Italian News Snippets: 07.15.07

Some Italian news and tidbits for your Sunday reading:

• The new seven wonders of the world have been announced, and Italy’s entry – the Colosseum in Rome – made the final cut.
• Touring in Campania without a car? You can borrow a bike for free.
• Don’t be afraid to order una birra in Italy – beer drinking is beginning to rival wine drinking these days.
• Italy isn’t exactly progressive when it comes to gay rights, so this first show of “gay art” in Milan is a big deal.
• Use of marijuana is up in Italy quite a bit in the last few years.
• The Papal dungeons are reopening this summer – but not for prisoners. This time, they’re open for tourists in the form of night tours.
• Italy’s beautiful Dolomites will have to wait to get added to a UNESCO list – apparently more information is required.
• Artwork inspired by the torture of Iraqis at Abu Ghraib will be on display in Milan.
• Climate change in Italy doesn’t just mean the heat can kill you, now rain is deadly, too.
• What many people outside Italy think of as “real Italian food” wouldn’t even be recognizable in Italy itself. Some of the differences are noted here.
• Venice’s food might not be as notable as the cuisine from the Emilia-Romagna, but it’s not as bad as you’ve been told, either. Especially if you know what to look for.
• A college education is not the same the world over; here’s a glimpse of what the university experience is like in Italy – and how it’s changing.
• If you’ve dreamed of having your wedding in Italy, be warned – this is the country that invented red tape. Do your homework ahead of time with websites like this one and this one.
• Just because you’re a parent doesn’t mean your travel days are over. Before traveling with kids, do your best to learn from those who have gone before – like these folks who brought their three young kids to Venice.
• Italy Magazine’s new feature, “Food with a View,” begins with a recommendation for a restaurant in Bagno Vignoni in southern Tuscany.
• The idea of the “old world” is changing, with increased immigration into countries like Italy – and immigrants taking on roles which were always performed by locals in the past. This article is specifically about immigrants caring for Italy’s elderly.
• The Formula One Ferrari spy (well, former Ferrari spy) has fled Italy after he says he’s been involved in high-speed car chases. Wouldn’t he like those kinds of things? Being from Ferrari and all?
• Italian police think they’re finally beginning to win the war against tomb raiders in Italy, although for years it was precisely the lack of action by police which allowed the practice to flourish – in broad daylight.