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Tag: Italy

  • Intel and Italy Move Forward With Talks for $9 Billion Chip Factory

    Intel and Italy Move Forward With Talks for $9 Billion Chip Factory

    Intel and Italy are moving forward with negotiations to build a $9 billion chip factory.

    Under CEO Pat Gelsinger, Intel has been working to get back to the top of the chip industry. As part of those plans, the company has been investing heavily in new factories. The company hopes to not only step up its own internal production, but also wants to serve as the foundry for other companies, such as Apple, Amazon, and Qualcomm.

    Intel is already spending $20 billion on two new factories in Arizonabut, according to Reuters, the company is looking to build a $9 billion factory in Italy. Reports indicate the talks are intensifying, paving the way for Italy to receiving 10% of the 80 billion euros Intel plans to invest in its European production.

    The move will also help Intel, and the semiconductor industry in general, to lessen its dependence on manufacturing in Asia, potentially helping to insulate the supply chain from another pandemic-type disruption.

  • Amazon’s Italy Workers Go On Strike

    Amazon’s Italy Workers Go On Strike

    Amazon’s workers in Italy are going on a 24-hour strike to protest working conditions.

    Workers in several warehouse facilities, including in Tuscany, Florence and Pisa, are going on a 24-hour strike, the first to impact Amazon’s logistics operations in Italy on a national level, according to CNBC.

    The strike comes at a time when Amazon’s importance to the global supply chain is greater than ever, and while the company is facing increased scrutiny and criticism for how it treats its workers. The company has taken aggressive measures to combat unionization, hiring Pinkerton detectives to monitor efforts and going full-court press against unionization in Alabama.

    Salvatore Pellecchia, general secretary of trade union FIT-CISL, told CNBC that 75% of Amazon workers in Italy joined the strike, despite many of them being temporary workers, at the most risk of being replaced.

    “If Amazon does not change its position, we will be forced to organize another strike,” Pellecchia said in a statement. “Amazon has registered a huge increase in turnover and profits thanks to the pandemic, and now must talk with us to give its employee what they are waiting for.”

    The strike is the latest setback for the company, and may encourage other unions to do the same.

  • Apple Opening First iOS App Dev Center in Europe

    Apple Opening First iOS App Dev Center in Europe

    Apple announced that it will open its first European iOS app development center. It’s to be located at partner institution in Naples, Italy.

    The center gives where students can acquire skills and training pertaining to the development of iOS applications. It will support teachers and provide a specialized curriculum geared toward the growth of Apple’s developer ecosystem.

    Apple itself will work with partners throughout the country on curriculum development and additional student opportunities. Eventually, the company will expand the program to other countries.

    CEO Tim Cook said, “Europe is home to some of the most creative developers in the world and we’re thrilled to be helping the next generation of entrepreneurs in Italy get the skills they need for success. The phenomenal success of the App Store is one of the driving forces behind the more than 1.4 million jobs Apple has created in Europe and presents unlimited opportunities for people of all ages and businesses of all sizes across the continent.”

    “Thousands of companies are expanding because of their work with Apple, which supports hundreds of thousands of jobs in communities large and small across Europe,” Apple says. “Milan-based Laboratorio Elettrofisico makes some of the most sophisticated magnetization equipment in the world and their technology enables some of the industry-leading magnetic features found in Apple products. Apple also works with Europe’s leading manufacturers of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems, which create tiny components that power some of the incredible sensor and audio technologies found in iOS devices.”

    Apple says the App Store has helped developers in Europe earn over €10.2 billion from selling their apps around the world. 75,000 jobs in Italy alone are attributable to the App Store, the company says.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Selfie Seekers Caught Carving Initials into the Colosseum

    What would you do for the perfect selfie? Would you deface a landmark – one of the most famous historical locations in the world?

    Two Californian women did.

    The Guardian reports that security at Rome’s Colosseum caught the women, aged 21 and 25, shortly after carving their initials into the ancient rock. The two were apparently able to scratch a “J” and an “N”, each a few inches tall, and then snap a selfie before police caught on.

    The authorities were tipped off by other tourists.

    The two women could face penalties for defacing the site, as it is strictly forbidden.

