Rent the whole of Villa Valguarnera and hear them all for yourself The Apollo room of Villa Valguarnera in SicilySerena EllerThe Sicilian seaside town of Bagheria does not feel like a place for a princess the area became a Mafia power base and planning regulations were disregarded it is today a labyrinth of low-rise tenements semi-demolished structures covered in graffiti and gaudy plastic signage But back in the 17th century, this town, cradled on a gentle slope between mountains and sea, was the summer retreat of Palermo nobility with their dozens of neoclassical villas and lush gardens of bougainvillaea and jasmine I am looking for one of these, Villa Valguarnera owned by Princess Vittoria Alliata di Villafranca a title bestowed on her family in 1609 by the King of Spain I'd heard about the property from an old friend 'You can't miss it,' he told me emphatically but I had spent an hour navigating narrow lanes and driving in the wrong direction down one-ways Finally I see the whorls of a wrought-iron gate behind a pick-up piled high with strawberries Horses in the Portrait roomSerena EllerThe owner Princess Vittoria Alliata di VillafrancaSerena EllerI drive in to find myself within the arms of a beautiful oval piazza like a magical miniature version of St Peter's Square Before me the concave façade dances cream and gold in the evening sun I recognise the building from a Dolce & Gabbana video starring Sofia Loren and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore which follows the extraordinary renovation of a roofless Villa Valguarnera lies somewhere between the bohemian and the magnificent The villa's butler appears by my side and greets me with 'Buonasera, sono Filippo'. We enter through the main doors, and I am left in the library to wait for Princess Vittoria. It is a long shelved room with two vast wooden tables covered in paperbacks, vellum-bound tomes, guides to half the world, books on Islam, Buddhism, Sicily wearing sequined Arabic slippers and an embroidered cobalt-blue kaftan with a fine cashmere jumper underneath (Sicilian spring evenings can be chilly) She has thick carmine hair and delicate features which don't need make-up which has a horoscope frescoed on the ceiling and displays of fossils She opens a bottle of white wine bearing the label Duca di Salaparuta 'My grandfather had the foresight to patent all 54 of our titles - they make good brand names,' she says with a smile The Zodiac room at Villa ValguarneraSerena EllerVittoria tells me it was her several-times-over great-grandmother Marianna Ucrìa who built Villa Valguarnera in the 18th century 'She fell in love with an intellectual called Algarotti who was writing a book about Isaac Newton and his alchemical search for the philosopher's stone,' she says 'The idea was that when Newton found the right woman to carry out his ideas and the design and decoration of the villa are inspired by alchemy.' From aerial photographs they have discovered that the villa was designed in the shape of a key 'The symbolic key of knowledge,' she adds The family's reputation for radical and esoteric thought continued over the centuries, attracting guests such as Rudolf Steiner, Krishnamurti, Goethe, Linnaeus and Madame Blavatsky. Out-of-favour royalty came too. It was here that Maria Amalia, daughter of the exiled King of Naples and niece of the recently beheaded Marie Antoinette set eyes on him and fell instantly in love I don't think my ancestors were too pleased because the royal family requisitioned the entire piano nobile.' There are grand reception rooms and corridors all with views of the Mediterranean and Monte Corvo There are little niches to read or write in and sofas fitting snugly in alcoves for hushed conversations wind-up gramophone and the collected lyrics of Bob Dylan Suddenly - and surprisingly - I also come across a kids' den and curl up on a Seventies vinyl sofa overlooked by a huge painting of a peacock and monkey and read one of the Horrible Histories I find on the bookshelf a repro of one of Michelangelo's ignudo sketches and a long table covered with bespoke lino printed with tin-glazed tiles copied from one of the villa's floors I make some tea and pour it in a mug bearing the word 'PRINCESS' The dining roomSerena EllerThe Zodiac roomSerena EllerOne of the great reasons to stay here is that Vittoria is often around and willing to engage in conversations about the villa her family and Sicily; her stories are truly astonishing she allows guests to use not only the piano nobile but the entire house (except her bedroom and study) and the gardens Vittoria and I have dinner together in an elegant room of antique Syrian furniture inlaid with mother-of-pearl A Sicilian meal is served in family majolica: pasta with swordfish and tomato; a voluptuous caponata with aubergines and a green salad flecked with wild fennel Vittoria recounts her life: how she translated The Lord Of The Rings from English to Italian when she was 15 years old (keeping her age a secret from the publishers by refusing to meet them) how she later created the cultural pages for Italian Vogue and travelled across the Middle East studying Islamic law with a focus on women's rights She tells me about being painted by Robert Rauschenberg ('He did a portrait of me with a beard to show I was a real man'); of meeting Osama Bin Laden's family at a party and of the Mafia who stole a 2,000-tonne statue of the Cyclops from her garden by helicopter That brush with organised crime might have caused some to pack their bags But this was not Vittoria's first encounter with the Mafia she left half of Villa Valguarnera to Opus Dei but while it was in probate the Mafia sequestered the villa and installed a guardian She has won the villa back but not all of the land 'Their power is incomprehensible,' Vittoria says Villa Valguarnera had been concealed behind a cloud.' The Casino roomSerena EllerAnother evening She explains to me how our passeggiata symbolises a seven-stage journey to perfection part of the alchemical scheme of the villa ending at a mottled stone temple dedicated to Urania the sea is glowing and I fully understand why she has not moved away This feature first appeared in Condé Nast Traveller January/February 2017 The dates displayed for an article provide information on when various publication milestones were reached at the journal that has published the article activities on preceding journals at which the article was previously under consideration are not shown (for instance submission All content on this site: Copyright © 2025 Elsevier B.V., its licensors, and contributors. