Italian News Snippets: 05.11.08

Some Italian news for your Sunday reading pleasure:

• News Flash – all Eurofly flights from New York to Italy in May are only $499. Do not pass go, do not stop for lunch, just buy these tickets now!
• Italians are reportedly “among the top orgasmers” (is that really a word?) in the world.
• Italy apparently ranks last among European nations in terms of the divorce rate. Must have something to do with all those orgasms.
• Venice’s city council ban against feeding pigeons in St. Mark’s Square finally went into effect, but it apparently isn’t having much effect. I gotta say, I’m with the city council on this one. I hate those damned birds.
• The Giro d’Italia started yesterday! The Giro d’Italia started yesterday! I only wish I had time to blog about it… But you can bet I’m watching it.
• Will the Italian national soccer team be able to win Euro 2008? The AP thinks they may have a tough time of it.
• Yes, Tibet really played a soccer game in Milan against Padania.
• Want to find out which Italian surnames are more common in which parts of Italy? Just type the name in question into the box in the upper left that says “Cognome” and click the “Trova” button. You can even search in the US!
• I have a serious weakness for shoes, and especially Italian shoes. But I like mine with a bit more of a stiletto heel than these apparently popular shoes made in Turin.
• A man was beaten into a coma in Verona and later died, because he refused to give his pack of cigarettes to a group of neo-Nazis.
• The cost of pasta in Italy is soaring, and sales are apparently falling as a result. I can’t help but wonder – if Italians aren’t buying pasta, what on earth are they eating?
• This is unfortunately only in Italian, but if you’re in Milan over the 24-25 of May and you’ve got a kid who likes science, then look into the “Night at the Museum” at the Museum of Science & Technology. It’s an overnight stay in the museum aimed at kids ages 6-12 (and their parents).
• A travel writer for the LA Times recently moved to Rome, and she posted a couple charming anecdotes of things that happened to her just after settling into her new apartment.
• Well, it’s finally happened – the EU has sued Italy over the garbage in Naples.
• Even though lots of Italians have already gotten iPhones, cracked the codes and have been using them for months now, there will soon be two official channels by which you can get an iPhone in Italy – it’s the first country to have two official providers (Vodafone and Telecom Italia).
• Dogs are now allowed in Rome’s bars, restaurants and shops, so don’t hesitate to bring Fido with you on your Roman outings.
• More Italian beaches have gotten the coveted blue flag, indicating that they’re clean. Here’s a map of the blue flag beaches.
• Here are one woman’s choices for the five worst books ever written about Italy.
• Italy might be the best country in which to raise your kids, but it’s not a great place to be a mom. (Some Happy Mother’s Day that is.)
• A new study says that nearly 55% Italians live on less than €15,000 per year. That’s the rough equivalent of $10,000. Well, at least that’s the income they’re declaring.