Today in Italy: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
Climate change activists target Uffizi, Italians splash out for Valentine's day, and more news from around Italy on Wednesday.
Italy's top story on Wednesday:
Activists from the Ultimata Generazione ('Last Generation') collective pasted images of flooding in Tuscany on the protective glass covering Botticelli's Venus in Florence's Uffizi museum on Tuesday, in what they described as a protest against government inaction on climate change.
The three demonstrators then read out a statement in which they called for a "reparation fund of 20 billion euros for all citizens who have suffered or will suffer damage from climate disasters," according to the Corriere della Sera newspaper.
Within ten minutes of the start of the protest, police arrived to escort the activists away. A spokesperson for the Uffizi said the painting's glass did not suffer any damage.
32-year-old protestor Giordano Cavini Casalini, who had been under house arrest since December 8th for participating in a roadblock, said he chose "to break the law again, risking prison to keep my promise to do everything possible to protect life."
Eight people were killed in devastating floods that hit Tuscany last November. Initial estimates placed the damage caused by the storm at 300 million euros.
Italians plan to spend €85 a person on Valentine's Day
Six out of ten Italians intend to celebrate Valentine's Day this year, with those who do planning to shell out an average of €85 a head, according to a consumer survey of 1,000 people released by Ipsos on Tuesday.
The amount represents a €14 increase on the average sum spent last year, though the hike is entirely down to inflation.
73 percent will mark the occasion with a romantic dinner, the survey indicates, while 61 percent plan to exchange gifts. Just five percent say they will go away on a couple's trip.
For gift-givers, chocolates remain the most popular choice (37 percent), followed by perfumes (27 percent), jewellery and accessories (24 percent) and flowers (23 percent).
Ten hurt in protests against Rai in Naples
Five demonstrators and five police officers sustained mild injuries amid violence during a protest outside the Rai state broadcaster's headquarters in Naples on Tuesday against the public service broadcaster's coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, Ansa reported.
One injured protestor accused police of a "violent, disproportionate and unexpected reaction" to the demonstration, called after Rai distanced itself from an appeal made by Sanremo contestant Ghali on the last night of the televised song festival to "stop the genocide" in Gaza, sparking an angry reaction from the Israeli ambassador to Italy.
Rai CEO Roberto Sergio issued a statement referring to the atrocities committed in the October 7th attacks against Israel and the plight of the hostages taken by Hamas, but making no reference to the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, AFP reported
The Naples Network for Palestine said the public broadcaster "constantly censors the ongoing genocide in Gaza" and "expresses an openly pro-Zionist position in front of millions of television viewers."
Italy calls Israel's response to Hamas attacks 'disproportionate'
Italy's foreign minister Antonio Tajani described Israel's assault on Gaza as "disproportionate" in an interview on Tuesday, saying there had been "too many victims" in the Palestinian territory since Hamas's October 7th attacks.
While strongly condemning the "savage" Hamas attacks and reiterating that Israel had a right to defend itself, Tajani told RAI radio reporters, "Israel is making a mistake, because the reaction after the horrible attack of October 7 is causing too many civilian victims," AFP reported.
"At this point Israel's reaction against the Palestinian civilian population is disproportionate... there are too many victims who have nothing to do with Hamas," he added, while rejecting the suggestion that Israel's bombardment of Gaza amounts to genocide.
Approximately 1,160 people in Israel were killed in Hamas's attack on October 7th, most of them civilians, and 250 taken hostage, according to official Israeli figures.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry estimates that Israel's bombardment has since killed 28,473 people, mostly women and children.
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Italy's top story on Wednesday:
Activists from the Ultimata Generazione ('Last Generation') collective pasted images of flooding in Tuscany on the protective glass covering Botticelli's Venus in Florence's Uffizi museum on Tuesday, in what they described as a protest against government inaction on climate change.
The three demonstrators then read out a statement in which they called for a "reparation fund of 20 billion euros for all citizens who have suffered or will suffer damage from climate disasters," according to the Corriere della Sera newspaper.
Within ten minutes of the start of the protest, police arrived to escort the activists away. A spokesperson for the Uffizi said the painting's glass did not suffer any damage.
32-year-old protestor Giordano Cavini Casalini, who had been under house arrest since December 8th for participating in a roadblock, said he chose "to break the law again, risking prison to keep my promise to do everything possible to protect life."
Eight people were killed in devastating floods that hit Tuscany last November. Initial estimates placed the damage caused by the storm at 300 million euros.
Italians plan to spend €85 a person on Valentine's Day
Six out of ten Italians intend to celebrate Valentine's Day this year, with those who do planning to shell out an average of €85 a head, according to a consumer survey of 1,000 people released by Ipsos on Tuesday.
The amount represents a €14 increase on the average sum spent last year, though the hike is entirely down to inflation.
73 percent will mark the occasion with a romantic dinner, the survey indicates, while 61 percent plan to exchange gifts. Just five percent say they will go away on a couple's trip.
For gift-givers, chocolates remain the most popular choice (37 percent), followed by perfumes (27 percent), jewellery and accessories (24 percent) and flowers (23 percent).
Ten hurt in protests against Rai in Naples
Five demonstrators and five police officers sustained mild injuries amid violence during a protest outside the Rai state broadcaster's headquarters in Naples on Tuesday against the public service broadcaster's coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, Ansa reported.
One injured protestor accused police of a "violent, disproportionate and unexpected reaction" to the demonstration, called after Rai distanced itself from an appeal made by Sanremo contestant Ghali on the last night of the televised song festival to "stop the genocide" in Gaza, sparking an angry reaction from the Israeli ambassador to Italy.
Rai CEO Roberto Sergio issued a statement referring to the atrocities committed in the October 7th attacks against Israel and the plight of the hostages taken by Hamas, but making no reference to the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, AFP reported
The Naples Network for Palestine said the public broadcaster "constantly censors the ongoing genocide in Gaza" and "expresses an openly pro-Zionist position in front of millions of television viewers."
Italy calls Israel's response to Hamas attacks 'disproportionate'
Italy's foreign minister Antonio Tajani described Israel's assault on Gaza as "disproportionate" in an interview on Tuesday, saying there had been "too many victims" in the Palestinian territory since Hamas's October 7th attacks.
While strongly condemning the "savage" Hamas attacks and reiterating that Israel had a right to defend itself, Tajani told RAI radio reporters, "Israel is making a mistake, because the reaction after the horrible attack of October 7 is causing too many civilian victims," AFP reported.
"At this point Israel's reaction against the Palestinian civilian population is disproportionate... there are too many victims who have nothing to do with Hamas," he added, while rejecting the suggestion that Israel's bombardment of Gaza amounts to genocide.
Approximately 1,160 people in Israel were killed in Hamas's attack on October 7th, most of them civilians, and 250 taken hostage, according to official Israeli figures.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry estimates that Israel's bombardment has since killed 28,473 people, mostly women and children.
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