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. For all open access content, the relevant licensing terms apply. Just outside of Palermo, in a town known more for its mafia connections than artistic contributions, you'll find an 18th century Italian villa with walls covered in grotesque monsters, and interiors with antique mirror ceilings. Though currently open to the public, the villa is in a dilapidated state of repair. There are a few internal rooms open, all empty, without furniture but still maintaining the wall decorations of the era. In the main "Gallery of Mirrors", you'll find an incredible ceiling of antique mirrors, which have been painted over in the corners with majestic birds and coats of arms. The villa also has a few cameos in Tornatore's "Baaria", the director's homage to his hometown pre and post WWII. A sculpture in a secluded garden honors one of Edinburgh's most innovative thinkers and city planners. An appropriate memorial dedicated to a well-renowned figure of Campbeltown. A tribute to all the green-thumbed workers who tend London’s public parks and gardens. A sapling of the legendary tree where conquistador Hernán Cortés sat and wept after an Aztec uprising. Volcanic stone sentinels stand watch at a Korean Bell Garden in Virginia. Rows of stone statues are dressed up to mourn children that are lost before birth. A quiet, semi-secret square with statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Virginia Woolf, and a conscientious objectors stone. With lush plants and flowers, huge trees, ponds, and hidden monuments, this place feels a bit like discovering Narnia. a golden mansion that Princess Vittoria Alliata di Villafranca a descendant of one of Italy's oldest noble families “You can't miss it,” a friend had told me but I have spent the past hour driving the wrong way down one-ways Finally I see the whorls of the wrought-iron gate behind a pickup piled high with crates of strawberries The villa's façade glows cream and gold in the evening sun The butler greets me and brings me to the library to wait for Princess Vittoria The room has long shelves and two vast wooden tables covered in paperbacks; vellum-bound tomes; guides to half the world; books on Islam wearing sequined Arabic slippers and an embroidered cobalt blue caftan with a fine cashmere sweater underneath She has thick carmine hair and delicate features which has constellations frescoed on the ceiling and displays of fossils I sink into a raspberry velvet sofa as Vittoria opens a bottle of white wine bearing the label “Duca di Salaparuta,” one of the family titles “My grandfather had the foresight to patent all 54 of our titles,” she says with a smile built Villa Valguarnera in the 18th century “She fell in love with an intellectual called Count Francesco Algarotti who was writing a book about Isaac Newton and his alchemical search for the philosopher's stone,” she says “The design and decoration of the villa are inspired by alchemy.” Aerial photos show that the villa was designed in the shape of a key “The symbolic key of knowledge,” Vittoria adds Over the centuries the family entertained such guests as Goethe daughter of the exiled King of Naples and niece of the recently beheaded Marie Antoinette and fell instantly in love,” Vittoria says because the royal family requisitioned the entire piano nobile.” I wander through grand reception rooms and corridors with views of the Mediterranean and Monte Corvo There are little reading niches and sofas fitted snugly into nooks for hushed conversations and books of the collected lyrics of Bob Dylan I come across a kids' den and curl up for a moment on a '70s vinyl sofa beneath a huge painting of a peacock and monkey Later I find what feels like a boho student kitchen and a reproduction of one of Michelangelo's ignudo sketches I make some tea and pour it in a mug bearing the word princess One of the great reasons to stay here is that Vittoria is often around to engage in conversations about the villa, her family, and Sicily she allows guests to use not only the piano nobile but the entire house (excluding her bedroom and study) and the gardens One evening we have dinner in an elegant room of antique Syrian furniture inlaid with mother-of-pearl A Sicilian meal is served on the family's Majolica plateware: pasta with swordfish and tomato; a voluptuous caponata with eggplant and celery; and a green salad flecked with wild fennel Vittoria shares stories from her life: how she translated The Lord of the Rings when she was 15 how she created the cultural pages for Italian Vogue how she traveled across the Middle East studying Islamic law with a focus on women's rights She tells me about having her portrait painted (with a beard) by Robert Rauschenberg; of meeting Osama bin Laden's family at a party; of how the Mafia stole a 2,000-ton statue of the Cyclops from her garden by helicopter That brush with organized crime might have caused some to pack their bags “Their power is incomprehensible,” she says 1 / 7ChevronChevronSerena Eller Vainicher  The Casino Room at Villa ValguarneraAnother evening she walks me through the gardens explaining how our passeggiata symbolizes a seven-stage journey to perfection and it is easy to understand why she never moved away from this place Villa Valguarnera rents for around $15,500 a week and comes staffed with housekeeping and a cook. Driver, car, and use of a skippered sailing boat on request. sicilyluxuryvillas.com up-to-the-minute voice in all things travel Condé Nast Traveler is the global citizen’s bible and muse We understand that time is the greatest luxury which is why Condé Nast Traveler mines its network of experts and influencers so that you never waste a meal or a hotel stay wherever you are in the world  A quarrel between a motorcyclist and a car driver escalated into a stabbing and subsequently a multiple hit-and-run This occurred last night on the A19 Palermo-Catania highway the motorcyclist stabbed the driver of a car during a dispute the car driver reportedly ran over the group of motorcyclists traveling with the assailant The incident took place just before the Bagheria exit Emergency responders from the 118 medical service and law enforcement officers were immediately on the scene One of the motorcyclists hit was urgently transported to the emergency room at the Civic Hospital in Palermo while investigators are working to clarify the dynamics of the incident They are collecting testimonies and analyzing any available surveillance camera footage to understand the responsibilities and reasons that led to the escalation of violence Law enforcement continues its investigation to locate the fleeing driver and accurately reconstruct the events Un pensionato riceve una bolletta della luce da quasi 1500 euro e non riesce a capire da dove salti fuori