    “There’s a difference in perception. Museums are treated like churches, sacred places where there are things of great value. Whereas the Colosseum is an incomplete building which has already been robbed,” a spokesman with the Special Superintendency for the Archaeological Heritage of Rome told The Guardian.

    It’s just some old, crumbling rock, right? What’s the big deal?

    According to The Daily Dot, the section the tourists carved up is part of a 19th-century papal restoration project. The specific part of the Colosseum, however, was first constructed in 80 AD.

    Remember kids, try not to go full vandal for the sake of a selfie.

  • Microsoft Launches Cortana In More Countries

    Microsoft announced today that it is launching Cortana (its Siri competitor) in four new countries in Europe: France, Italy, Germany, and Spain.

    “When we introduced Cortana as a beta as part of Windows Phone 8.1 in the U.S. this past spring, she generated worldwide interest and excitement which was amazing to see,” says Microsoft’s Marcus Ash in a blog post. “With the Windows Phone 8.1 Update we announced last summer, we extended Cortana’s availability as a beta into China and the U.K. Since then, we have been working very hard to continuously deliver updates including making her available in more languages.”

    “Alpha means that Cortana is new to these countries, most of the features in the beta version are available but some are missing or coming soon,” says Ash. “For example, flight tracking is not available at this time for alpha. Transit data is currently limited to larger cities and will expand as we have more data. Additionally, reference data (e.g. “How tall is Mt. Everest”) is also not available – but we’re working hard to enable this soon! We have also worked hard to tailor Cortana’s personality in each language (with local chit chat and jokes) to make her more locally and culturally relevant (i.e. make sure she fits in!). Cortana will also show European football (or as we Americans call “soccer”) league data, including Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1, and La Liga.”

    Availability in the new countries comes with an update that’s currently rolling out. It will be available through the Windows Phone Developer Preview Program first because Microsoft needs help from the community to improve speech and language recognition.

    Image via Microsoft

  • Elisabetta Canalis Marries Brian Perri In Italy

    Elisabetta Canalis has officially beat her ex, George Clooney, to the altar.

    The Italian actress married her fiance, orthopedic surgeon Brian Perry, on Sunday at the Cathedral of Santa Maria in Alghero, Italy.

    Canalis wore a truly beautiful flowing white dress made of lace with a long train. She kept her make-up natural and wore her hair in loose curls.

    The couple announced their engagement this summer, right after she announced that she had suffered a devastating miscarriage.

    They were married in a relatively small ceremony in front of around 150 guests.

    “For our wedding I chose a place where no one has ever got married. A historic estate in the Sardinian countryside, a huge vineyard that we are setting up for the occasion.” Elisabetta Canalis previously revealed to Chi magazine.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VDjQKSOYGo

    “There is no hotel or restaurant, we will do everything ourselves. Seventy guests will come from the United States and I want them to be amazed. The function will be in the church, I love the tradition and I’m getting married in a white dress.”

    Elisabetta Canalis tweeted her thanks to the small town:

    Translation: “Thanks for making this dream possible. Thanks to all the people for the affection you have shown me!”

    The next day, the newlyweds went for a romantic bike ride.

    Elisabetta Canalis’ ex, former eternal bachelor George Clooney, isn’t too far behind. He is expected to wed his fiance, Amal Alamuddin, in Venice later this month.

  • Amanda Knox’s Lawyer: Case “…Wholly Unjust”

    Amanda Knox’s murder trials for the murder of Meredith Kercher have seemed unending. With an innocent verdict, then a guilty, and now an appeal of that decision, it seems like we will never know the truth about what happened on that fateful night.

    One of Amanda Knox’s lawyers, Theodore Simon, explained it this way,

    “I got involved after her initial conviction at the end of ’09. On her appellate trial, she was actually found innocent. Thereafter, the prosecution appealed to the country’s Supreme Court and had her innocent verdict reversed. She went back for a new appellate court trial, where she was convicted. And now, it’s back on appeal.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzmjB4RTN4E

    Wow. That sounds like a nightmare. Even this late in the game, new evidence is being brought to light. Take, for instance, the news that Amanda Knox was allegedly entangled with a cocaine ring in Italy. A statement from the prosecuter’s reports claims,

    “During the course of the investigation into the Meredith Kercher, we have confirmed that a person whose initial is ‘F’ would occasionally supply drugs to Amanda Knox, as well as having a relationship with her supposedly of a sexual nature.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS9PtoLiM4M

    Whether this information actually has an impact on her trial may not be known until the end of this Amanda Knox fiasco. Whenever that may be.

