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Local Italy
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Local Italy
Republic Day: What to expect in Italy on June 2nd 2025
June 2nd will be Italy's Republic Day – a national public holiday commemorating the birth of the Italian Republic as we know it today. Italy's Festa della Repubblica marks the date in 1946 when Italians voted in a referendum to abolish the then 85-year-old monarchy, which had fallen out of favour due to its close alignment with Benito Mussolini's Fascist regime, and establish a democratic republic. Conveniently, this year's Republic Day falls on a Monday, meaning that people in Italy will enjoy a three-day weekend. But, while many around the country will use the Republic Day holiday to get their first taste of summer, beach picnics and idle hours spent under the ombrellone will not be the only thing going on on June 2nd. Here's a quick look at what you should expect on that date. A military parade and trails of tricolore smoke in Rome As is tradition, the bulk of official Republic Day celebrations will take place in the capital. At around 9am on Monday, Italian President Sergio Mattarella will pay homage to service members killed in action by laying a laurel wreath at the foot of the Altare della Patria war memorial, in the central Piazza Venezia square. This will be followed by the traditional Republic Day military parade, with hundreds of members of Italy's armed forces marching down Via dei Fori Imperiali. Unfortunately, this year's parade is already sold out, according to Italy's defence ministry. If you didn't manage to get your ticket or live elsewhere in the country, you can still watch the event for free on Rai1 (channel one on Italian TV) or Rai's online streaming platform RaiPlay at this link. Celebrations in the capital will end with a spectacular display from Italy's Frecce Tricolori air force unit, with ten fighter jets set to fly over the city, leaving trails of green, white and red smoke (the colours of Italy's tricolore flag) in the sky. Celebrations in other cities Besides Rome, other major cities around the country will hold Republic Day celebrations on Monday. Just to name a few, Milan will hold a flag-hoisting ceremony in the central Piazza del Duomo square at 10am on Monday morning. This will be followed by a number of cultural events in the afternoon, including a free concert in the courtyard of Palazzo Marino, the seat of Milan's city hall. Palazzo Marino will open to visitors for free from 10am to 8pm on Monday. A military parade and a flag-hoisting ceremony will take place in Venice's Piazza San Marco on Monday morning. As part of local Republic Day celebrations, the city's famed La Fenice Opera House will hold a free concert at 5pm. In Turin, an official ceremony will be held in Piazza Castello on Monday morning, followed by live music performances from the Municipal Police Band. Free museum openings For the third year in a row, people around the country will be able to visit state-run museums and archaeological sites for free on Republic Day. This will apply to hundreds of sites, including world-famous attractions like Rome's Colosseum, Florence's Galleria dell'Accademia, the Pompeii ruins, and the Reggia di Caserta. A full list of the museums, palaces and archaeological parks you can visit free of charge on Monday is available on the Italian Culture Ministry's website. Please note that, though admission will be free, some venues may still require advance booking, so it's advisable to check the relevant site's own website beforehand. Closed shops and reduced public transport Schools and public offices including post offices, town hall desks and CAF tax assistance centres will be closed on Monday. Most businesses around the country will also be closed, though some supermarkets and shops in major cities may open for at least part of the day (usually morning- or afternoon-only). Shops in smaller cities and towns are likely to remain closed all day. As for local public transport, most operators around the country will run on a reduced holiday timetable (also known as orari festivi) on Monday. The overall quality and frequency of available services will vary significantly between rural and urban areas, as well as between cities. Areas that are usually served by the occasional bus may see very limited services on Monday. On the contrary, parts of the country with robust public transport networks, including major cities and tourist destinations, are likely to keep them fairly active. Regional and local rail services will be significantly reduced on Monday, whereas most interregional and long-distance operators will run according to standard weekend timetables, meaning you'll still find dozens of high-speed trains connecting major Italian cities around the country. Heavy traffic Italy's motorways (or autostrade) rarely see much in the way of heavy traffic on regular weekdays or weekends. But that all changes around national public holidays and long weekends. According to the latest Italian media reports, motorways and state roads (strade statali) connecting big cities to popular coastal or countryside locations are likely to be affected by heavy traffic this weekend. Congestion on Italy's roads is expected to be particularly intense in the evening of Friday, May 30th, and in the late afternoon/evening of Monday, June 2nd. It's also worth noting that traffic in major cities around the country may undergo major changes on Monday to allow for the safe unfolding of Republic Day celebrations. These changes can usually be found on the relevant city hall's website or social media channels. For instance, Rome authorities' road mobility plan for Monday can be found here (in Italian). If you're planning on travelling over the long weekend, there are a number of resources that you can use to keep up to date with the latest developments on the road. This online map from Italy's motorway construction and maintenance company ANAS features live updates on road closures, maintenance work, traffic levels and weather conditions. The service is also available through their mobile app, 'VAI'. Motorway company Autostrade per l'Italia offers a similar live map, which also shows the locations of the nearest petrol stations and service areas. If you'd like to speak directly with an operator while you're on the road, you can contact ANAS's customer service at 800 841 148 or the Transport Ministry's info centre (CCISS) at 1518. What will the weather be like? According to the latest weather forecasts, the centre and south of the country will experience sunny conditions and summer-like temperatures over the long weekend, with the mercury set to exceed 30C in cities including Rome, Bari, Cagliari and Palermo. Daytime temperatures are expected to stop short of the 30C mark in the north of the country, with overcast skies and localised showers forecast to interrupt a spell of sunny weather on Monday afternoon.