quella cifra  Three members of the criminal organization targeted by the "El Rais" operation carried out by the Catania District Anti-Mafia Prosecutor’s Office i paramenti sacri rivestono un ruolo di primaria importanza Maria Shollenbarger selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter A house by the sea in Sicily: it’s the real-estate aspiration of the ages from across Mare Nostrum they came to conquer – Phoenicians founding colonies and erecting temples all along its fetching coastline artists and Grand Tourists fell just as hard for Sicily’s limpid bays and coves and for its singular history layering dominion upon dominion in a splendid cultural collage But no one did seaside living like the Sicilians themselves: witness the outskirts of Palermo the capital – its suburbs now gone somewhat to seed but in the 18th century a utopia of citrus groves and spectacular aristocratic estates tumbling down to the Tyrrhenian whose splendidly délabré villas still grace the landscape It was a century later that the upwardly mobile Florio family – owners of shipping concerns fisheries and packaging plants (we owe the existence of canned tuna to their enterprising vision) and producers of the marsala wine by which most probably know their name – acquired a house on a promontory just north of Palermo’s port Ignazio Florio Sr christened it Villa Florio thereby helping solidify the family’s social bona fides; a few decades later his son decided to leverage its potential as a destination with his aristocratic wife Franca – a society beauty and salonnière whom Kaiser Wilhelm II called the “Star of Italy” – he enlisted the celebrated Palermitan architect Filippo Ernesto Basile to go about expanding the villa into a full-service luxury hotel For the next two decades, the Grand Hotel Villa Igiea (rechristened after the Florios’ daughter) made history Palermo emerged as a Place To Be; the Florios were its People To Know Conceived as a sort of sprawling dépendence for their illustrious friends the hotel was instantly a dense who’s who of international royalty Chulalongkorn of Siam and the Duc d’Orléans were among its early patrons The first Baron Rothschild and John Pierpont Morgan rocked up on their yachts Some visited the cathedral at Monreale or the Palazzo dei Normanni with its 900-year-old mosaics; some made for the nearby Bagni della Regina grotto to swim and disport in privacy But most were content to enjoy themselves on the premises of the hotel that was one of the epicentres of society in Europe A 1950s fresco in the bar by Sicilian artist Eugenio Morici © Lea AnouchinskyExterior of the Villa Igiea © Lea AnouchinskyFortunes turned The Villa Igiea went out of the Florios’ hands before the second world war; by the end of the 20th century it had been in slow decline for years its cachet seemed consigned firmly to the past And it’s probably fair to say that the city which went into its own decline around the same time has lacked a truly exceptional hotel more or less ever since Enter Rocco Forte, chairman of the eponymous hospitality group whose properties are some of Europe’s sleekest. Forte and his sister, deputy chair and design director Olga Polizzi set their sights on the Villa Igiea after opening Verdura Beyond the hurdles of acquisition and renovation (the entire hotel is fairly heavily listed) there was the issue of the desirability of Palermo itself: there are those – your writer firmly among them – who adore the city and its dingy-round-the-edges resplendence its shades of Buenos Aires and Marrakech amid the baroque froth and Norman austerity But many British give it a miss entirely; they make instead for Taormina Palermo never stopped loving the Villa Igiea –would a reborn Villa Igiea love it back The baroque ceiling in Palermo’s Santa Caterina church © Lea AnouchinskyA 1912 postcard of the Villa Igiea © Archivio GBB/Alamy Stock PhotoGuests during the Igiea’s Belle Epoque heyday included Edward VII and Queen Alexandra second and third from left) in 1907 Several years and some €30m later after a tip- to-toe renovation overseen by Paolo Moschino and Philip Vergeylen co-owners/creative directors at London-based Nicholas Haslam The famous blush- coloured façade; the castellations; the lozenge-shaped pool flanked by its ancient temple “ruin” (a Florio folly); the garden planted with palms hibiscus and cacti: all have been spruced and trimmed but remain largely as were Inside is where the meticulous preservation efforts meet with creative reinvention “Basile is practically unknown in England,” says Polizzi “His love of the medieval and of Liberty [Italian art nouveau]” – both styles evident across the Villa Igiea – “is a strange combination but he is much prized in Palermo.” The double-height Sala Basile with its frescoes by Ettore de Maria Bergler and huge flowery glass centre light and we only had to gently restore it,” says Polizzi The tail end of this work was happening when I arrived tattooed and dreadlocked in paint-splattered overalls meticulously cleaning final sections of spectacular scenes: languid maids in translucent white and gold dresses; fields of irises and stalky poppies; peacocks fanning out abundant teal and sapphire tail feathers its ornately designed railing camouflaging an intertwined B and E (Basile was known for his clever covert signatures) notes Polizzi – several pieces of furniture that the architect designed for the hotel which have been restored and reside throughout wood monoliths with a very Grand Budapest air about them (Also very Grand Budapest: the huge tasselled room keys – not cards not digital fobs; real keys – that hang in neat cubbies behind them.) The bar at Villa Igiea © Lea AnouchinskyDetail from a mural in the Sala Basile © Lea AnouchinskyThe renovation which lasted two years – one of them during the pandemic shutdown – was daunting (“It should have been the most wonderful job but at times it was a bit of a nightmare,” Polizzi admits) Every last detail had to be approved – occasionally via Zoom – by the local cultural oversight ministry a process made easier “by basing all of them on the Sala Basile murals so no one could really say they weren’t legitimate” Entire floors of rooms were dismantled and remade The old bathrooms were sometimes minuscule; interconnecting suites weren’t the de rigueur configuration they are today “We had to totally rethink the layouts for the modern comfort factor,” Vergeylen told me “But also to bear in mind that when people who know the Villa Igiea come back” – and there is a small army of discerning people out there who are very attached to the hotel – “the response we want isn’t ‘Oh “The way to do that was to respect it having been conceived of as