    Conflict over Amanda Knox’s guilt or innocence has sparked debates worldwide and has put many people at odds with others on the topic. However, until now, no one really heard too much about inside opinion. That is, until Theodore Simon spoke about the appeal.

    “There’s only one thing that is consistent about this particular case: There’s a compelling and profound absence of evidence. It’s a nightmare that should end, and it’s completely and wholly unjust.”

    What do you think about Amanda Knox? From the information we have so far, do you think she is guilty or innocent?

    Image via YouTube

  • Google Faces Potential Fines, Criminal Charges In Italy [Report]

    Google continues to walk down a rocky road in Europe as it now faces fines and potential criminal charges if it does not meed requirements set by regulators in Italy.

    The company has been dealing with numerous regulatory issues throughout the continent. In addition to a lengthy antitrust probe, Germany mulling regulating the company like a utility, and that whole “right to be forgotten” mess, Google also continues to face concerns related to a privacy policy it implemented a couple years ago.

    The policy, which was essentially the consolidation of various Google products’ policies into a singular policy, enabling Google to use data from one of its services to the next, was implemented in 2012. While it’s been mostly accepted here in the U.S. by this point, it has remained a hot button issue throughout Europe, especially in France.

    Google has already been fined in France and Spain over the policy, and still faces action in the UK and Netherlands. Italy, it is being reported, has given Google 18 months to comply with its demands. Reuters reports:

    The Rome-based regulator said Google would not be allowed to use the data to profile users without their prior consent and would have to tell them explicitly that the profiling was being done for commercial purposes. It also demanded that requests from users with a Google account to delete their personal data be met in up to two months.

    A spokesman for Google said the company had always cooperated with the regulator and would continue to do so, adding it would carefully review the regulator’s decision before taking any further steps.

    Google, according to the report, has agreed to present the government with a document detailing its plan of action by the end of September. The company reportedly faces a fine of a million euros and possible criminal proceedings if it fails to comply.

    Image via Google

  • Costa Concordia: Amazing Underwater Footage Of Sunken Ship Revealed

    Italian authorities released a video that shows the interiors of the Costa Concordia, a cruise ship that struck a rock on the island of Giglio, Italy on January 2012.

    The cruise ship sustained a 50-meter tear on the side of its hull, which resulted in the flooding of the ship’s engine room. There were 3,229 passengers and 1,023 crew on board, and 32 reportedly died from the incident.

    Costa Concordia was turned upright in September, but part of the ship remains submerged. Police divers swam through the wrecks of the 950-foot vessel and they were able to capture an eerie and ghostly video of the ship’s interior. The video showed scattered objects, unmanned desks, and chairs where the passengers lounged before the unfortunate incident.

    Costa Concordia: Animation Of Crash

    Chaos Aboard The Costa Concordia As It Sank

    Costa Concordia As It Is Today

    Underwater Video Footage Of The Costa Concordia

    Salvage crews plan to refloat the ship on July 14 in order to return it to its home in Genoa. Reports say that the sunken ship will be dismantled and turned into scrap. The trip from the site to Genoa will take about five days to complete, but authorities say that the trip could be postponed if there are threats of storms.

    Costa Concordia Salvage Plan

    They intend to do the process slowly to make sure that rotten food and chemicals do not spread to the clear waters. As the Costa Concordia is slowly raised, salvage crews will be cleaning out the debris that appears on the water line.

    The final voyage of the Costa Concordia is nearing, and the Tuscany court is still in the process of getting more evidence in the manslaughter trial of Francesco Schettino. Schettino, the captain of Costa Concordia, allegedly steered the ship into the rocks in an attempt to sail past Giglio Island.

