Italian News Snippets: 06.08.08

Some Italian news for your Sunday reading pleasure:

• After a couple was caught having sex in the Cesena cathedral’s confessional box, the cathedral had to be purified before it could be used again for normal services.
• Someone’s wishing they had a satellite navigation device for figuring out how to get where you want to go in Venice. I think that would spoil all the fun.
• SMS flood alerts for Venice are, however, not a bad idea.
• Italy’s first game in the Euro 2008 championships is tomorrow – and last week captain Fabio Cannavaro injured his ankle. Plus, keeper Gigi Buffon said he’s not even sure they’ll make it out of the group stage in the tournament. These are not the kinds of stories an Azzurri fan wants to hear right now! (Speaking of Azzurri fans, if you want to decorate your desktop for the tournament, there are a few wallpaper downloads here, which have all amusingly had Gamberini’s head superimposed on Canna’s body.)
• Is the Cinque Terre still beautiful, despite the crowds? Sure. But according to this long-time visitor, it’s changed over the years. (And, as you know, I kind of think the Cinque Terre should be closed now and then.)
• As someone who thinks one of the finest aspects of life in Italy is going out for gelato, I’m a little disappointed to hear that Italians are eating more ice cream at home these days than they used to.
• Italofile’s got a list of what’s going on this June in Italy, including the beginning of the famous Spoleto festival.
• The beach party at Rimini has made the Times Online’s list of the top 10 European beach parties.
• The news that there’s a scent-inspired feast which will take place in Paris, Rome and Florence this month had me wondering – do you get to eat the food, or just smell it?
• Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon has teamed up with the University of Bologna to create a “double-degree masters program in international arts and cultural management.”
• A boat carrying illegal would-be immigrants from Africa to Italy capsized a few days ago, killing 12 on board.
• Some statues in Rome got into the protest act last week, as they were sporting anti-pollution masks one morning.
• Remember last week’s story about the Italian MP who wanted to re-open brothels in Italy? Turns out most Italians surveyed agree with her.
• An Italian court has ruled that if separated parents are fighting too much, they can lose custody of their kids.
• After all the talk from Berlusconi during his campaign and even since he took office again that the bridge connecting the Italian mainland with Sicily would finally be built, it looks like it’s been thrown into the back seat again.
• One thing I love about Italy is that no matter how much amazing stuff has been unearthed, there always seems to be stuff left to discover – like this ancient necropolis they just found in Calabria.
• Here’s a brief overview of each of Rome’s famous seven hills.