a kind of private residence,” adds Moschino We’ve kept the small libraries and sitting rooms” – which could have been consolidated into bigger (and better revenue-generating) spaces they evolve; I don’t believe in scraping that away entirely.” the rehabilitation community recently made famous by the Netflix documentary series SanPa: Sins of the Saviour the series doesn’t delve into the extraordinary artisanal workshops that flourished here after his death in 1995 – patronised by who bequeathed numerous archival designs to it some of which Moschino and Vergeylen have deployed in the hotel) Every last maiolica tile on the premises that wasn’t reclaimed was custom designed by Scianna Ceramiche “You wouldn’t think of flying materials in from Mexico or Japan for this kind of job,” says Vergeylen “It wanted sustainability in the truest sense of that word – supporting local enterprise and knowing the artisans you work with.” restored to its Belle Epoque glory © Lea AnouchinskyOne of the suites at Villa Igiea © Lea AnouchinskyThis being a Rocco Forte hotel wellness was always going to feature prominently; Forte’s daughter Irene who sits on the board of the Global Wellness Summit (and masterminds all the hotels’ wellness programmes) which occupy their own long outbuilding at the bottom of the garden – all light wood cheery green tilework and light passing through floor-to-ceiling windows formulated three years ago with products grown at Verdura and sourced around the island (hibiscus and vibrant concerts and exhibitions in the almost absurdly pretty Santa Maria dello Spasimo And there is, predictably, competition on the horizon, including the ambitious renovation of the city’s other historical landmark, the Grand Hotel et Des Palmes which has opened with a restaurant and roof bar manned by Italian star chef (and native Sicilian) Filippo La Mantia Palermo might finally be well and truly on the up; there’s a compelling new house by the sea waiting for those curious to find out for themselves roccofortehotels.com; from €420 arrested after he allegedly asked his son to carry out killing A Sicilian mafia boss who ordered the assassination of his daughter from behind bars because she was in love with a policeman has been arrested – after his son refused to carry out the hit. Godfather Pino Scaduto began blaming his earlier arrest and conviction on his daughter’s burgeoning relationship with a senior Italian policeman. Read moreInvestigators scouring his prison correspondence discovered chilling references to a specific “gift” he wanted to give to his daughter with the words: “Your sister has become an informer” But Scaduto junior – who is already facing a separate murder charge – was reluctant to obey who rules over the Bagheria syndicate near the Sicilian capital of Palermo then tried to hand the job to another person who turned it down on the basis it was a family dispute we have arrested a crime boss who wanted to kill his own daughter because she was in a relationship with an Italian police major,” Italy’s foreign affairs minister Angelino Alfano said Monday “The mafia define themselves as men of honour But where is the honour in ordering the killing of your child?” the minister said Scaduto was arrested alongside fifteen other members of the Bagheria clan They are all accused of mafia association and extortion targeting local entrepreneurs in the construction and mineral water sectors We have the address for the funeral home & the family on file If you're not happy with your card we'll send a replacement or refund your money Maria "Nina" (Buttitta) Spano created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Antonio, Daniele, Marco, Vincenzo, and Vittorio are ambitious students from Salvo D’Acquisto high school in Bagheria, a town with a population of 55,000 people on the Island of Sicily, Italy. While Bagheria is not far from the coastal beaches, cliffs and the vast natural beauty that is the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily, like much of Southern Italy, has suffered from waste management problems over the years, with trash often piling up along roads and in parks. And so, while Bagheria might initially seem like an unlikely place for an exciting innovation to emerge, these energized students have designed, with the help of Junior Achievement’s entrepreneurial education program and now, the support of AXA, a machine that could inspire young people to recycle, reuse, and participate actively in the circular economy. Picture yourself at a concert, in a park, or even at a festival. There are lots of empty plastic bottles lying around and, instead of having to pick them up and place them in a trash can, where they will be taken to landfill or pollute the oceans, you’re able to bring them to a vending machine, place them into a collection bin, and watch them be ground into plastic pellets, melted down into plastic thread, and then 3D printed into your next phone case. This experience is now possible due to Antonio, Daniele, Marco, Vincenzo, and Vittorio’s MyProGeneration vending machine. The name comes from a desire to promote proactiveness and wanting young people to be in favor of something, in favor of the environment. Inspired by fab labs and the boom in 3D printing technology, the students believe that the futuristic experience offered by their vending machine could get young people imagining the different ways that they can reuse waste. By putting their vending machines in locations where young people go frequently, they believe they will be able to tap into the market of environmentally conscious digital natives, and inspire people to have a visible impact on their environment… while also posting about it on Twitter and Facebook. Innovations like the MyProGeneration vending machine create a world where each of us is able to see a future where waste is never wasted and where trash is an opportunity, not a burden. The City of Bagheria in Sicily: Lagging far behind its potential Is it really possible that the residents of a country envied worldwide for its "italianità," for its vigor Almost every second Italian makes precisely that claim Between the Brenner Pass in the far north and the island of Lampedusa in the south a share of the populace more than twice the EU average feels lonesome and neglected Life expectancy keeps rising in the country but the birth rate continues to break records as it plummets is EU membership as unpopular as it is in Italy The number of young academics bolting the country has doubled within just a single decade a form of "dissatisfaction" is on the rise one that "goes beyond mere anger," the pollsters at Censis have found Foreigners and minorities are increasingly seen as