    Schettino said that the maps he used did not display the ridge that he hit. An expert agreed with Schettino’s statement. However, the expert also said that the maps were only supposed to be used for sailing off the coast and not near the island.

    Image via YouTube

  • Zac Efron: From ‘Wiggle’ to ‘Turn Down for What’

    Zac Efron has moves–amazing dance moves–and he’s been happy to share them in recent days via video clips–while on vacation in Italy. The actor is vacationing with some very talented people including entrepreneur Gianluca Vacchi, actress Michelle Rodriguez and choreographer Youssef Giga. It seems that when they’re not enjoying the typical spoils of an Italian vacation–boating and beaching it–they’ve been watching Zac perfect those dance moves.

    It was just a few days ago that Gianluca Vacchi posted a video of Zac Efron and Youssef Giga dancing to ‘Turn Down for What.’ Michelle Rodriguez takes part by yelling “action” right before the two guys show off their dance moves.

    Check it out for yourself.

    It was just a few days earlier that Zac Efron was featured in another video–also posted by Gianluca Vacchi. He strutted his stuff–his dance stuff, that is–to Jason Derulo’s song ‘Wiggle.’

    See the Neighbors star wiggle.

    The former High School Musical actor has certainly had years’ worth of dancing experience. These two videos, however, have some fans wondering if his vacation is more than just play. Is he hinting at a new role he might be playing in the future? Is this some sort of working vacation?

    Michelle Rodriguez–of Fast & Furious fame–and Zac Efron are guests of Italian businessman Gianluca Vacchi and his girlfriend during this vacation. They have been spotted in Sardinia on both land and sea, enjoying all the region offers–including a time and place for some fun antics.

    Are Rodriguez and Efron about to star in some new venture–likely a film–together? Are they involved with one another on more than just a BFF basis? Zac Efron spent time in rehab not too long ago and it’s a pretty well-known fact that Michelle Rodriguez is a bit of a party animal. Apparently the reason behind their togetherness remains to be seen. In the meantime what can be seen is Zac showing off those illustrious dance moves and having a great time with this friends.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Amanda Knox Ex-Boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, Reveals Weakness of Alibi

    Amanda Knox’s former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, is casting doubt on the alibi which has become the cornerstone of the defense for him and Knox. In a press conference today, he revealed his defense strategy which revolves around weaknesses in the verdict which convicted him. One of those weaknesses is the alibi of Amanda Knox.

    According to AFP, Sollecito has “always believed, and still believe, that Amanda Marie Knox is innocent”, but his defense in this latest appeal will revolve around a text message Knox sent which puts a chink in the armor of her Alibi.

    “This text message, according to the court’s own ruling, was not sent from his house. Therefore the pair were not together,” Sollecito’s lawyer Giulia Bongiorno explained. Sollecito refused to speculate or offer a solution as to where Knox may have been at the time.

    In his own words, “My name is Raffaele Sollecito, not Amanda Marie Knox, I have to respond as Raffaele Sollecito,” Sollecito said according to the Associated Press. Back in February, Sollecito also distanced himself from Knox. “I don’t want to be punished for, nor have to continue to justify, those things that regard you and not me,” he said.

    CNN reported that the continuing strategy for Sollecito has been to maintain distance from him and Knox. The past seven years it had been for them to stick together, but in the words of Bongiorno, “they are not Siamese twins — one body with two heads.”

    “It’s imperative that the Italian courts consider Raffaele’s case separate from Amanda’s case,” John Kelly, another lawyer for Sollecito explianed, “By necessity, he has to distance himself and his case from Amanda and her case.”

    Image via Anderson, YouTube.

  • Luis Suarez Faces FIFA Charge for Biting Chiellini

    Luis Suárez faces FIFA sanctions for allegedly biting opponent Giorgio Chiellini in Tuesday’s World Cup game between Italy and Uruguay.

    Suárez, who is known both as Uruguay’s superstar player and soccer’s bad boy, appeared to have bitten Italian defender Chiellini at around the 80th minute of a tense and critical game.

    The referee didn’t see the bite and no foul was called against Suárez.

    But the incident was caught on television and thanks to the Internet, quickly went viral.