Metro
14-05-2025
- Metro
I found a hidden side to Rome in the 'city that never was'
When you think of Rome, you picture the Colosseum, narrow alleyways, and crowds of tourists. But as I survey my surroundings on the Viale Europa, the streets are deserted, the landscape positively futuristic. Arriving at The Hilton Rome EUR La Lama, a skyscraper with sharp rectangular angles and glass lifts, only adds to my confusion. Inside, the open-concept lobby boasts high ceilings and minimalist decor. 'Yes, you're in Rome,' the woman at the check-in desk confirms as she hands me my keycard. The view from my room is a striking bird's-eye view of a confusingly unfamiliar city. It turns out the Rome we know and love is just around the corner – 15 minutes away, within the city's ancient walls. But I'm in 'New Rome', a bizarre architectural vision of Italy's infamous fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini. Fuel your wanderlust with our curated newsletter of travel deals, guides and inspiration. Sign up here. The bombastic prime minister, who is best remembered for aligning himself with Adolf Hitler, hoped to create a new city centre that would showcase Italy's power, and celebrate 20 years of fascism. There was to be new roads and neighbourhoods built of glass and steel, an enormous concrete arch, and a huge building complex known as the Esposizione Universale di Roma or EUR, which could be constructed on the southern outskirts of the capital. Mussolini planned for New Rome to host the 1942 World Fair, where he expected to be praised for his genius. But the event was cancelled after when World World Two broke out in September 1939, leaving his grand designs half-finished. After the Germans were driven out of Rome in 1944, refugees flooded the city and tore the buildings apart for firewood. Stripped and abandoned, New Rome lay forgotten until the Italian government turned the EUR into a business district. Today, it's a corporate hub with restaurants, shops and residential areas. Walking around a 'ghost town' so close to Central Rome feels surreal. There are none of the queues that snake around the churches of the Vatican, nor the throngs jostling to throw coins in the Trevi Fountain. Along with the celebration of its Jubilee, 2025 has already been a bumper tourist year for the Eternal City. TUI has just reported a 227% increase in bookings to Rome between the April and May The papal conclave and record-time appointment of Pope Leo XIII have inspired Brits to look to Rome for their next trip, but most will miss out on its lesser-known sister. My first stop is Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, often referred to as the Square Colosseum, which was intended to be the crown jewel of New Rome. The imposing geometric structure dominates the skyline with its tight rows of arches, a nod to the classical round Colosseum. Widely considered to be the architectural icon of the Roman 20th century, it's now the headquarters of fashion brand Fendi. Nearby is the massive dome and marble facade of the Basilica dei Santi Pietro e Paolo, designed to compete with Rome's most iconic churches, like St. Peter's Basilica. The church's plaza provides a breathtaking view of the city — you can even see the dome of St. Peter's in the distance. At Laghetto dell'EUR, a man-made lake, I see people for the first time, including locals paddle boarding — a sight at odds with the landscape. New Rome, with its dark history and rationalist architecture, can't compete with the Renaissance style of central Rome, but it does offer an intriguing glimpse into the complex past of Italian urban planning. A tour guide I meet points out that Italians prefer to preserve structures, even controversial ones, rather than erase them — a lesson in learning from the past. For example, Milan's Stazione Centrale (Central Train Station) is one of Europe's largest and busiest stations, but it's also where more than 1,000 Jews were transported to concentration camps during the war. Traces of swastikas still remain on terminal walls. Staying in New Rome is cheaper than central Roman accommodation. My stay at the Hilton starts from around €150 (£130) per night. Dining follows a similar trend: in central Rome, a simple pasta dish at popular restaurants such as Ristorante La Tavernetta 48 will set you back around €23 (£19), whereas local gems in the EUR district, like Ristorante Il Fungo, serve comparable dishes for closer to €10 (£8.65). Lesser-known New Rome also provides respite from crowds, as the city centre battles with over tourism. When the Trevi fountain reopened after restoration works in December 2024, it did so with a new queuing system, due to so many crowds gathering around the monument. Rome will be exceptionally busy in 2025, as it marks the Holy Year of Jubilee. The Italian capital is tipped to become the epicentre of a global pilgrimage, with more than 35 million people expected to flock to it over the course