scapegoats Six years and three failed governments after my arrival in Italy as a foreign correspondent During a tour of his factory and of the attached museum he explains why his island continues to stagnate despite it being one of the country's most attractive and fertile regions He himself has made a small fortune with canned fish and has made headlines with his fight against organized crime When he was presented with a demand for 100,000 euros in protection money - from a former bodyguard of the murdered anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone – Balisteri refused he reported his would-be extortionist to the authorities located in the "triangle of death" in western Sicily when the crime syndicate used an abandoned nail factory to torture and murder its opponents The days are over in which the main question in viewers' minds ahead of the evening news was: "I wonder who they killed today." Less blood is now being spilled But the mafia's claim to power is just as strong as it has ever been The mayor of Bagheria enjoys the backing of the former president of Sicily a man who spent five years behind bars for supporting the mafia Michelangelo Balisteri in his sardine factory: "If you pay protection money a past that is still apparent from the manors of former nobility from the 17th and 18th centuries Bagheria is a prime example for why the highly indebted country of Italy which boasts the third highest economic output in the eurozone seems stuck in place and why so many people in the country view the future with a significant degree of trepidation including a magical coastline and restaurants that serve up tuna tartare the place wears the "maglia nera," the black jersey awarded for last place in the national employment statistics And part of the reason for that ignominy is the fact that the mafia continues to maintain a chokehold on the people of Bagheria The beaches between Bagheria and the outlying district where Balisteri's sardine factory is located are mostly filthy And the region's stagnancy seems to be part of the plan: When the Oscar winner Giuseppe Tornatore But there was just one minor request: the technicians and extras were to come from the Cosa Nostra Tornatore opted to film in Morocco instead Factory-owner Balistreri continues to be under police protection but he seems to not have a care in the world "You can also defeat the mafia by singing," he says grabbing his guitar and launching into one of his favorite songs stands for those who risk their lives to battle the mafia and seek to protect Sicily from collapse sharks feast on sardines – unless they swim close together with the others." Sicilians should follow the sardines' example and stick closer together in the fight against the clans With 46 percent of Italians claiming to be unhappy despite having greater private wealth a longer life expectancy and better weather than people in most other European countries it is tempting to believe that the grumbling is the product of a fear of losing something whether its eating deep-fried rice balls in Palermo presenting the latest in beach fashion at the "prova costume" in Ostia or showing up in evening wear for the season premiere at the Scala in Milan only very few Italians seem particularly grouchy in their daily lives But their deep disgust with everything having to do with the state, widely seen as voraciously greedy and uncaring, has grown since the onset of the 2011 economic crisis. Migration across the Mediterranean  as well as the European Commission's alleged paternalism have reinforced a comprehensive feeling of an external threat isn't particularly concerned with the outside world "It is enough for him to know the location of his home His curiosity does not extend beyond that." A mountain of garbage in Rome: "Where are are the unforgettable exhibitions and concerts?" the two parties won an absolute majority in the last election with a message that can be reduced to the following: The poor Italians are doing worse and worse through no fault of their own Such propaganda provides fertile soil for resentment Rome is less livable than either Bucharest or Sofia if you ask the city's own residents The Facebook page belonging to the group "romafaschifo" – Rome sucks – is full of posts about the aesthetic downfall of this "savaged" city as the journalist Corrado Augias would have it refers to himself as a "ragazzo delle borgate," a guy from the suburbs as a translator and as a teacher at Dante Alighieri High School less than my mother's pension," Raimo says "On top of that comes the recent addition of 700 euros for my job as cultural councilor on the city council," he says utopist and pamphleteer ("Roma – città di merda," or "Rome: City of Shit") decided in June 2018 to get involved in politics He is now in charge of culture in the Roma III district in the city's northeast He doesn't spend much time at his desk in city hall preferring instead to be out and about – in places where it's painful to go places that Social Democrats have long since ceased visiting "All leftist achievements from 1970s Italy Where are all the unforgettable exhibitions and concerts?" Raimo asks before answering the question himself: "They don't exist anymore." Rome has become a "city of ultimate consumption while the political class lies "in ruins." It is something that in moments when he isn't traveling throughout the country giving speeches on the dangers of "eternal fascism" and "barroom windbags," as he refers to Salvini Raimo is doing what he can to strengthen grassroots resistance to such dangers by arranging for regular infusions of culture "Grande come una città" – Great Like a City – is the name of his event series and it's not just the variety that is great but also the size of the audiences the events attract Raimo says his goal is "open-air education." Given what he calls the "mass-infantilism" that has infected Italy given that reading for pleasure has become a rarity in the country of Dante only two possible standpoints: "Io me ne frego" – I don't care – or "Mi impiccio" – It's a concern of mine The rail journey from Rome to Venice occasionally hits speeds of 300 kilometers per hour It is a ride in a high-tech train that cuts directly through a landscape of astonishing beauty Evidence of hundreds of years of culture fly past the window Italy's north-south orientation stretching across more than 10 degrees of latitude led former cabinet member Ugo La Malfa to say that on a map his country looks like a person who is standing with her feet in Africa but is grabbing onto the Alps with her hands almost as if she is trying to pull herself into the center of Europe Arrigo Cipriani at Harry's Bar in Venice: "This is