    Images show both an outraged, slightly shocked Chiellini pulling down his jersey to show the bite mark on his left shoulder and a wincing Suárez holding his front teeth following the incident.

    On Wednesday FIFA officially announced an investigation into the incident:

    “FIFA can confirm that disciplinary proceedings have been opened against the player Luis Suarez of Uruguay following an apparent breach of art. 48 and/or art. 57 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ match Italy-Uruguay played on 24 June 2014. The player and/or the Uruguayan FA are invited to provide with their position and any documentary evidence they deem relevant until 25 June 2014, 5pm, Brasilia time.”

    A ruling will be announced prior to Uruguay’s match up with Colombia on Saturday.

    Suárez downplayed his actions after the game:

    “These are things that happen on the pitch, we were both in the area, he thrust his shoulder into me,” he said in Spanish. “These things happen on the pitch, and we don’t have to give them so much (importance).”

    And yet, if Suárez did indeed bite Chiellini, it wouldn’t be the first time the Uruguayan has resorted to such behavior.

    The first incident happened in November 2010 when Suárez was playing for Ajax Amsterdam and bit PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal on the shoulder in the Eredivisie. That transgression resulted in a seven-match ban for Suárez.

    In April 2013 Suárez earned himself a 10-match ban for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic on the shoulder.

    Adding to his bad-boy reputation is an October 2011 incident in which Suárez was charged with racially insulting Manchester United’s Patrice Evra, resulting in an eight-match ban.

    Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez says he’ll defend Suárez: “I want to say that if he’s attacked, as it has begun in this press conference, we’ll also defend him, because this is a football World Cup, not of cheap morality.”

    Uruguay team caption Diego Lugano chose to focus instead on Chiellini’s actions: “The worst of all was Chiellini’s attitude … as sportsmen leaving the field, crying and appealing against a rival.”

    “It doesn’t bother me, so long as he isn’t suspended,” said a fan. “Did you see what the Italians did to us and what they’ve done in the past? This isn’t a game for little girls.”

    Not everyone is so willing to overlook the biting incident, as is evidenced by the slew of memes on Twitter:

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Fanny Neguesha Says Yes to Mario Balotelli

    With the FIFA World Cup being played only once every four years, one can only imagine the pressure soccer’s greatest superstars are under to perform at their peak level for their respective nations. While Brazil is obviously under the most pressure to succeed this year (being the host country and whatnot), there are certain countries which are expected to win the cup every year. Italy, led by soccer stud Mario Balotelli, is one such country.

    Balotelli, a 24-year-old striker for the Italian national team, perhaps felt more pressure than most coming into the World Cup due to his high potential and athletic prowess. Therefore, Balotelli most likely made the right move in proposing to his girlfriend, Fanny Neguesha, days before the kickoff of the 2014 World Cup.

    Unlike most teams, Italy’s coach, Cesare Prandelli, has decided to open Italy’s training camp in Brazil to the girlfriends and wives of the players, allowing Balotelli and Neguesha much time together before Balotelli’s schedule becomes quite hectic.

    One should not let the happy nature of the Tweets and Instagram posts fool oneself, however. Balotelli and Neguesha’s relationship has been rocky, to say the least.

    In May of this year, Neguesha changed her relationship status on her Instagram account to single, making many think that she had finally decided to part ways with Balotelli. Shortly after Neguesha’s relationship status was made known, a bookie in Italy started taking bets as to who would be Balotelli’s next girlfriend.

    Their split supposedly came after Balotelli and his brother were rumored to have had a foursome with an Italian Playboy model.

    Obviously, the two have rectified their differences, however, and are eager to start their new lives together.

    The couple does not have long to celebrate, though, and Balotelli’s teammates were the first to remind him of his priorities: “He must have gone through a lot of emotions last night. But now we all need to focus on the World Cup,” stated teammate Claudio Marchisio.

    Balotelli’s Italian squad faces England Saturday. The other two teams in their group are Costa Rica and Uruguay.

