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.
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. 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.
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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.
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.
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