Italy

Italy: 3,000 Troops Now Patrolling Italy’s Major Cities

Date: August 7th, 2008 |

Some 3,000 troops have been deployed to Italy’s major cities to combat street crime. The soldiers were sent to Rome, Milan, Naples, Bologna, Turin and Palermo Aug. 4 to help police patrol the cities’ most frequented public places. In Rome they were stationed at subway and railway stations and an immigrant center but were to [read more]

Italy: Berlusconi to Solve Naples’s Garbage Crisis

Date: July 2nd, 2008 |

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Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said he would have the garbage crisis in Naples and the surrounding area cleaned up by the end of July, citing new deals about to be signed with private companies to store and process garbage outside Campania. The recurring problem got worse in December when collectors stopped picking up garbage because [read more]

Italy: Thieves Use Drugs to Rob Tourists

Date: May 28th, 2008 |

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Thieves on Italian trains are increasingly using drugs to sedate victims before making off with their possessions. One method they use is to board sleeper trains and spray a narcotic into cabins before helping themselves to luggage. In a related incident, an elderly American tourist on his way to Hungary after a Mediterranean cruise with [read more]

Italy: Naples Garbage Cleanup Making Progress

Date: March 26th, 2008 |

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The piles of uncollected garbage that plagued Naples the past several months are gone from the center of the city thanks to the efforts of “trash tsar” Gianni De Gennaro, but the damage has been done to the area’s tourism industry. Business at hotels and restaurants has dried up and the city is largely empty [read more]

Italy: New “Residents Only” Water Bus in Venice, Michelangelo’s “David” May Move in Florence

Date: January 24th, 2008 |

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It isn’t news that annually Italy is flooded with tourists, but the recent reactions of Florence and Venice are noteworthy. Officials in Florence are studying ways to relieve congestion in the heart of the city and one option being considered is to move Michelangelo’s “David” out of the Galleria dell’Accademia, where it has stood since [read more]

Italy: Snacking Banned at Rome’s Historic Sites

Date: July 23rd, 2008 |

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Between now and the end of October, snacking near Rome’s historical sites is prohibited, to the tune of fines up to $80. The new law is an attempt to preserve the city’s treasures and crack down not just on picnickers but also on litterbugs and drunks. Precisely where and how strictly the law will be [read more]

Italy: Venice Promotes Refilling Water Bottles at Fountains

Date: June 11th, 2008 |

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With some 19 million visitors a year and the majority of them wandering the city during the hot summer months, Venice is left with millions of plastic water bottles to dispose of when the tourists leave. Authorities are combating the scourge with a campaign to persuade visitors to refill their bottles at the city’s 122 [read more]

Italy: Naples Garbage Still Rots, Raises Health Concerns

Date: May 21st, 2008 |

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For months Naples has been living in a garbage heap because all dumps are full and there has been no place to haul away debris. Now the U.S. military is sampling tap water and soil for pesticides and other pollutants to gauge the health risks to its personnel of living in and around the city. [read more]

Italy: Roman Forum No Longer Free

Date: February 27th, 2008 |

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Free visits to the Roman Forum will become history March 10 when an entry fee will be charged for the first time in ten years. Entrance to the Forum will be included in a single ticket that visitors now buy to enter the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill. The new ticket policy will help Rome’s [read more]

Italy: Tourists Pay More, Sometimes Way More, for Same Services in Venice

Date: October 31st, 2007 |

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The London Sunday Times reported widespread price gouging of tourists in Venice, where cafes, restaurants and bars routinely charge different prices for different nationalities, and considerably less for locals. The head of the Venice branch of Italy’s consumer protection agency called the problem an epidemic, and the overcharging is significant. In one case a couple [read more]