    Image via Instagram

  • Nun Wins ‘Voice’ Contest in Italy

    One of the biggest goals of Pope Francis in his brief popedom thus far has been to get the Catholic Church closer to the average person, prompting church officials to “go out into the streets”. Francis’s message resonated with Sister Cristina Scuccia so much that she decided to do Pope Francis one better and take her talents to national television, where she was just crowned winner of Italy’s version of The Voice.

    Sister Scuccia won over audiences across the globe with her rendition of “Flashdance … What a Feeling.” At the end of the four-hour-long finale, Scuccia was named the victor over male rocker Giacomo Voli, capturing 62.3 percent of the vote.

    Scuccia first caught the attention of the judges on The Voice by singing Alicia Key’s “No One”, prompting Key’s to praise Scuccia’s performance via Twitter:

    It wasn’t long before the singing nun caught the attention of an entire globe, perhaps due to the cognitive dissonance of seeing one wear a full habit while belting out contemporary pop songs.

    Following the announcement of her victory, Sister Scuccia took her 15 minutes of fame to spread the word of Christ.

    “My presence here is not up to me, it’s thanks to the man upstairs… I’m not here to start a career but because I want to impart a message.”

    The message Scuccia wished to spread? The Lord’s Prayer.

    Perhaps not surprisingly at all, Sister Scuccia wasn’t always so religious. She admittedly turned away from religion during her teenage years, but found herself committing to Catholicism after auditioning for a role in a musical to play the founder of the Ursuline Order, Saint Angela Merici.

    While Scuccia has yet to take her final vows, she plans to keep her commitment to the church, stating that “I will continue to sing wherever the Lord wants.”

    For her victory, Sister Scuccia won a recording contract with Universal.

    Image via YouTube

  • Mario Balotelli Praised For Keeping Calm During Racist Taunts

    Mario Balotelli was the target of racial slurs once again on Wednesday, this time during training in Florence. But the young forward–who reportedly has a hot temper–kept calm and continued with practice when a man hurled the insults at him.

    Police escorted the man away, and Balotelli never lost focus. After practice was over he stopped to sign autographs for some fans who were waiting. The fact that he didn’t react or let the taunters get to him says a lot about how far he’s come, says Brooks Peck of Yahoo! Sports.

    “As Italy prepare for the World Cup, this was a better sign for both the team and Balotelli’s development than any goal he could have scored or hot weather training he could have completed. A Mario Balotelli who is in control and capable of overcoming negativity will be vital within the intense pressure that Brazil will present next month,” Peck says.

    Balotelli’s teammate Ciro Immobile praised him for staying calm, but says he was upset himself at the fact that Balotelli is still having to deal with racism.

    “In 2014, we shouldn’t have to deal with racism. We have to improve as a nation. Fortunately, Mario was very calm. We know how serious this is but we don’t want to further discuss this within the group. We will try to make appeals in order for these episodes not to happen again. I’m not ashamed of being Italian, but I do get upset by this type of behavior,” he said at a press conference.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Mozzarella Arrests Stun Italians

    Imagine how you would feel if you found out that your favorite steak house had been serving you horse meat. Maybe that parallels how lots of folks in Italy feel after finding out that the cheese they have been buying as traditionally-made buffalo mozzarella has been being made with imported cow’s milk. The Italians take their mozzarella seriously.

    Seriously enough, in fact, that 13 people were arrested when it was discovered that the company Cantile di Sparanise had been using the aforementioned cow’s milk where only buffalo milk is supposed to be used.

    “What’s the big deal?” you may ask. “Milk is milk.” And you would be wrong. As a result of the switcheroo in milk products, the bogus mozzarella contained 2,000 times the recommended bacteria limit.

    So how were the perpetrators caught?

    Well, it turns out that substituting a subpar milk in the recipe wasn’t the only thing they were skimping on. Like all factories and manufacturing facilities, they had safety equipment and guards in place to prevent workplace accidents. Sometimes these safeguards slow things down. This particular manufacturer had removed some required safety equipment to speed up production. And, sure enough, a worker lost some fingers. The workplace incident triggered an inspection of the facility, which led to the discovery of the adulterated milk.

    It was not just the factory that was shuttered either. Seven stores in the region were shut down because they knowingly carried the bad cheese.

