 |
    |
 |
         |
 
Italy’s Tourism Hits Defining MomentThis fall, the Italian government will revive plans to create a Web portal aimed at attracting tourists to the nation.Though plenty of visitors flock to Italy’s cities, beaches and countryside all year round, over the past three decades the country has lost its primacy as a tourist destination to France, Spain, the U.S. and – more recently – China. Through the official Web site, Italy plans to showcase its cultural, natural and gastronomical treasures, while also helping tourists with hotel and travel bookings. The portal is scheduled to go live next spring. The plan has critics, however. Five years have already been spent – and more than €45 million ($66 million) set aside – on creating the portal, and there’s nothing yet to show for it. 
Berlusconi uses his summer break to make Christmas CDSilvio Berlusconi has once again put his summer holiday in Sardinia to good use, slamming the door temporarily on Italy’s teeming problems to collaborate on another collection of Neapolitan love songs with his favourite singer and guitarist, Mariano Apicella. Apicella, 44, who has been the Italian Prime Minister’s regular and faithful summer accompanist since the two met in 2001, said that the CD contains 14 songs, with words by Mr Berlusconi and music by himself. He hopes it will be released in time for Christmas.The CD will be their third collaboration. The first, “Meglio ‘na canzone” (Better a song), was released in 2003, during Mr Berlusconi’s second term as premier. A second disc, “L’ultimo amore” (The last love), was released in 2006. 
Italy’s Iceman mummy court-battle settledAccording to reports in the Italian media the local authorities are ready to give German couple Helmut and Erika Simon, who found the 5,000 year old mummified corpse a “generous” settlement to end the ongoing court battle. Since his discovery in 1991 the Iceman has been subject to many legal battles with Austria and Italy disputing ownership as it was found in the Dolomites virtually on the border between both countries. In the end it was declared Italian by virtue of just 15 feet but then the Simons also launched a battle to claim part of the cash the mummy generates in tourism. In 1994, the Simons, who came upon the Iceman in an glacier spurned a “symbolic” figure of 10 million lire (£3500) and instead launched a court battle for a share of the multimillion euro business.
|
  |