Today in Italy: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
Italian PM stresses support for Ukraine, Italy's culture ministry evacuated in bomb hoax, fallen tree crushes cars in Rome, and more news from Italy on Wednesday.
Italy's top story on Wednesday:
Premier Giorgia Meloni on Tuesday condemned "farce" Russian elections held in occupied Ukrainian territory in a speech to the Senate, Italian media reported, and reiterated that Italy remained opposed to calls to send NATO troops to help fight in Ukraine.
Following French President Emmanuel Macron's recent suggestions that French or other NATO troops could provide ground operations in Ukraine, Meloni stressed on Tuesday that Italy's "position is not in favour of this hypothesis, a harbinger of a dangerous escalation, to be avoided at all costs."
Meloni's stance against sending in NATO troops was welcomed by members of the League party, her government coalition partner, which claimed it showed Meloni and League leader Matteo Salvini were in "full harmony" on Ukraine despite recent controversy.
Senior ministers this week distanced themselves from Salvini, whose party has long had ties with Putin's regime, after he stated following Russia's elections that "when a people vote, they are always right".
Italy's culture ministry evacuated in bomb hoax
The culture ministry building near Rome's central Via del Corso was evacuated on Tuesday following a bomb alert which later turned out to be a hoax.
Around 400 people were evacuated from the building after a bomb threat from an anonymous caller, described as an "Italian man, without a foreign accent," reported news agency Ansa.
The threat was found to be a false alarm after the Carabinieri bomb squad cleared the building, assisted by Saetta, the robotic dog introduced to improve security in Rome ahead of the Vatican's Jubilee in 2025.
Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano, who was in the building at the time, thanked law enforcement and told reporters he had been the victim of "threats on social media."
One injured as fallen tree crushes two cars in Rome
Traffic was temporarily halted and a stretch of road closed in Rome on Tuesday after a tree fell on a major road, damaging two cars and injuring one individual, according to reports from the Ansa news agency.
Police officers, firefighters, and municipal workers rushed to the scene, where the person's injuries were reported to be minor.
Via Cristoforo Columbo, where the incident took place, is a busy road connecting Rome with the coastal town of Ostia.
The Italian capital has long struggled to keep a handle on its toppling pines. Last summer multiple trees, including a 25-metre-high pine tree, fell in the city centre's Piazza Venezia, narrowly avoiding causing any injuries.
Water bills surge almost 20 percent in five years
The average Italian household's annual water bill rose by four percent between 2022 and 2023 and 17.7 percent in the past five years, according to a new report.
Most families spent an average of 478 euros on water in 2023, data gathered by the consumer rights watchdog Cittadinanzattiva shows - though average costs varied significantly around the country.
The province with the highest increase in the past year was Vibo Valentia in Calabria, where prices rose by 16 percent, while the most expensive province overall was Frosinone, where the average household paid 867 euros.
With an average annual bill of 732 euros per family, Tuscany was the most expensive region, and Molise the cheapest, at 226 euros. Surprisingly, given the high overall cost of living in the northern city, Milan tied with Calabria's Cosenza for cheapest regional capital at 184 euros.
Mild weather as spring arrives
March 20th brings the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere, and as spring officially arrives the weather remains mild and sunny this week with occasional showers across much of the country.
Daytime temperatures in the south were forecast to hover between 16-19 degrees in most parts of the country this week, More rain and cooler nighttime temperatures was however forecast for the coming weekend.
As the days get longer and brighter in Italy, we can look forward to sights, scents, and flavours of spring in the country: majestic purple wisteria and walls of perfumed lavender scent the gardens, artichokes and asparagus feature on menus everywhere, and the everyday rituals of Italian life move back out onto the streets.
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Italy's top story on Wednesday:
Premier Giorgia Meloni on Tuesday condemned "farce" Russian elections held in occupied Ukrainian territory in a speech to the Senate, Italian media reported, and reiterated that Italy remained opposed to calls to send NATO troops to help fight in Ukraine.
Following French President Emmanuel Macron's recent suggestions that French or other NATO troops could provide ground operations in Ukraine, Meloni stressed on Tuesday that Italy's "position is not in favour of this hypothesis, a harbinger of a dangerous escalation, to be avoided at all costs."
Meloni's stance against sending in NATO troops was welcomed by members of the League party, her government coalition partner, which claimed it showed Meloni and League leader Matteo Salvini were in "full harmony" on Ukraine despite recent controversy.
Senior ministers this week distanced themselves from Salvini, whose party has long had ties with Putin's regime, after he stated following Russia's elections that "when a people vote, they are always right".
Italy's culture ministry evacuated in bomb hoax
The culture ministry building near Rome's central Via del Corso was evacuated on Tuesday following a bomb alert which later turned out to be a hoax.
Around 400 people were evacuated from the building after a bomb threat from an anonymous caller, described as an "Italian man, without a foreign accent," reported news agency Ansa.
The threat was found to be a false alarm after the Carabinieri bomb squad cleared the building, assisted by Saetta, the robotic dog introduced to improve security in Rome ahead of the Vatican's Jubilee in 2025.
Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano, who was in the building at the time, thanked law enforcement and told reporters he had been the victim of "threats on social media."
One injured as fallen tree crushes two cars in Rome
Traffic was temporarily halted and a stretch of road closed in Rome on Tuesday after a tree fell on a major road, damaging two cars and injuring one individual, according to reports from the Ansa news agency.
Police officers, firefighters, and municipal workers rushed to the scene, where the person's injuries were reported to be minor.
Via Cristoforo Columbo, where the incident took place, is a busy road connecting Rome with the coastal town of Ostia.
The Italian capital has long struggled to keep a handle on its toppling pines. Last summer multiple trees, including a 25-metre-high pine tree, fell in the city centre's Piazza Venezia, narrowly avoiding causing any injuries.
Water bills surge almost 20 percent in five years
The average Italian household's annual water bill rose by four percent between 2022 and 2023 and 17.7 percent in the past five years, according to a new report.
Most families spent an average of 478 euros on water in 2023, data gathered by the consumer rights watchdog Cittadinanzattiva shows - though average costs varied significantly around the country.
The province with the highest increase in the past year was Vibo Valentia in Calabria, where prices rose by 16 percent, while the most expensive province overall was Frosinone, where the average household paid 867 euros.
With an average annual bill of 732 euros per family, Tuscany was the most expensive region, and Molise the cheapest, at 226 euros. Surprisingly, given the high overall cost of living in the northern city, Milan tied with Calabria's Cosenza for cheapest regional capital at 184 euros.
Mild weather as spring arrives
March 20th brings the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere, and as spring officially arrives the weather remains mild and sunny this week with occasional showers across much of the country.
Daytime temperatures in the south were forecast to hover between 16-19 degrees in most parts of the country this week, More rain and cooler nighttime temperatures was however forecast for the coming weekend.
As the days get longer and brighter in Italy, we can look forward to sights, scents, and flavours of spring in the country: majestic purple wisteria and walls of perfumed lavender scent the gardens, artichokes and asparagus feature on menus everywhere, and the everyday rituals of Italian life move back out onto the streets.
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