Italian

The Little Rome in the Alps, Aosta is a small city in the Aosta Valley, the northwesternmost corner of Italy. The city is guarded by three of the tallest massifs in the Pennine Alps

At the end of Via Sant’Anselmo, you’ll find the remnants of Porta Pretoria, once the main entrance to the Roman city. Just a stone’s throw away is the Roman theatre, boasting a 22-metre-high façade that showcases the brilliance of Roman architecture.

From Porta Pretoria, visitors can explore the Medieval section of Aosta, leading to the central Emile Chanoux Square, home to the city hall and delightful patisseries offering local treats like Tegole and French-style pastries. The Italian city of Aosta boasts a compact city centre that’s perfect for exploring on foot. The local council has also recently unveiled an extensive cycle lane.

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From Aosta, holidaymakers can venture into the mountains for breathtaking views and walks in Gran Paradiso National Park, reports the Express. History enthusiasts will be spoilt for choice with hundreds of castles and forts scattered across the region, built over centuries.

Among the most notable are Forte di Bard, which made an appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron; Savoy Castle in Gressoney and Issogne Castle. At the end of Via Sant’Anselmo, you’ll find the remnants of Porta Pretoria, once the main gateway into the Roman city.

Just a stone’s throw away is the Roman theatre, boasting a 22-metre-high façade that showcases the brilliance of Roman architecture.

From Porta Pretoria, visitors can wander through Aosta’s medieval quarter, leading to the central Emile Chanoux Square, home to the town hall and delightful patisseries offering local treats like Tegole and French-style pastries.

Aosta boasts a compact city centre that’s perfect for exploring on foot. The local council has also recently unveiled an extensive cycle path.

From Aosta, holidaymakers can venture into the mountains for breathtaking views and walks in Gran Paradiso National Park. History enthusiasts will be spoilt for choice with hundreds of castles and forts scattered across the region, built over centuries.

Among the most notable are Forte di Bard, which made an appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron; Savoy Castle in Gressoney and Issogne Castle.

PM Meloni said she would not vote, and opposition accuses government of dampening interest in immigrant, worker issues.

An Italian referendum on easing citizenship rules and strengthening labour protections has failed after hard-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni encouraged voters to boycott the vote.

As polls closed on Monday, it emerged that many citizens had heeded Meloni’s call as only 30 percent of the electorate cast their ballots over two days of voting, far short of the 50 percent plus one needed to make the result legally binding.

The outcome was a clear defeat for the centre-left opposition, which had proposed to halve the period of residence required to apply for Italian citizenship from 10 to five years and to reverse labour market liberalisations introduced a decade ago.

The prime minister said she was “absolutely against” the citizenship proposals, announcing she would turn up at the polls but not cast a vote.

A stated goal of Meloni’s government is to cut irregular immigration, but it has increased the number of immigrant work visas.

The general secretary of the Italian General Confederation of Labour union, Maurizio Landini, slammed the low turnout as a sign of a “clear democratic crisis” in Italy.

“We knew it wouldn’t be a walk in the park,” he said, stressing that millions of Italians had turned up to fight for change.

Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party posted on social media that the “only real goal” of the referendum was to bring down the Meloni government, and it added, alongside pictures of opposition leaders: “In the end, it was the Italians who brought you down.”

Opinion polls published in mid-May showed that 46 percent of Italians were aware of the issues driving the referendums.

Activists and opposition parties accused the governing coalition of deliberately dampening interest in sensitive issues that directly affect immigrants and workers.

Campaigners for the change in the citizenship law said it would help the children of non-European Union parents better integrate into a culture they already see as theirs.

Changes to the laws would have affected about 2.5 million foreign nationals.

Other questions in the referendum dealt with labour-related issues like better protections against dismissal, higher severance payments and the conversion of fixed-term contracts into permanent ones.

Opposition forces had hoped that promoting these causes would help them woo working class voters and challenge Meloni, something they have struggled to do since she came to power in 2022.

Many of the 78 referendums held in Italy in the past have failed due to low turnout.

Colombian authorities have shared a new update on the tragic murder of Italian scientist Alessandro Coatti.