a city facing cardiac arrest The rifts cutting through the country are rooted in history "It's as if Italy is made up of two countries that in 150 years haven't been able to achieve an acceptable level of mutual rapprochement," writes the weekly newspaper Panorama Gross domestic product in the north is almost double what it is in the south and the unemployment rate is two-thirds lower Having arrived at the Santa Lucia train station in Venice passengers flood into the narrow streets and onto the passenger boats visitors will be forced to pay an entry fee into the city of between 3 and 10 euros per day and those traveling to Venice for psychiatric treatment will not be required to pay the entrance fee It is one of the 27 exceptions to the new rule that is designed to slow the deluge of visitors to the city it will probably just increase the city's revenues "That means that nobody here wants to slow tourism Our mayor is the perfect embodiment of that mentality." The city's top civil servant is a chiseled character with the charm of a bulldozer He made his fortune with a temp-work agency When asked what the entry fee is supposed to accomplish he speaks in vague yet grandiloquent terms of his vision of "transforming Venice within three years into a salon for the world." the city's reality is a far cry from that airy future with up to 30 million tourists overrunning Venice each year The mayor himself sees very little of it: He lives in Mogliano Veneto on the mainland And he's not the only one: Just 53,000 people now live in the historic city center three times as many people lived in the center Cruise ships continue to pour day-trippers into the narrow streets floating hotels still allowed to cross the San Marco Basin The fact that such things haven't been banned is "emblematic for our country's inability to make decisions," says Paolo Costa if not he – the former head of the Port Authority former Venetian mayor and former member of cabinet with excellent connections in Rome – could have brought about such a change who bear a share of the guilt for the downfall of what was once Europe's grandest city Who didn't read about the four young Japanese travelers who were charged 1,143 euros for lunch in the Osteria Da Luca a world-famous incident that the daily paper Corriere della Sera even called "a metaphor for conditions in Italy" that the restaurant is operated by an Egyptian man who leases it from a Chinese man pays a five-digit sum every month to the real owner He was praised for "his love of Venice" and buried in the city where Rendich enjoyed the pleasures of retirement an elderly Venetian gentleman was there as well: Arrigo Cipriani born in 1932 and one of the city's most famous restaurateurs Harry's Bar has played host to a number of luminaries Cipriani welcomes his guests in a double-breasted suit and surrounded by tuxedo-clad waiters exuding a surprising amount of energy for someone who has already decided what is going to be on his gravestone He would like it to read "sto da dio," which means "I'm feeling divine" or "I'm with the Lord," depending on your reading When asked what is wrong with Italy and what will become of Venice Capriani says: "We used to be a city of 150,000 residents – no citizens – but today it's just a third of that with no identity." Maybe it would do the Venetians some good to "start over again at zero." The article you are reading originally appeared in German in issue 8/2020 (February 15 Seven Decades of Quality Journalism: The History of DER SPIEGEL  Reprints: How To License SPIEGEL Articles  arrived at in one of the most beautiful cities in the world by one of its greatest sons if not the city fathers and other dignitaries the citizens are bemoaning their fates with such fervor Is it possible that even here in Harry's Bar they are sometimes choosing the easy way out Is it possible that there is some truth to customer complaints on the internet that they were served pre-mixed Bellinis in dowdy glasses for the price of 22 euros a pop "Harry's Bar is the best restaurant in Italy," he hisses who says that the majority is always right "Just because there were 40 million fascists in Germany," Cipriani says in parting "doesn't mean that fascism is the right thing About 1,500 kilometers north of the poorhouse of Bagheria is St The village is located in the autonomous region of South Tyrol a region home to the kind of political continuity that is completely foreign to the rest of Italy the region's governor has come from the South Tyrol People's Party there have been only three occupants of the region's highest office the lawyer Arno Kompatscher holds the reins the 48-year-old son of a village blacksmith from Völs am Schlern Kompatscher is clearly proud of the fact that South Tyrol leads Italy in almost every statistical category "It's obviously a function of optimism," says Kompatscher "The core of our success story is self-administration We get 90 percent of our taxes back from Rome or don't even send them to Rome," he says Kompatscher also believes some regionally specific character traits play a role: "Sicily but doesn't benefit much from the status." The governor says: "It's not that we South Tiroleans are better people than the Sicilians it's because we have a different approach to the res publica people have 90 percent faith in the province and only 10 percent in Rome." In other words: Working with and for the people is a recipe for success That is particularly true for Sankt Leonhard The community of 3,500 people has an unemployment rate of just 1.9 percent It is an island of prosperity beneath steep mountains slopes that can only be used for grazing starting in May Venice and Rome – learn from this miniature paradise Perhaps the careful allotment of resources and respect for the inheritance of those who came before The most recent report from the researchers at Censis noted that Italy was in danger of degenerating into a "fearful mistrust-ridden society." Almost half of all respondents now support "a strong man in power" who no longer must submit to elections or parliamentary approval this correspondent nevertheless has hope that the Italians will stay true to their legendary talent for mastering crises with grandezza The Italians have a wonderful saying for painful moments: "Ballando non duole il piede." Your feet don't hurt when you're dancing." WHITESBORO – Mr. Louis “Luigi” Spano, age 86, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, March 30, 2022, and was reunited with his beloved wife—who passed only twenty days before. His devoted daughter Rosemary was by his... View Obituary & Service Information Louis "Luigi" Spano created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories