Italy
| Use attributes for filter ! | |
| Provinces | South Tyrol |
|---|---|
| Trentino | |
| Province of Brescia | |
| Capital | Rome |
| Dialing code | +39 |
| Population | 60. 59 million (2017) |
| Points of interest | Colosseum |
| Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore | |
| Date of Reg. | |
| Date of Upd. | |
| ID | 405835 |
About Italy
Italy, a European country with a long Mediterranean coastline, has left a powerful mark on Western culture and cuisine. Its capital, Rome, is home to the Vatican as well as landmark art and ancient ruins. Other major cities include Florence, with Renaissance masterpieces such as Michelangelo's "David" and Brunelleschi's Duomo; Venice, the city of canals; and Milan, Italy's fashion capital.
Shock after popular bear shot dead in Italian town
...By Paul KirbyBBC NewsA popular female bear has been shot dead on the outskirts of a town in central Italy and a man has claimed he opened fire out of fear...
Canadian couple win damages from Italian ruling party
...By George WrightBBC NewsItaly s far-right ruling party has been ordered to pay damages to a same-sex couple for using a photo of them with their newborn son without their consent in an anti-surrogacy campaign...
Heatwave: Italy's major cities on red heat alert
...By James GregoryBBC NewsRed alerts for extreme heat are in place in most of Italy s main cities as a heatwave intensifies in Europe...
Europe heatwave: Red alerts issued in 15 Italian cities
...By Robert Greenall & Christy CooneyBBC NewsRed alerts have been issued for 15 cities across Italy as extreme heat continues to affect southern Europe...
How the tide of migration is changing European politics
... Most head for Italy...
Europe heatwave: Extreme heat leads to Greece Acropolis closure
... Earlier this week, a man in his forties died from the heat after collapsing in northern Italy - while several visitors to the country have collapsed from heatstroke, including a British man outside the Colosseum in Rome...
Cerberus heatwave: Hot weather sweeps across southern Europe
... They could reach 48C in parts of Italy, becoming " potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe" says the European Space Agency...
Silvio Berlusconi's big footprint in Europe
...By Katya AdlerEurope editorFlamboyant, controversial Silvio Berlusconi - a four-time prime minister and a key coalition partner in Italy s current government - was envied and admired, loathed and derided in equal measure for many, many years...
Silvio Berlusconi's big footprint in Europe
By Katya AdlerEurope editor
Flamboyant, controversial Silvio Berlusconi - a four-time Prime Minister and a key coalition partner in Italy 's current Government - was envied and admired, loathed and derided in equal measure for many, many years.
Nicknamed Il Cavaliere - The Knight - he will not easily be forgotten At Home . And he leaves an indelible Berlusconi-shaped stamp on European politics too.
I followed his political career from The Start - later as A Journalist but firstly as a Student - Writing a university dissertation entitled " Il cammino inarrestabile di Silvio Berlusconi - The unstoppable rise of Silvio Berlusconi " after he won his first election back in 1994.
Berlusconi quite simply set off a political earthquake in Europe that Year - The aftershocks of which will still reverberate Long After his state funeral on Wednesday.
It seemed revolutionary back in The 1990s to have a business tycoon, former Cruise Ship crooner and generally screamingly obvious non-career politician at The helm of important EU and NATO military alliance member Italy .
That was a time of political deepening of The European project focused in Brussels, but Silvio Berlusconi pushed a more nationalist, " Italy First" type of narrative.
I was informed by someone in The Room that he once told EU leaders at a summit they should speak more about women and football instead.
At Home , Berlusconi jumped into coalition Government with The post-fascist far-right - until then a taboo in post-war Italy - rendering them more socially acceptable as a result.
He was intentionally Politically Incorrect , claiming to speak The language of " ordinary people". He was also unapologetic about using his media empire as an advantage over political opponents. He displayed a blatant disregard for The judiciary too, later attempting to change Italian law to avoid prosecution himself.
Is Berlusconi's political playbook sounding familiar at all?
In many ways, he is The Father of modern day populist nationalism in Europe. Ingredients of his political cocktail are evident in numerous ambitious right-leaning politicians and political movements across The Continent .
Think: Hungary's Victor Orban - who publicly mourned Mr Berlusconi's death on Monday, as well as More Than one Austrian Government , Marine Le Pen of France, and more.
You could also draw parallels further afield - with former US President Donald Trump , for example, whom Mr Berlusconi admired.
He had a penchant for strongmen politicians, such as Vladimir Putin , who he was great friends with. He is Even said to have gifted The Russian leader with a duvet cover festooned with both men's faces. On hearing of Mr Berlusconi's death on Monday, President Putin described him as a " dear person, a true friend".
A stark contrast to his often spiky relationship with Italy 's traditional friends, Germany and France.
That closeness to Moscow worried Italy 's allies, especially after The Invasion of Ukraine, when Mr Berlusconi was back in coalition Government .
In Brussels, at The European Union headquarters, he was widely viewed with derision and disdain.
Despite The rhetoric, hyperbole and almost relentless optimist political shtick - Even when Italy was hit by The 2008 economic Crisis - Berlusconi failed to improve his country's fortunes or Even radically change Italy .
Instead, The Real change he brought about was influencing and emboldening a New Generation of ambitious politicians in The wider European political arena.
Related TopicsSource of news: bbc.com
