Backed by Giorgia Meloni’s party, Eike Schmidt says cracking down on burger stands, crime and overtourism will help restore status The former director of the Uffizi gallery in Florence has promised a crackdown on crime and burger stands in his quest to restore the Tuscan capital to its former status as a cultural “beacon of the world”. German-born Eike Schmidt, 55, is standing in the city’s mayoral election on a civic list backed by the prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy and its ruling coalition partners, in an unusual collaboration that has raised a few eyebrows in th ..read more

Outcry over cancellation of Antonio Scurati’s Rai talkshow appearance as note says move was taken ‘for editorial reasons’ A high-profile Italian author has accused Rai of censorship after his antifascist monologue was abruptly stopped from being aired, in what he called the “definitive demonstration” of alleged attempts by Giorgia Meloni’s government to wield its power over the state broadcaster. Antonio Scurati was due to read the monologue marking the 25 April national holiday, which celebrates Italy’s liberation from fascism, on the Rai 3 talkshow Chesarà on Saturday night ..read more

With his final masterpiece on show in London and his influence all over Ripley with Andrew Scott on Netflix, the troubled painter’s appeal endures ‘Do you like Caravaggio?” asks wealthy Dickie Greenleaf of his enigmatic new friend, Tom Ripley, early in the current Netflix drama based on Patricia Highsmith’s famous thriller, The Talented Mr Ripley. The query is a sort of test, and about more than simply class. It is intended as a measure of character, of soul. For Greenleaf, the playboy son of an American shipping magnate on a permanent holiday on the Amalfi coast, the answer could function as ..read more

Protesters holding watermelon-shaped inflatables and calling for an end to the Israeli offensive in Gaza clashed with police in Naples on the closing day of the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting, which was held on the Italian island of Capri. On Friday, the Italian foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, called for an 'absolute de-escalation' after reports that Israel had carried out a strike on Iran, saying G7 counterparts would discuss it. The three-day meeting was largely overshadowed by the Middle East conflict ..read more

Protests erupt outside Israel pavilion, official Israeli artist pulls out, and Ukraine team puts up posters showing maps of nearest bomb shelter Billionaires’ yachts and protests; cocktail parties and culture wars; bellinis and boycotts. The Venice Biennale’s opening preview days are always a place of odd clashes and juxtapositions, as artists, curators, critics and wealthy collectors descend on the city to take in often politically radical art. But this year’s edition vibrates with particular uncertainty and tension – even, perhaps, an end-of-days atmosphere. The biennale, which this year sta ..read more

Case of the Iuventa became a symbol of what activists say are growing attempts to criminalise refugee aid workers Europe live – latest updates Judges in Sicily have acquitted all crew members of an NGO rescue boat who had been accused of aiding and abetting illegal migration, in a case seen by activists as a symbol of the criminalisation of those who have sought to help at-risk refugees and migrants at sea. Friday’s verdict, after seven years of proceedings, followed a surprise turn of events in February when prosecutors in Trapani unexpectedly requested the charges be dropped owing to a lac ..read more

Ilaria Salis, who was arrested in February 2023 after counter-demonstration at neo-Nazi rally, could be granted immunity An Italian antifascist activist held in prison in Hungary has accepted a candidacy in the European elections that could see her granted immunity and released from jail. Ilaria Salis, 39, a teacher from Monza, near Milan, was arrested in Budapest in February 2023 after a counter-demonstration against a neo-Nazi rally. She was charged with three counts of attempted assault and accused of being part of an extreme leftwing organisation ..read more

Critics say plan to issue fines of up to €500 for climbing trees in Oderzo’s public spaces is ‘absurd’ An Italian council has come under fire for banning people from climbing trees. Anyone caught climbing a tree in public spaces in the centre of Oderzo, a town in the northern province of Treviso, risks fines of between €25 (£21) and €500 (£428 ..read more

Pope Francis to attend installation that includes short film featuring Zoë Saldaña and Giudecca inmates Originally a convent dating to the 13th century, and once a reformatory for prostitutes, the Giudecca women’s prison, set on an island in the Venetian lagoon, will this summer perform a quite different role: as the official pavilion for the Vatican at this year’s Venice Biennale. Pope Francis is due to attend on 28 April – the first pontifical visit to the Biennale since it was founded in 1895. In the women’s prison he will see a work by Maurizio Cattelan, who notoriously created a hyper-rea ..read more

Investigation urged into alleged bid to turn Rai into propaganda channel for ruling parties before elections The European Commission has been urged to investigate alleged attempts by Italy’s far-right government to turn the public broadcaster, Rai, into a “megaphone” for the ruling parties before the European elections. The appeal from the European Green party came after the Italian parliament’s supervisory committee for Rai approved a measure allowing the broadcaster’s news channel to televise political rallies in full and without any journalistic mediation in the run-up to the vote in early ..read more