Remains of two more eruption victims unearthed in Pompeii
The remains of two more victims of Mount Vesuvius' devastating eruption in 79 AD were uncovered during recent excavations at the famous Pompeii archaeological site, a statement from Pompeii management said on Monday.
The skeletal remains were of a man and a woman who remained trapped in their bedroom following the eruption, the statement said.
The woman was found lying on the bed with a small treasure of gold, silver and bronze coins, as well as precious jewellery including golden and pearl earrings.
The small room where the couple was found was intended as a temporary bedroom while renovation work was ongoing in the house, and was located behind the Blue Shrine – a room with depictions of female figures on blue walls that was discovered in early June.
Indian man fined €550 for stealing Trevi Fountain coins
A 40-year-old Indian national was handed a €550 fine and a temporary city ban after he entered Rome’s Trevi Fountain on Sunday evening to steal coins thrown by tourists, Italian media reported on Monday.
The man entered the fountain around 6.30 pm and was immediately stopped by police officers patrolling the area, reports said.
The incident came just a week after a 28-year-old Swiss tourist was also fined €550 and given a temporary city ban for taking a dip in the fountain at around 3.00am last Sunday.
The coins thrown into Trevi are estimated to add up to around €1.5 million each year.
The Catholic Caritas charity is the recipient of the swept-up coins, which are then used to provide assistance to Rome's homeless people and families in need.
Climber falls to death during Gran Sasso ascent
A 56-year-old man from Pescara, Abruzzo, fell to his death while climbing the Gran Sasso massif, in Italy’s central Apennine Mountains, on Monday, national media reports said.
The man was on a rock wall of the Pizzo Cefalone peak (2,533 metres of height) when the incident occurred.
The victim’s body was recovered by a rescue service helicopter and transferred to a hospital in L’Aquila, Abruzzo's regional capital, for a post-mortem examination.
No further details about the victim or the dynamics of the incident were available on Tuesday morning.
6.5 million Italians forgo summer holidays
Some 6.5 million Italians were set to forgo going on holiday this summer, with over half (3.7 million) saying they didn’t have the sufficient financial resources to do so, an industry report from website Facile.it said on Monday, according to Ansa.
The report found that a seaside holiday was around 10 percent more expensive compared to last year, whereas the costs of a holiday in the mountains had increased by 4 percent.
Prices for hotel accommodation, air and train travel were found to have risen by 17 percent, 12 percent and 10 percent respectively against last year, it added.
The single highest price increase however was recorded in relation to campsites, where prices were found to have gone up by 24 percent.
Italy sends two Canadair planes to Greece to help douse Athens wildfire
Italy on Monday sent two Canadair water bombers to Greece to help control a massive wildfire that has forced thousands of people in Athens’ northeastern suburbs to flee their homes since Sunday afternoon, AFP reported.
This was part of a major aid operation launched by the EU to help Greek authorities fight the blaze.
Besides Italy, France, the Czech Republic and Romania were also set to dispatch fire units and firefighting aircraft to Greece on Monday.
"We are constantly monitoring developments and are ready to provide further assistance," EU Commission spokesman Balazs Ujvari said, according to Ansa.
Thousands of people have fled their homes in the outskirts of Athens, including in the historic town of Marathon, in recent hours after strong winds fanned the flames closer to the Greek capital, torching trees, homes and cars and covering busy roads in smoke and ash.
Comments