of the year. Of course, there is still plenty to do in 'old' Rome, as it were. After a shower, spaghetti, and sleep, I jump on a metro, and within 15 minutes I'm in the city centre. A Vespa tour with Dearoma Tours (from £84 per person) is a good choice for weary feet. Zip swiftly through busy streets to the , bypassing the tantrums, tourists, and toddlers. My driver, Fabio, had a penchant for wheelies — the more petrified I was, the more he ramped things up. But it all added to the fun. Zip swiftly along busy streets to the Colosseum, the Circus Maximus, and one of my favourite stops: the Aventine Hill's Giardino degli Aranci, the Garden of Oranges. The garden, also known as Savello Park, is home to the Keyhole of the Knights of Malta. Peer through it, and you'll see St. Peter's Basilica perfectly framed by hedges. We end up at Piazza Navona with its fountains and bustling cafés, which feels like the beating heart of the city. I am told to quench my thirst at one of the many Nasone street fountains. Literally translated to 'large nose', they get their name from the design which features a large water spout. Be warned: drinking from one is a skill. A local kindly showed me how to press the lever just enough for a perfect stream, but I failed spectacularly – and repeatedly – spraying water all over myself and drawing gleeful laughter from passers-by. For lunch its hard to look past Aleph Rome, a bank turned boutique hotel that serves excellent shrimp and asparagus gnocchi. You can still see traces of its financial past in the architecture – vault doors and grand marble pillars. Luxury abounds at the Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria (we're talking £400 per night), where famous guests like Elizabeth Taylor and Leonardo DiCaprio have enjoyed Roman holidays. In the hotel's main lobby, I was stunned by the vast art collection — think Tiepolo, Venetian masters, and antique tapestries, all displayed in what feels like a private gallery. More Trending After a long day, I head back to my hotel in New Rome. As I leave the crowds behind me, I feel like the only tourist in on this secret. After sightseeing in Rome, I head to the coast for some R&R. Just an hour's flight away, picturesque Sardinia takes less time to get to than travelling from one side of London to another. A round-trip flight costs around £70-£150, depending on the season. To get my bearings, I join a tour around Cagliari, Sardinia's capital, where I explore Cathedral de Cagliari, with its stunning frescoes and an intricate baroque altar. The bustling main market is filled with fresh produce, handmade goods, and local delicacies. I gorge on bruschetta and seafood salads and carbonara, which will set you back £15-25 at the quaint and charming Sa Marina restaurant, which is located in the maze of charming allies that make up this town. My base is the quiet Conrad Chia Laguna Hotel on the island's southern coast, overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea and surrounded by rolling hills. The hotel is a haven for foodies. There are a few dining options: Sa Mesa, where I try handmade pasta paired with Sardinian wines, and Il Ginepro, the resort's main dining spot that serves a buffet-style feast of freshly grilled fish to Mediterranean salads. For a truly special dining experience, guests should take to the water for a sunset boat cruise (£100 per person) to sip on champagne and drink in the views. Of course, you can't come to Sardinia without trying its famous cheese. Around 1.5 million people live in Sardinia, but according to locals, they are outnumbered by sheep — 3 million of the furry creatures, in fact. I try cheese-making at Medau Sa Stiddiosa, an off-track spot best travelled to in a 4×4 to see the magic happen (around £50 per person). The tour ends with a meal of antipasti, grapes, and cheese on a rustic cottage veranda overlooking the hills. Dominique Hines was a guest of the Hilton Rome Eur La Lama. Rates start from £167 per night for a 'King Guest double room, based on two adults sharing. In Sardinia, she stayed at the Conrad Chia Laguna Sardinia. Rates from £318 for a Deluxe Room with double occupancy. This article was originally published on 16 January 2025 and has been updated to reflect recent developments. Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@ MORE: Is it safe to travel to Crete? Tourist warning after 5.9 magnitude earthquake hits Greek island MORE: 'Destination dupes' are more popular than ever – these are the best for 2025 MORE: Spain's unknown 'Garden of Europe' is 27°C in May — fly there for £18
Asia Times
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Asia Times
Panda politics: Zoos have always been ideological
