai may be subject to changes at the start of this week as journalists with the broadcaster plan to take part in a 24-hour strike starting at 5.30pm on Monday, May 6th and ending at 5.30pm on Tuesday, May 7th. 

The walkout was called by reporters’ trade union Usigrai in late April in protest against “the suffocating control” exerted over their work by the current right-wing administration and recent attempts “to reduce Rai to a megaphone for the government”, the union said.

Discussions over Rai’s independence aren’t new in Italy but fresh accusations of censorship erupted last month after the network cancelled the appearance of high-profile author Antonio Scurati, who planned to give an antifascist speech on one of its talk shows ahead of Italy’s Liberation Day on April 25th.

Tennis fever in Rome

The 2024 edition of the Internazionali d’Italia – Italy’s most prestigious tennis tournament – will unfold at Rome’s Foro Italico venue from Monday, May 6th to Sunday, May 19th.

A general view of the Nicola Pietrangeli court during the Internazionali di Roma tennis tournament

A view of the Nicola Pietrangeli court during the Internazionali di Roma tennis tournament in May 2023. Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP

Rome’s city council has estimated that some 350,000 tennis fans will attend this year’s tournament.

Wednesday

Senate to discuss plan for direct election of PM

Italy’s upper chamber of parliament will discuss a contested draft law proposing an overhaul of the country’s electoral system on Wednesday, May 8th. 

The reform, which was first drafted by the right-wing Forza Italia party last November, would change article 92 of the Italian Constitution, allowing voters to directly elect the prime minister.  

Under the current system, parties engage in government-formation talks after a general election and the parliamentary majority agrees on a figure to become premier pending the head of state’s approval.

The draft law has so far been the object of harsh criticism, with critics saying that the proposed system isn’t found in any other democratic nation in the world and the direct election of the PM would dangerously deplete the president of the republic’s powers.

Thursday

Turin’s International Book Fair

The Salone Internazionale del Libro – Italy’s largest book fair – will return to Turin’s Lingotto Fiere exhibition space on Thursday, May 9th.

As usual, the festival will feature a variety of talks, shows and workshops, with Vita Immaginaria (‘Imaginary Life’) being the central theme of this year’s edition.

Further info on the event can be found here.

Sunday

Air traffic controllers’ strike at Milan’s Malpensa airport

Passengers flying to or from Milan’s Malpensa airport may face disruption on Sunday, May 12th as staff at air traffic control agency Enav plan to strike from 1pm to 5pm.

An interior view of Terminal 1 at Milan's Malpensa Airport

An interior view of Terminal 1 at Milan’s Malpensa Airport in March 2008. Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP

At the time of writing, no airline had announced changes to the departure or arrival time of scheduled flights to or from Malpensa on Sunday, but potential delays or cancellations couldn’t be ruled out. 

All passengers planning to fly to or from Malpensa on May 12th are advised to check the status of their journey with the relevant airline before setting off.

Mother’s Day

Sunday, May 12th will mark Italy’s Mother’s Day (or Festa della Mamma in Italian).

Formally established in 1958, Italy’s Mother’s Day originally fell on May 8th but was moved to the second Sunday of May in 2000 to align the Italian calendar with the American one.

SHOW COMMENTS