You are using an outdated browser. Upgrade your browser today or install Google Chrome Frame to better experience this site Obituaries Conveniently located on the west side of Erie in Millcreek Township directly across from beautiful Laurel Hill Cemetery offers the best when it comes to memorializing your loved ones offers a wide variety of services from funeral planning Phone:(814) 838-7656Email: dusckasmartin@gmail.com The Sunday TimesWhen Princess Vittoria Alliata returned to Sicily after a decade spent travelling in the Middle East she found cows roaming the corridors and wild boars sleeping in the ballroom of her family’s abandoned summer palace The 18th-century Villa Valguarnera in the town of Bagheria had been overrun by the local mafia and she devoted the next 20 years to clawing back control of each of its 100 rooms Alliata now faces a new battle to save another piece of Italy’s cultural heritage — a translation of The Lord of the Rings she completed as a 16-year-old schoolgirl She is embroiled in a furious row between left and right-wing intellectuals over the first new Italian translation of the epic since hers was Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Running for 199 km from Milazzo to Bagheria the first stage of the 2022 Giro di Sicilia EOLO will be a sprinter’s thing The route will take the viewers on a journey along most of the beautiful Tyrrhenian coast of Sicily and through the Baroque splendour of Bagheria has been crowded with spectacular manor homes of the local nobility since the 1700s It is eccentrically decorated with grotesque statues along the perimeter walls – dozens of sculptures of fantastic animals musicians and caricatures – which is why it is also called the “villa of monsters” When Goethe paid a visit to the manor in April 1787 he described his impressions in a troubled tone: “Now imagine similar figures multiplied ad infinitum pedestals and monstrosities in one unending row and the painful feelings they must inspire and you will sympathize with anyone who has to run the gauntlet of this lunacy.” The mastermind behind all that was Francesco Ferdinando Gravina e Alliata He was the oddball grandson of the founder of the villa – or just plain insane and proceeded to have the outer walls topped with grotesque sculptures and made his residence famous throughout the world history-filled and eerily fascinating place is the perfect starting point for the long journey of the 2022 Giro di Sicilia over 1200 carabinieri were involved in the operation Since the first light of dawn the Carabinieri of the Provincial Command of Palermo have been conducting a vast operation anti-mafia in execution of 183 restrictive measures ordered by the investigating judge of the Court of Palermo and by the District Anti-mafia Directorate of the local Public Prosecutor's Office approximately 1.200 Carabinieri from the provincial Commands of Sicily are engaged - with the air cover of a helicopter of the ninth Elinucleo of Palermo - with the support of the "red berets" of the helicopter-borne hunters Squadron of Sicily of the 14th "Calabria" Battalion as well as other specialized components of the force The mafia "must be defeated with determination and without any compromise The State is there and will not retreat" commented the Prime Minister on X “An extraordinary operation by the Carabinieri of the Palermo Provincial Command led today to the arrest of over 180 people inflicting a very hard blow to Cosa Nostra A result that confirms the State's incessant commitment to the fight against organized crime The wiretaps say it clearly: 'Italy has become uncomfortable for us A clear signal: organized crime is in a tight spot the fight against the mafia has not stopped and will not stop Thanks to the Carabinieri of the Investigative Unit and to all the forces of law and order who defend the legality and safety of citizens every day” Read also other news on Nova News Click here and receive updates on WhatsApp Follow us on the social channels of Nova News on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Telegram 2000 - 2025 Nova Agency. All rights reserved Make the most of the cultural cinematic event with these four selections. Who will take home the awards on cinema’s biggest night? The near-silent performance makes this survival film transcend the genre. Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account After dramatic evidence from a killer who turned his back on the Mafia’s code of silence two mobsters in Sicily were sentenced to life in prison for killing two gangsters from Canada one of whom holds a mythic place in the underworld as such a dangerous man he made even hardened criminals quake Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience had been deported from Canada for his mob antics when he was cut down in a fusillade of bullets in 2013 Dying beside him in the ambush was Fernando Pimentel who was visiting Italy to help his exiled boss [np_storybar title=”” link=””] Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. two brothers — who had also once lived in Canada — were found guilty of double murder The third gunman who shot Fernandez and Pimentel on April 9 became a cooperating witness and gave hours of detailed testimony in court chairman of the Court of Assizes in Palermo “There was a Mafia war in Canada,” Carbone answered The backdrop was the rebellion against Vito Rizzuto’s control of the Mafia in Montreal after Rizzuto was extradited to the United States in 2006 for three gangland murders The rebellion was led by Raynald Desjardins “He was the one who had the ongoing war with Rizzuto,” he said https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJFAVbxtSl4&feature=youtu.be He was close to both Rizzuto and Desjardins and owed much to each of them Desjardins had first brought Fernandez into a higher echelon of crime but it was Rizzuto who gave him his true power Fernandez claimed Rizzuto even inducted him as a “made man” of the Mafia — despite him being Spanish not Italian Fernandez’s sin was his failure to chose a side: He was “like a priest who visits all the churches,” Carbone was told The order to kill Fernandez came from Canada did not call me to do the killings,” Carbone said Raynald Desjardins didn’t call me to do the murders; they called them (his co-accused) Carbone and the two men on trial plotted the murder of a man known for his physical strength and determination where he was also known by the name Joe Bravo he instilled fear in even hardened criminals Carbone said he stole the key to his cousin’s construction yard in an out-of-the-way lane in Bagheria There was a lockable gate and fence that surrounded a concrete building and yard After two failed