Italy

Italy's contracts with Israeli spyware company Paragon have been terminated; revelations that the surveillance technology was used against critics of the government, journalists and migrant rescue workers, prompted uproar and calls for full investigation

Mount Etna, Europe's largest active volcano, erupted with a spectacular pyroclastic flow - an avalanche of hot lava blocks, ash, gas and volcanic material; the activity may have started following a collapse of material in South-East crater

A bar in Treviso, Veneto, has decided to put a 1 euro fee on every blasphemy to fund charitable projects; blasphemy - annoying for most Italian even if not religious and formally banned by law - is on a growing trend among youn generations

A huge snowfall whitened the Alps, by far the biggest of the 24-25 season, with the avalanche danger at a rare maximum 5 out 5 in area of the Western Alps; the snowfall is a good news for glaciers and snowpack before the arrival of summer

Italy is under investigation by the International Criminal Court for non-cooperation with the Court in the Almasri case, wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity: it is the first time this happens to a European country

The secretary of the left-wing Democratic Party Elly Schlein is the first signatory of a bill, signed by all opposition leaders, to increase the maternity allowance and introduce equal leave for fathers

About 12.000 tourists invaded small ski resort Roccaraso, a 2 hours drive from Naples and one of the few in Southern Italy, following a post by a TikTok influencer; buses and cars heading to the town blocked the road for kilometers, paralyzing the town

The cathedral of Monreale, built in the 12th century under Norman rule, is now fully open after over one year of experts' restoration; it boasts Italy's largest Byzantine-style mosaics, second in the world only to those of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey

As of Jan. 1, 2025, smoking is outlawed in “all public spaces, including streets” in Milan, and anyone who lights up outside designated spaces faces fines from €40 to €240; it is the toughest smoking ban in Italy, where nearly 25% of the population smokes

The Vasari corridor, a narrow 760m-long passageway on the Arno River in Florence is now open to the public; commissioned in 1565 and completed in just five months, it connects the Uffizi Galleries with the Pitti Palace and the Boboli garden

According to Ristretti Orizzonti ('Confined Landscapes', the historical magazine of the prison of Padua) from January 2024 to date 86 prisoners have committed suicide: this is the highest number since it started its collection of data at national level

With Sunday's Davis Cup win, Italy is the fourth country that has managed to secure Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup, the two tennis tournaments per nation, in the same year, scoring an additional goal for a record year for Italian tennis