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Italy News: 10.19.08

Some news from Italy for your Sunday reading pleasure:

The author of the book about the mafia - which has recently been made into a movie - is leaving Italy following threats on his life.

Yet another Roman stadium has been excavated - well, it’s about half-excavated right now - and opened to the public last weekend.

Remember when someone dyed the water in the Trevi Fountain red? Well, the guy who’s accused of doing it is now facing charges.

I wonder how Leonardo da Vinci would feel about his beloved Mona Lisa appearing on condoms in Paris?

Archaeologists think they’ve found the tomb of the Roman soldier-turned-gladiator whose life story inspired the film “Gladiator.”

Italofile’s posted links to Italy’s famous opera houses so you can find out what’s playing in the 2008-2009 season.

A collection of amazing artifacts from Herculaneum, including statues and human remains, are on display in a special show at the Naples Archaeological Museum through April 2009.

Some Italian fans who traveled to the Azzurri soccer game against Bulgaria in the capital of Sofia last Saturday threw bottles at the home crowd, chanted fascist slogans and burned a Bulgarian flag - which has resulted in the Italian Football Federation banning Italy’s own fans from traveling to away matches for the indefinite future. Stupid ignorant minority ruining the beautiful game for the real fans. Nice going. (Italian police have even gone to Sofia to review video of the match, to try to find the individuals responsible for the incidents.)

As if on cue, there’s actually a really cool Italian soccer story from the Serie A - some Catania fans stole a GPS unit from the car of some visiting Chievo fans recently (no, that’s the the really cool part). When other Catania fans found out about it, they got together to host a Sicilian feast for the Chievo fans and gave them a brand new GPS unit. Here’s hoping more people follow the latter example.

If you’ll be in Siena on Halloween and are interested in a little old-fashioned creepiness, then check out this night tour of the city - it only happens on October 31, and it’s capped off by a gourmet meal. I’d call that much more of a treat than a trick, myself.

Jaunted has put together a map of smoking bans around the world, which is an excellent idea. Italy’s listing says, “Has fairly strict non-smoking rules, which are amazingly obeyed by Italians.” I think that depends largely on where you are, but it’s far less smoky in Italy now than it was 5+ years ago, that’s for sure.

With the U.S. finanacial crisis comes a silver lining, says Gadling - the dollar has gained strength against the euro in the last month or so. That means a vacation in Italy is cheaper now than it was just a few weeks ago. Who needs more incentive to go?

Medical professionals are looking into the theory that fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemicals which were used on soccer fields in Italy during the 1980s and 1990s are to blame for the extraordinarily high numbers of former Italian soccer players who have been stricken with Lou Gehrig’s disease recently.

The LA Times’ Susan Spano writes about several lovely garden areas in Italy, all day-trips from Rome.

After seven straight wins in the Tour de France and a few years in retirement, cyclist Lance Armstrong now says his coming-out-of-retirement party will include Italy’s Giro d’Italia - a race he has never done before.

Naples may have been in the news too often this year because of the garbage crisis, but the city is hoping to get back on the tourist trail as the cultural destination it is. (And besides, there’s no trash on the streets in the city center anymore!)

Going to Italy with your kids? You might want to have them read some of these books before you go.

Sure, you’ve probably heard of elephants that paint, but how many of them have had their work on display in Italy? This painting horse’s international debut will be in the Veneto.

Chinese melamine-tainted milk has been found in Italy for the first time, and officials in Naples confiscated a huge amount of illegally imported Chinese goods.

Gorgonzola-filled chocolates? Only in Italy. (They sound seriously intriguing, don’t they?)

If you’re in Parma from now until late January 2009, head over to the Palazzo Pilotta for the Correggio exhibit.

Apparently Brad Pitt’s a fan of MotoGP, and specifically of Italian superstar Valentino Rossi. Pitt, who has said he’d choose to be reborn as Rossi, may get to ride the speed demon’s bike.

An Italian who rowed across the Pacific Ocean is finally within sight of land again after eight months at sea. He’s still got 2,500 miles to go to his destination, however.