    Now 13 people are under house arrest, including two public health service veterinarians who tipped off the manufacturer that an inspection was coming.

    Image via YouTube

  • Mozzarella Arrests: This Really Happened.

    Mozzarella Arrests: This Really Happened.

    Holy cow, but those Italian folks take their pizza cheese seriously.

    Fox News reports that 13 people were arrested in Italy for making subpar mozzarella cheese. But wait, it gets better.

    The entire thing started because some guy lost some fingers. This is not the premise of a Coen Brothers movie, though it should be.

    It all breaks down like this. Real mozzarella cheese is made from Italian buffalo milk, not regular old cow’s milk. If it is made from cow’s milk, that is “fior di latte”. The distinction is important due to health inspection protocols. If a factory says it is making one kind of foodstuff, it should not be sneaking in materials other than what it says it is using.

    And this particular factory where the arrests were made was using imported cow’s milk, which is cheaper, mixed in with their buffalo milk, without declaring it to inspectors. The resultant mixture, in this case, contained 2,000 times the recommended bacteria limit.

    The cheese maker, Cantile di Sparanise, had also removed some required safety equipment to speed up production. As a result, a worker lost some fingers. The accident spurred an inspection of the facility, which led to the discovery of the adulterated milk.

    It also turns out that the company had once belonged to a trade consortium of farmers that protects the integrity of the mozzarella process in the region by providing a seal of approval to makers who meet its standards. They had revoked this particular maker’s membership, but the company continued to use its seal on their products.

    Seven stores selling the adulterated cheese in the region were also shut down.

    Image via YouTube

  • Island Of Poveglia Is Haunted…And For Sale

    The Island of Poveglia, a short boat ride from Venice, Italy, is for sale despite the wide-spread rumors that the state-owned property is haunted. The Italian government is auctioning the island to offset the country’s debts and started bidding last month at $490,000. The auction ends today amidst high hopes that it will be turned from an abandoned island into a luxurious, money-making hotel property. Sounds great, right? Sure, if you want to build a hotel on an island supposedly made out of the ashes of burned corpses.

    In the 16th century, the island was utilized to isolate those with the bubonic plague to prevent the spread of the disease. As result, thousands of corpses were burned and buried on the island. Following the quarantine, the hospital that was used to treat plague victims was turned into an insane asylum. BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE: The doctor at the asylum allegedly performed bizarre lobotomies and other experiments on patients’ brains. Neat. No worries, though, as he later jumped (OR WAS HE PUSHED) to his death from a bell tower, right into a big pile of comfy human remains.

    The island was a destination for the Travel Channel show Ghost Adventures, where the crew stayed on Proveglia for 24 hours. During the course of filming, they experienced disembodied voices and footsteps, strange sounds, and floating orbs.

    I love white fluffy bathrobes and room service as much as your average American tourist, but the lure of a luxury hotel is not enough to tempt me within a billion miles of this island. Good luck, bankrupt Italian government, but I don’t think anyone is interested in gettin’ their tan on while lounging on layers of (probably pissed) undead bubonic-ed bods.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Sophia Loren Honored at Cannes Film Festival

    International film star and Italy’s most renowned actress Sophia Loren has been named the Guest of Honor at the 67th annual Cannes Film Festival, which runs May 14-25 in Cannes, France.

    Aside from attending a screening of her new film, La Voce Umana (The Human Voice), which was directed by her son Edoardo Ponti, Loren, 79, will conduct a masterclass at the festival.

    Loren began her career in 1949 after entering an Italian beauty pageant (she didn’t win), and is regarded as one of the last great sex symbols of the 1950’s and 1960’s. The two-time Oscar winner became internationally recognized after signing a five movie deal with Paramount in 1958. In 1961, Loren starred in Vittorio De Sica’s Two Women, and her performance garnered her the best performance award at Cannes, and an Oscar for Best Actress, the first major Academy Award for a non-English-language performance and to an Italian actress.

    Here is a clip from Two Women:

    Loren also received an Honorary Academy Award in 1991, for her storied career which has so far earned her a Grammy Award, five special Golden Globes, a BAFTA Award, a Laurel Award as well as the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievements.