Content warning: This story includes topics that could make some readers feel uncomfortable and/or upset.

In April, tragedy struck the community of Santa Marta, a port city in the Caribbean region of Colombia, after the London-based scientist’s dismembered body was found in two different suitcases across town.

According to The Guardian, Coatti was travelling in South America to conduct research after departing his position at the Royal Society of Biology (RSB) in London. He was last seen leaving his hostel on 4 April and was reported missing the following day.

“This crime will not go unpunished. The criminals must know that crime has no place in Santa Marta. We will pursue them until they are brought to justice,” said Carlos Pinedo Cuelllo, the mayor of Santa Marta, in a statement.

After the discovery of Coatti’s body, local authorities initially speculated that he was mistakenly caught between two crime groups in the area that were attempting to “settle scores,” per The Guardian.

However, after further investigation, police now think a local gang targeted Coatti on Grindr with intentions to drug and rob him.

According to a recent report from Colombian news outlet El Tiempo, police believe that the 38-year-old was lured to an abandoned house in the San José del Pando neighbourhood. Upon his arrival, the group allegedly used a chemical substance to immobilise Coatti.

La Alcaldía Distrital de Santa Marta rechaza enfáticamente cualquier acto de violencia, reitera el compromiso con la defensa del espacio público y la seguridad de los funcionarios
que trabajan en favor de una Santa Marta más ordenada y segura para todos. pic.twitter.com/lY9qkxELEE

— Alcaldía de Santa Marta (@SantaMartaDTCH) April 26, 2025

But the robbery escalated to murder, with the local coroner’s office confirming that the late scientist died from blunt force trauma to the head. They also stated that he was dismembered after his death.

Lastly, authorities have identified at least four people who were allegedly involved in the horrific crime, including a woman who’s believed to have Coatti’s cell phone.

A reward of 50 million pesos is being offered for information that will advance the case further.

Since his tragic death, tributes have rolled in for Coatti, with his former colleagues at RSB describing him as “warm” and “funny.”

“He was a passionate and dedicated scientist, leading RSB animal science work, writing numerous submissions, organising events and giving evidence in the House of Commons,” they said in a statement.

“Ale was funny, warm, intelligent, loved by everyone he worked with and will be deeply missed by all who knew and worked with him. Our thoughts and best wishes go out to his friends and family at this truly awful time.”

The Max Planck Institute for Brain Research echoed similar sentiments in a separate statement.

“It goes without saying that no one deserves such a monstrous fate–– but it is particularly impossible to comprehend how this could happen to someone as friendly, open-minded, optimistic, positive, enthusiastic and kind as Ale,” they said.

“We are heartbroken for his parents and family, and we can only offer our deepest condolences and sorrow. We will carry his memory with us– is smile, curiosity, his warmth. This is a profoundly tragic end to a beautiful life.”

As of writing, the investigation is ongoing.

Italy’s Jasmine Paolini recovered from a slow start to reach the Italian Open final with a 7-5 6-1 victory against Peyton Stearns.

World number five Paolini struggled in the early stages and faced a set point when trailing 5-3 in the opener, but American Stearns was unable to hold serve.

The home favourite overturned the deficit to take the opening set before growing in confidence in the second.

Paolini’s win makes her the first Italian woman to reach the singles final in Rome since 2014 when her current doubles partner, Sara Errani, was beaten by Serena Williams.

She is attempting to become Italy’s first home women’s singles champion for 40 years.

Her final opponent will be either American world number three Coco Gauff or China’s Zheng Qinwen, who knocked out world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals.

“At the beginning, I was feeling so slow,” Paolini, 29, told Sky Sports.

“I told myself I had to hit the ball harder because she was playing amazing, but I managed to stay in there somehow and I won the match and I’m really happy about it.

“In the first round I was nervous and in the second also, and maybe again today, but the crowd was unbelievable and they helped me a lot. It’s beautiful to play here in Italy and they support us no matter what, so that is the most important thing.”

Asked about the final, Paolini said of her prospective opponents: “They are both very strong players with good forehands and can play with speed on the clay court. For sure, my coach will watch their match and we will prepare our tactics.”

Raffaella Reggi was the last Italian woman to win the title, in 1985.