President Donald Trump's sweeping range of more than 130 executive orders and other decisions aim to upend everything from long-standing immigration policy to the control of a performing arts center. But so far, zoos are not among the many issues the Trump administration has focused on. That might no longer be the case. Trump issued an executive order on March 27, 2025, to restore 'truth and sanity' at federal history sites. 'Over the past decade, Americans have witnessed a concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation's history,' Trump wrote in the executive order, 'replacing facts with a distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth.' As a corrective, he instructed Vice President JD Vance to ferret out 'improper ideology' at the Smithsonian Institution, a group of museums and research centers created and funded by the federal government. The executive order also applied to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., which has been part of the Smithsonian since 1890. For Trump's critics, the suggestion that zoos might be indoctrinating visitors was absurd. NBC 'Late Night' host Seth Meyers joked about the executive order on his show on April 2, characterizing it as evidence of an authoritarian personality. 'Seriously, what the hell is 'improper' ideology at the zoo? Trump is starting to get into weird dictator s—,' Meyers said. Meyers' astonishment should come as no surprise. Zoos go to great lengths to portray themselves as scientifically objective and politically neutral. Yet as a scholar of wars' effects on American culture and society, I know that zoos have always been ideological, sending subtle – and not so subtle – messages about topics that have little to do with animals. Historically, zoos have been used to justify colonial exploitation. They have lent weight to eugenicist ideas about racial hierarchy. And they have served as backdrops for all kinds of political theater. During the 1920s and 1930s, for example, Italian strongman Benito Mussolini liked to climb inside the lion cage at the Rome Zoo to demonstrate the courage and vitality he associated with fascist politics. As I argue in my 2025 book 'World War Zoos: Humans and Other Animals in the Deadliest Conflict of the Modern Age,' the links between zoos and national politics are especially pronounced in periods of war. Benito Mussolini, the longtime fascist dictator of Italy, visits a zoo in Rome in 1924. Zoo ownership and funding models depend on the individual zoo, but many zoos receive at least some government funding to operate. At the start of World War II, most governments required zoos to embrace an ideology of sacrifice – a willingness to set the needs of the state above their own. For zoos in North America and the British Empire, this meant slashing workers' pay, rationing food supplies and offering uniformed soldiers special access to zoo facilities. It also meant destroying animals considered a threat to public safety, especially in the event of a bombing or assault that could set them free. In 1939, the London Zoo killed more than 200 animals, starting with the black widow spiders and venomous snakes. Other zoos did the same, slaughtering their animal collections as a precaution against possible escape. Joan the hippo at the London Zoo gets a drink of water in June 1939. Photo: Fox Photos / Getty Images via The Conversation Authoritarian governments during World War II exercised almost total control over their nations' zoos. Under Adolf Hitler, German zoos enforced 'Aryan-only' visitation policies, festooned their grounds with swastikas, hosted galas for Nazi dignitaries and exhibited animals looted from zoos in occupied nations. In Japan, the governor of Tokyo ordered the Ueno Zoo to carry out a series of 'propaganda killings' aimed at strengthening public commitment to the wartime struggle. Starting in August 1943, zoo staff shot, electrocuted, stabbed and strangled more than 20 animals, including a polar bear, an American bison, a python and a leopard cub. Tokyo's zoo also starved to death three elephants named Jon, Tonki and Hanako. Weeks after the zoo held an official funeral for its animals, two of the three elephants that were not actually dead continued to suffer, their cages covered in bunting so the public would not see the ghastly evidence. Even as the fighting raged, the Soviet government directed its zoos to develop practical measures to help the war effort. At the Moscow Zoo, staff taught people how to breed mice and rabbits for medical applications, such as vaccine testing. All the while, Soviet zoo employees had to demonstrate ideological vigilance in the workplace. Any slip-up could mean official sanction, loss of position or worse. During the Cold War, governments around the world continued to view zoos through an ideological lens. This was especially true in Berlin, where the city's two zoos – one in the capitalist West, the other in the communist East – became symbols of competing ideological worldviews. No zoo animals were more ideologically fraught in the Cold War than giant pandas, endemic to the forested mountains of central China. In the 1950s and 1960s, American zoos were