    The actress is also known for her sharp wit:

    Over 20 features and documentaries will be screened as part of the Cannes Classics series this year, including a restored version of Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas, which marks its 30th anniversary this year. Other classics by directors including Alfred Hitchcock, Sergio Leone, Frank Capra, Jean Renoir, Wim Wenders, Francois Truffaut and Krzysztof Kieślowski will also be presented.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Stolen Gauguin Painting Recovered in Italy

    Two paintings stolen from a house in London in 1970 by renowned French artists Paul Gauguin and Pierre Bonnard were found hanging on an Italian autoworker’s kitchen wall.

    The unnamed Fiat mechanic bought the paintings at an auction for roughly $30 in 1975, not having any idea of their actual worth. The man had hung them in his kitchen in his home in Turin, stating he thought Gaugin’s still life of fruit in bowls complimented the dining area. He then took them to Sicily upon his retirement. A friend eventually grew suspicious of the actual value of the pieces, and alerted the Italian heritage police last summer.

    The Gauguin painting, entitled Fruits sur une Table ou Nature au Petit Chien (Fruits on a Table or Still Life with a Small Dog), is thought to have been painted in 1889 and is worth anywhere between $13 million and $41 million. Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a leading French Post-Impressionist artist who was recognized for his experimental use of colors, and for a style that was distinctly different from Impressionism. His work was influential to Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse.

    The Bonnard painting is titled La Femme aux Deux Fauteuils (“Woman with Two Armchairs”). Pierre Bonnard is regarded as one of the greatest colorists in modern art, especially in areas built with small brush marks and close values. He was known to at times photograph his subjects before painting them, to better asses the color scheme.

    Italy’s Culture Ministry unveiled the two paintings Wednesday. The art was allegedly ditched on a Paris-to-Turin train not long after being stolen, and wound up in the Italian Railways lost and found. They eventually were included in a lost-property auction.

    During a news conference on the matter, head of the Italian Heritage Police Gen. Mariano Mossa commented, “There are all the elements for a nice novel; it is very unique.”

    Since the London couple the paintings were stolen from have since passed away and have no heirs, the art is now locked in a Italian police safe.

    Image via YouTube

  • Andrea Bocelli Weds Longtime Girlfriend

    Andrea Bocelli Weds Longtime Girlfriend

    Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli married longtime companion Veronica Berti Friday, in the coastal town of Livorno, Italy. Bocelli, 55, had been dating Berti, 30, for 12 years, and the couple has a two-year-old daughter together named Virginia. The newlyweds married on their daughter’s second birthday.

    Singer-songwriter Bocelli was born on September, 22 1958 with with poor eyesight, and eventually went blind at twelve following a soccer accident. The singer has recorded fourteen solo classical and pop albums, and nine full operas, selling over 80 million units worldwide. Bocelli’s 1997 pop album, Romanza, became the best-selling album by an Italian artist in history, and his Sacred Arias became the biggest selling classical crossover record ever, moving 20 million units.

    Seven of Bocelli’s albums have reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart, and a record-setting 10 have hit number one on the classical crossover albums charts in the U.S.

    Here Bocelli performs Franz Schubert’s Ave Maria:

    Bocelli was previously married to Enrica Cenzatti, but was divorced in 2002. His sons, Amos, 19, and Matteo, 16, attended the intimate ceremony Friday, along with other close friends and family. A small reception followed at the newlyweds’ home in Forte dei Marmi, near Pisa.

    Bocelli with daughter Virginia:

    While some classical purists have criticized Bocelli’s vocal ability and technique, he’s been widely praised – During her Christmas Special for These Are Special Times concert in 1998, French Canadian singer Celine Dion said while introducing the tenor that “if God would have a singing voice, he must sound a lot like Andrea Bocelli,” Oprah Winfrey had once commented, “when I hear Andrea sing, I burst into tears.” Late actress Elizabeth Taylor once said, “My mind, my soul were transported by his beauty, his voice, his inner being. God has kissed this man and I thank God for it.”

    Bocelli is set to perform next on May 30th in Sofia, Bulgaria at Armeets Arena.

    Image via Twitter