News from the Consulate
News from Italy
NEWS
from Italy
Consulate of Italy in Detroit
Calendar of Events in Ohio
Phyllis Seltzer: The Italian Works, Paintings and Heat Transfer Prints
Italian translation on page 19
Hollywood mogul George Clooney and his
bride, Amal Alamuddin, continue to live
in Clooney’s luxury villa by Lake Como
in northern Italy. Anyone who approaches
The cabinet of Premier Matteo Renzi has
approved an economic package of reforms
including a value-added tax (VAT) change.
The VAT is expected to guard against an
increase in the budget deficit, but critics
claim it will have a depressive effect on
the economy. Critics prefer spending cuts
to keep the budget balanced. The VAT rate
is 22%, with a lower rate for food, medicine,
books, hotels, and admission prices.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - Thousands of Italians did not forget the
sixth anniversary of the L’Aquila earthquake.
Some 10,000 marched in memory of
the 309 victims. The procession led to
the city’s cathedral and the recitation of
the names of those killed. Church bells
tolled for the victims as residents carried
candles and marched in memoriam of
the dead. The courts acquitted scientists
and officials who were members of a
commission that allegedly did not issue a
strong enough warning before the quake.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - The Italian coastguard rescued 1,500
immigrants in the Mediterranean off
the Libyan coast. They were trying
to cross the sea to Italy in five different
boats. The Italians intercepted distress
signals and transferred the migrants to
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the island of Lampedusa and the Sicilian
ports of Augusta and Porto Empedocle.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - Amanda Knox and her Italian ex-lover
Raffaele Sollecito are in line to claim
millions in compensation after Italy’s top
court cleared them of murder charges.
The eight year legal battle ended when
five judges in Rome’s Supreme Court
ruled there was insufficient evidence to
convict either of them. Payments for
wrongly convicted persons routinely
run into seven figures. Meanwhile, the
bereaved family has different views on the
question of Ms. Knox’s innocence. They
were shocked and surprised at the ruling.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - A garage attendant accidentally rammed
a 300,000 euro Ferrari 599 GTO after
mistaking the brake for the accelerator. The
supercar can accelerate from an instant start
to 60 mph in three seconds. Its owners,
a Dutch couple, had brought the car to a
meeting of Ferrari enthusiasts in Anzio. The
car was thrashed completely and the shop
suffered extensive damage. The attendant
explained he was confused and pressed down
on the accelerator. Someone commented,
“It was Valet parking – Italian style.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
the home can be heavily fined. Clooney
bought the villa in 2002 for 7.5 million
Euros. Italians and photographers are
known to loiter near the famous villa,
and due to new ordinances, are now
liable to pay a heftier fine if caught.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - A Japanese woman has been charged
for defacing a historic landmark. The
48-year-old tourist used an eyeliner pencil
to leave her mark on the Renaissance dome
designed by architect Filippo Brunelleschi.
There was no permanent damage to the
dome of the Florence duomo. It marks
the second incident in recent times where
police have made an arrest of a person
for defacing a landmark. In March, two
Americans were arrested for carving their
initials into the Colosseum in Rome.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - Italy continues to record some of the
lowest birthrates in the world. Some
towns and villages offer cash premiums
and tax incentives for newborns. On the
other hand, it is not easy being young in
Italy. There is a 42% unemployment
rate for Italians under the age of 35.
LA GAZZETTA ITALIANA | MAY 2015
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July-November 2015
Western Reserve Historical
Socie