Today in Italy: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
Italy's government split over Russian elections, Rome-Bari train route blocked by landslide, wardens arrested for violence at Italian prison, and more news from Italy on Tuesday.
Italy's top story on Tuesday:
Italy's government split over Russian elections
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has distanced himself from comments made by coalition colleague Matteo Salvini on Monday after the latter welcomed the outcome of Russia's elections.
Tajani on Sunday described the vote, which resulted in the re-election of Vladimir Putin, as "neither free nor fair", but Transport Minister Salvini on Monday said that "when a people vote, they are always right".
Tajani - who, along with Tajani, is a deputy prime minister in Giorgia Meloni's coalition government - responded by telling reporters in Brussels that "foreign policy is made by the foreign minister," AFP reported.
Salvini has previously expressed admiration for Putin and was pictured wearing a T-shirt with a picture of the Russian president, but Meloni has been a strong supporter of Ukraine in its war with Moscow, according to AFP reports.
Rome-Bari trainline blocked by landslide
The train route connecting the southern Italian city of Bari with Rome has been temporarily closed for at least a month due to a landslide, according to local news reports.
The landslide hit the section between Benevento and Ariano Irpino on March 12th, resulting in numerous cancellations and delays on the Foggia-Caserta route.
Operators Trenitalia and Italo have announced replacement coach service as repair works get underway. Technicians have warned the works should be expected to take at least 30 days.
Major airlines have reportedly responded by raising their fares between the two destinations over the Easter weekend.
Officers arrested for violence at Italian prison
Ten prison officers have been arrested on suspicion of beating two inmates at a prison in Foggia and attempting to cover up the assault, news agency Ansa reported on Monday.
The suspects are alleged to have coerced the victims into signing false statements in their attempts to impede an investigation into the incident, which occurred last August.
Charges brought by the Foggia court, which has placed all ten wardens under house arrest, reportedly include torture, abuse of office, and the destruction and concealment of evidence.
The general secretary of the Penitentiary Police Union, Aldo Di Giacomo, has scheduled a press conference on Tuesday to lay out the measures the union intends to take in response to the arrests.
US and German buyers lead the way on Italian luxury real estate purchases
Buyers from Germany and the US account for almost one third (31.6 percent) of all foreign purchases of luxury Italian properties, Italian real estate portal Idealista said on Monday.
The two countries split the top spot almost evenly at 15.9 percent and 15.7 percent respectively, and were followed by Switzerland (6.7 percent), the UK (6.4 percent), France and Poland (5.4 percent each).
Foreign investors' favourite destinations included Verbano-Cusio-Ossola by Lake Maggiore, followed by Syracuse in Sicily, Venice, Como, Salerno, Gorizia, Trapani, Messina and Imperia.
Caserta, Pavia, Ferrara, Lodi and Piacenza, meanwhile, sat at the bottom of the list, with far less appeal to foreign than domestic investors.
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Italy's top story on Tuesday:
Italy's government split over Russian elections
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has distanced himself from comments made by coalition colleague Matteo Salvini on Monday after the latter welcomed the outcome of Russia's elections.
Tajani on Sunday described the vote, which resulted in the re-election of Vladimir Putin, as "neither free nor fair", but Transport Minister Salvini on Monday said that "when a people vote, they are always right".
Tajani - who, along with Tajani, is a deputy prime minister in Giorgia Meloni's coalition government - responded by telling reporters in Brussels that "foreign policy is made by the foreign minister," AFP reported.
Salvini has previously expressed admiration for Putin and was pictured wearing a T-shirt with a picture of the Russian president, but Meloni has been a strong supporter of Ukraine in its war with Moscow, according to AFP reports.
Rome-Bari trainline blocked by landslide
The train route connecting the southern Italian city of Bari with Rome has been temporarily closed for at least a month due to a landslide, according to local news reports.
The landslide hit the section between Benevento and Ariano Irpino on March 12th, resulting in numerous cancellations and delays on the Foggia-Caserta route.
Operators Trenitalia and Italo have announced replacement coach service as repair works get underway. Technicians have warned the works should be expected to take at least 30 days.
Major airlines have reportedly responded by raising their fares between the two destinations over the Easter weekend.
Officers arrested for violence at Italian prison
Ten prison officers have been arrested on suspicion of beating two inmates at a prison in Foggia and attempting to cover up the assault, news agency Ansa reported on Monday.
The suspects are alleged to have coerced the victims into signing false statements in their attempts to impede an investigation into the incident, which occurred last August.
Charges brought by the Foggia court, which has placed all ten wardens under house arrest, reportedly include torture, abuse of office, and the destruction and concealment of evidence.
The general secretary of the Penitentiary Police Union, Aldo Di Giacomo, has scheduled a press conference on Tuesday to lay out the measures the union intends to take in response to the arrests.
US and German buyers lead the way on Italian luxury real estate purchases
Buyers from Germany and the US account for almost one third (31.6 percent) of all foreign purchases of luxury Italian properties, Italian real estate portal Idealista said on Monday.
The two countries split the top spot almost evenly at 15.9 percent and 15.7 percent respectively, and were followed by Switzerland (6.7 percent), the UK (6.4 percent), France and Poland (5.4 percent each).
Foreign investors' favourite destinations included Verbano-Cusio-Ossola by Lake Maggiore, followed by Syracuse in Sicily, Venice, Como, Salerno, Gorizia, Trapani, Messina and Imperia.
Caserta, Pavia, Ferrara, Lodi and Piacenza, meanwhile, sat at the bottom of the list, with far less appeal to foreign than domestic investors.
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