attempts to get Fernandez to the workshop Pietro Scaduto convinced him to come with the promise of a great deal on a load of marijuana “So it was a very easy lure,” Carbone said Salvatore Scaduto was hiding in a dog’s kennel just inside the yard Pietro was to unlock and open the gate for Fernandez when he arrived He had a gun hidden by the gatepost he was to pick up when closing the gate Pimentel was in the wrong place at the wrong time He was a henchman recruited by Fernandez in Canada; he was visiting Sicily to help his boss push his way into the mob landscape in the very birthplace of the Mafia Salvatore burst out from his hiding spot early before his brother had a chance to close the iron gate Pimentel opened the car door as if to flee or fight back but was met by gunfire Fernandez reached over his body and tried to drive away “Rei was driving like a madman,” Carbone said The gunmen rushed to the car firing furiously Fernandez looked up at his attackers and said Pietro then shot him in the head with a pistol The two bodies were loaded into Fernandez’s car and driven to a remote illegal dump Pietro grabbed the victims by their arms and Carbone by their legs as they hoisted them out of the car and dragged them by their belts into long grass The bodies were dumped in a shallow grave and set them ablaze The car was then driven to a different location and also set on fire to destroy evidence “These memories don’t do me so much good,” he said Carbone slipped the expensive watch off Fernandez’s wrist It had been a gift to him from Rizzuto and was one of the few items he brought with him from Canada Carbone was later caught trying to sell the watch He agreed to help police with their investigation and to testify against his co-accused Carbone led police to the victims’ charred bodies in May 2013 transmission or republication strictly prohibited This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy You can manage saved articles in your account with a sentimental epic accompanied by a soupily commonplace Morricone score it's shot on a gigantic recreation of his home town of Bagheria (known to locals as Baaría) built across the Mediterranean in Tunisia in the lives of three generations of a peasant family: the spirited shepherd Ciccio his son Peppino who becomes a Communist party stalwart and his grandson Pietro the conflict between communism and Catholicism the weight of tradition and the slowness of social change when and to whom politically is not easy to grasp but relatively few people outside Italy are likely to know of his significance to his fellow citizens of Bagheria Likewise Peppino's apparent disillusionment with the Soviet Union is handled obliquely with no mention of Khrushchev's 20th Congress speech Fellini's autobiographical masterwork about his boyhood in pre-war Rimini Bertolucci's five-hour 1900 and Francesco Rosi's portrait of postwar Italy posters of which dominate the scene in the early 1980s when Pietro leaves home to go to college on the mainland All three are far superior to Tornatore's film Baaría has its charming and affecting moments This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media We provide bulletins and programmes for radio stations around the world Fifteen people were rescued from the 55m (180ft) vessel but another seven are still missing two Americans and a Canadian are said to be missing It is not known what country the person who died is from capsized at around 5am off Palermo and was flying a British flag according to ship-tracking site Marine Traffic The body was found near the wreck at a depth of 50m (164ft) The daily Il Giornale di Sicilia newspaper reported that the yacht had mostly British passengers on board “Already all the police forces and emergency services are operational and our Red Cross volunteers are present.” Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said: “We are in contact with the local authorities following an incident in Sicily and stand ready to provide consular support to British nationals affected.” shrewsbury and telford hospital nhs trust presided over catastrophic failings for 20 years – and did not learn fro.. in what was billed as a major speech in his campaign the former home secretary said his priorities as prime minister wo.. For breaking news and details of our latest offers If you are interested in receiving bulletins from Radio News Hub or would simply like to find out more please fill in the form below We operate on annual contracts - spread the cost is available Please check this box if you are happy for us to store your details for future contact Faceless apartment blocks in a historic area of Bagheria Architect Joanna Spiteri Staines will deliver a talk entitled ‘Bagheria – A wake up call for Malta’ at Din l-Art Ħelwa Spiteri Staines will discuss how the historic Sicilian seaside town of Bagheria which up to 30 years ago boasted a beautiful coastline wonderful palaces and was a great getaway from the busy city of Palermo was ruined with the building of faceless apartment blocks around and within its historic areas She warns that what happened to Bagheria is a wake-up call for Malta The talk will take place at Din l-Art Ħelwa’s Judge Caruana Curran hall Admission is free but donations to Din l-Art Ħelwa’s restoration programmes will be appreciated please register for free or log in to your account The Biennale della Ceramica between ceramists from Sicily Malta and Cyprus took place recently at ‘La Certosa’ in Bagheria The Maltese ceramists who took part in the first exhibition at Bagheria were Charles Sammut This venue was previously a museum of wax figures but has now reopened as a venue for art exhibitions coordinated by Charles Sammut and Mario Sammut and the Cypriot ceramists by Vassos Demtriou and Efthymious Symeou have developed the ceramic exhibition into a yearly venue and over time this event has spread to include other Mediterranean islands into the exhibition Charles Sammut and Mario Sammut have been instrumental in organising the series of six exhibitions of ceramics between Malta and Cyprus Sicily was included for the first time this year The first exhibition of the Biennale di Ceramica between the three Mediterranean islands of Malta Cyprus and Sicily was inaugurated by the mayor of Bagheria He commented on the importance of the exchanging of cultural ideas between Mediterranean people This will foster dialogue between groups of individuals which will then flow into other collaboration and enrich our cultural heritage This exhibition is the first one of the series The second exhibition will be organised in Cyprus next year and the third will be held in Malta in 2013 please register for free or log in to your account.