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INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES. A new study by UC Berkeley and Italian researchers may have solved a decades-long mystery behind the source of a tree-killing fungus that affected six of the world's seven continents. (Read the article)
INDIEWIRE. The Ides of March is a political thriller that fits Venice like a silk glove. It’s smart, sophisticated and politically astute, written with a shrewd intelligence and featuring stars (Clooney himself, Ryan Gosling, Evan Rachel Wood and Marisa Tomei) who offer Hollywood glamour while engaging in work that’s more than a cut above routine Hollywood product. (Read the article)
FREDERICKSBURG PATCH. Sidewalk chalk drawings bring back childhood memories for most, but for some it is a career, a joy, and a passion. Known as street painting, this Italian chalk art tradition dates back to the sixteenth century and has grown in popularity today. This year marks the second annual Via Colori Festival in Fredericksburg, VA. (Read the article)
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's penchant for dramatic flourishes is out of sync with a slow-burning debt crisis that demands steady political leadership and a clear plan to tackle Italy's chronically low economic growth, some analysts and observers say. (Read the article)
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Among favorites we find, Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley and Viggo Mortensen starring in director David Cronenberg's latest feature, A Dangerous Method, revolving around the turbulent relationships between psychiatrist Carl Jung, his mentor Sigmund Freud and Sabina Speilrein. The film is making its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, with Sony Pictures Classics releasing the film in late November. (Read the article)
ANSA. Workers' rights are essential in a democracy and should not be driven by the markets, the Vatican's Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, stated at a conference of the Association of Italian Christian Workers (ACLI). "Social rights are an integral part of a real democracy and a commitment to respect that cannot depend merely on trends in the markets or stock exchanges," Bertone said. (Read the article)
ANSA. Premier Silvio Berlusconi's description of Italy as a "s**t country" provoked a furious reaction from his political opponents. According to a telephone conversation recorded by Naples prosecutors in July, Berlusconi was disgusted by the way he was treated in Italy and threatened to leave. (Read the article)
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Pop idol-turned-director Madonna was in center of attention with her first-ever trip to the Venice Film Festival to promote her Wallis Simpson-based drama, charming a standing room only press conference with provocative remarks and sparking an unusual rush to the front as reporters tried to get the autograph or snap a photo of the Material Girl. (Read the article)
THE INDEPENDENT. Italy is famed for its healthy Mediterranean diet, but alarming new figures show that it has a higher proportion of overweight children than anywhere in Europe. While the rest of the world is encouraged to copy the traditional Italian menu it seems Italians are forgetting the lessons they taught everyone else. (Read the article)
TIME. Blurb, the self-publishing giant, and sponsor of the Photography Book Now, announced the competition’s $25,000 Grand Prize winner —Italian photographer Valerio Spada for Gomorrah Girl. The book explores the murder of Naples resident Annalisa Durante, a young woman caught in the crossfire of violence. (Read the article)