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News from the Consulate

News from Italy

Consulate of Italy in Detroit

NEWS
from Italy

Calendar of Events in Ohio

Italian translation on page 16

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Coming up in 2015
“Next Stop: Italy” – A journey
to discover Italy: its brilliance,
innovation,
and
excellence,
anchored in the present and driven
by an unparalleled past. This
exhibition encourages reading
and art appreciation through
the pairing of the works by 12
celebrated Italian photographers:
Gabriele Basilico, Gianni Berengo
Gardin, Mario Cresci, Renato
D’Agostin,
Andrea
Galvani,
Luigi Ghirri, Mimmo Jodice,
Smugglers are using large “ghost ships”
to further their “business.” Two vessels on
auto-pilot were intercepted by the Italians
and saved from the risk of ramming into
the Italian coast. The vast majority of
migrants and refugees that have reached
Italy over the past year, cross the sea
from North Africa in fishing boats and
large rubber dinghies, some of which
capsized and sank, leading to the loss of
thousands of lives. This development
of packing migrants into cargo ships and
then abandoning them at sea is new and
dangerous, said a spokesperson for Frontex,
the European Union border control agency.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The second crewless “ghost ship” arrived
in the port of Corigliano Calabro, Italy
with 360 people aboard. The Ezadeen, a
240-foot vessel, was brought to port by
the Italian navy after being found adrift in
the Adriatic Sea. Smugglers had charged
each of the migrants about $6,000 for the
journey that began in the Syrian port of
Tartus. Abandoned by the smugglers, the
migrants arrived in good medical condition.
The Italians supplied the passengers
with food, water and medical assistance.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The
International
Organization
for
Migration reported that 2014 was the
deadliest year for migrants. Nearly
5,000 were killed or missing, which
is more than 2011, 2012, and 2013
combined. The UN Refugee Agency
believes that at least 348,000 have risked
their lives this past year crossing seas to
escape violence, persecution and poverty.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Two weeks after it opened, a Sicilian
viaduct, 25 miles from Palermo, collapsed.
The construction company responsible
for the Scorciavacche viaduct on the
highway from Palermo to Agrigento said

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the collapse was due to “subsidence” (a
sediment problem). No vehicles were on
the bridge at the time the bridge buckled.
Angry at the incident, Italian Prime
Minister Matteo Renzi charged that the
people responsible will pay for all the
damages. The construction company
claims the media exaggerated the damage
to the viaduct which was completed
three months ahead of schedule and
part of an ongoing road works project.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
New York City police turned their backs
on the Big Apple’s mayor, Bill de Blasio,
but in Rome, Italy 83 percent of the police
force simply didn’t show up for work. They
called in “sick” on New Years Eve when
600,000 revelers celebrated in the capital.
The “sick-out” earned a major rebuke from
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. An internal
investigation is underway to determine the
“mass sicknesses” and disciplinary action is
promised. A trade union spokesman called
for the mayor to resign for demanding
offending
officers
be
terminated.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Expo 2015 begins in Milan in May, and
when visitors arrive at the central railway
station they will find construction work
underway. The entire main station complex
will be renovated over a six year period
and will include luxury stores, boutiques
and retail and food related businesses across
three floors. Also planned are facilities for
sports, art galleries and entertainment,
plus a 600-space garage. The project is
expected to cost about 50 million Euros.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The euro has taken a hit and its value
dipped to about $1.19 to the dollar. It
hasn’t been that low since March of 2006
and American travelers are benefitting.
Falling oil prices and weak economic data
are the major issues. Also down slightly

are gasoline prices. Italian motorists get
a slight break, around the equivalent of
one cent per liter. The dramatic drop in
international crude oil prices is to blame.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
UNESCO recently added to their
prestigious World Heritage List a grape
cultivation technique used on the Sicilian
Island of Pantelleria. It is the 1000-year-old
“Vite Ad Alberello” technique which
develops their prized Muscat grapes

used to make the island’s Passisto wines
(Zibibbo dessert wine). The technique
involves a combination of pruning to create
bush vines, late ripening and dry matting.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Italy mourns Pino D