denied permission by the U.S. government to import pandas from China. The State Department considered them 'enemy goods.' First lady Pat Nixon welcomes pandas to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., in 1972. That changed in 1972, when President Richard Nixon, during a thawing of the Cold War, famously returned from China with Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing, the first giant pandas who were gifted to and exhibited in the US in decades. The National Zoo unveiled China's latest 'soft power ambassadors' in January 2025. Three-year-old pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao are set to remain in DC for 10 years – long enough to win the hearts and minds of millions of zoo visitors. John M Kinder is professor of history and American studies, Oklahoma State University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
San Francisco Chronicle
06-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
The road to V-E Day, from the assault on Berlin to bonfires and dancing in the capitals of Europe
LONDON (AP) — — April 16, 1945: The Soviet Red Army begins its final assault on Berlin, the capital of Nazi Germany. — April 28: Former Italian fascist premier Benito Mussolini is executed by Italian partisans near Lake Como. — April 29: British Field Marshal Harold Alexander accepts the unconditional surrender of German and Italian forces in Italy and western Austria in a ceremony at the Palace of Caserta, north of Naples. The surrender formally takes effect at noon May 2. — April 30: Adolf Hitler commits suicide in his bunker under the Reich Chancellery in Berlin. Adm. Karl Dönitz succeeds him as Germany's head of state. — May 2: Soviet forces complete their conquest of Berlin as the last defenders surrender. — May 4: British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery accepts the surrender of German forces in northwestern Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands at Luneberg Heath, south of Hamburg. — May 7: Supreme Allied Commander U.S. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower accepts the unconditional surrender of all German forces at Allied headquarters in Reims, France. The document of surrender is signed at 2:41 a.m. by Gen. Alfred Jodl at the direction of Dönitz. It goes into effect the next day. Soviet leaders refuse to recognize the document as the final surrender because the ceremony doesn't reflect their country's key role in defeating Nazi Germany. Later in the day, the BBC interrupts scheduled programming to announce that the next day would be Victory in Europe Day and had been declared a national holiday. People start celebrating right away, lighting bonfires and filling pubs.
Toronto Star
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
The road to V-E Day, from the assault on Berlin to bonfires and dancing in the capitals of Europe
LONDON (AP) — — April 16, 1945: The Soviet Red Army begins its final assault on Berlin, the capital of Nazi Germany. — April 28: Former Italian fascist premier Benito Mussolini is executed by Italian partisans near Lake Como. — April 29: British Field Marshal Harold Alexander accepts the unconditional surrender of German and Italian forces in Italy and western Austria in a ceremony at the Palace of Caserta, north of Naples. The surrender formally takes effect at noon May 2. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW — April 30: Adolf Hitler commits suicide in his bunker under the Reich Chancellery in Berlin. Adm. Karl Dönitz succeeds him as Germany's head of state. — May 2: Soviet forces complete their conquest of Berlin as the last defenders surrender. — May 4: British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery accepts the surrender of German forces in northwestern Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands at Luneberg Heath, south of Hamburg. — May 7: Supreme Allied Commander U.S. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower accepts the unconditional surrender of all German forces at Allied headquarters in Reims, France. The document of surrender is signed at 2:41 a.m. by Gen. Alfred Jodl at the direction of Dönitz. It goes into effect the next day. Soviet leaders refuse to recognize the document as the final surrender because the ceremony doesn't reflect their country's key role in defeating Nazi Germany. — May 7: The Associated Press flashes news of the surrender at 9:35 a.m. Eastern War Time (3:35 p.m. in London). Later in the day, the BBC interrupts scheduled programming to announce that the next day would be Victory in Europe Day and had been declared a national holiday. People start celebrating right away, lighting bonfires and filling pubs. — May 8: German Field Marshal William Keitel signs the Definitive Act of Military Surrender in Berlin, satisfying Soviet concerns about the Reims surrender. The document was signed at around midnight in Berlin. Russia celebrates the end of the war on May 9.
