Farage is doing what fascists do. Claiming the "will of the people" or "his people" is more important than the law.

Farage chooses to fight a by-election because, like so many far-right agitators (Salvini springs to mind), campaigning is the only thing he is good at with ample opportunity to milk media attention. As always, it is easier to produce propaganda than to take responsibility and govern.

Sorry Nigel, but your attempt to play the mafioso is pathetic. All you are showing is fear.

Chaos at Catania Airport forced to close due to volcanic ash from Mount Etna. The US Naval Air Base at Sigonella has also had to shut down operations.

Frankly, if you don't see a problem with this you don't understand the meaning of the word "sport".

Ironically, since Italy tightened regulations on cold calling, the vast majority of cold calls I receive are from French numbers.

Remember all the praise Meloni got for standing up to Trump when he insulted her last time? Well, he's insulted her again and this time ... silence. She's ordered all her Ministers to stay silent as well. The only ones criticising Trump this time around are the leaders of opposition parties.

We have a fascist government and they can't even make the trains run on time.

Italian railways improved dramatically over a 20-year period but over the last 3 to 4 years they've become much less reliable. By pure coincidence the Minister of Infrastructure & Transport for the last 4 years has been Matteo Salvini. He's still looking for a way to blame the decline on immigrants.

Right-wing press continues to hound Gratteri just as happened with Falcone & Borsellino. Maybe they hope for the same result. Gratteri won't care. He has fought 'ndrangheta for most of his career & has been living under close police protection for 37 years. He won't worry about a few cheap hacks.

For anyone flying to Catania in the next few days be aware that the airport is currently closed due to an eruption of Mount Etna.

If Farage avoids the mainstream media he is finished. They created him, they nurtured him and they have continued to give him far more prominence than he deserves. If he spurns them they will ignore him and could even turn against him.

In the UK this is all considered a matter for the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. In Italy the Guardia di Finanza would be crawling all over his financial affairs and antimafia magistrates would be closely following his activities. They would quickly wipe that smirk off his face.

Right-wing press continues to hound Gratteri just as happened with Falcone & Borsellino. Maybe they hope for the same result. Gratteri won't care. He has fought 'ndrangheta for most of his career & has been living under close police protection for 37 years. He won't worry about a few cheap hacks.

Cristo si è fermato a Eboli. L'alta velocità si è fermata a Salerno.

In the UK this is all considered a matter for the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. In Italy the Guardia di Finanza would be crawling all over his financial affairs and antimafia magistrates would be closely following his activities. They would quickly wipe that smirk off his face.

Bologna high speed train station has no Wi-Fi.

Starting my journey from one end of Italy to the other. As long as my 4 trains and one ferry don't play any tricks I should be home in 15 hours' time.

Remember Meloni being praised for standing up to Trump for the insults she received? There was talk of boycotting the traditional reception for Independence Day at the US Embassy in Rome. In the end both Deputy PMs (one of whom is Foreign Minister) attended, as well as Meloni's sister Arianna.

If the USA win the World Cup will Americans start calling the sport "American football"?

If the USA win the World Cup will Americans start calling the sport "American football"?

Trump inaugurates US high speed rail service.

An 88-year-old nun in Palermo has been charged with frauduently obtaining €210k in donations from worshippers over a period of 14 years by threatening that they would otherwise go to hell.

Evening vibes.

Current mood.

One month since local council elections here in Messina and we already have our first councillor under investigation.

A train journey along the coast of Calabria never disappoints.

Salvini is jinxing my train and trying to make me miss my connection.

A train journey along the coast of Calabria never disappoints.

The Ustica disaster is one of those numerous tragedies I often cite when talking about the resilience of the Italian state. Maybe, however, it is the fact that the truth remains unknown in so many cases that has helped the Italian state to survive.

The Ustica disaster is one of those numerous tragedies I often cite when talking about the resilience of the Italian state. Maybe, however, it is the fact that the truth remains unknown in so many cases that has helped the Italian state to survive.

Now 46 years and still no certainty about what happened.

Italian public administration didn't use to have a single established name for the UK. I once discovered I had three different identities for the pension office with three different countries of birth: "Gran Bretagna", "Regno Unito" & "Regno Unito di Gran Bretagna ed Irlanda del Nord".

Reform will be happy only when the population is composed entirely of white English men and white English women who accept being subsurvient to white English men.

25th June 1992, 33 days after Giovanni Falcone's murder and 24 days before his own murder, Paolo Borsellino unexpectedly makes a dramatic and moving public appearance at Palermo Library, with a speech that comes to be known as "The Days of Judas" [Thread] >> 1

You've orchestrated your last electric light.

"Sposi" non sono, visto che i loro partiti ancora bloccano il matrimonio fra persone dello stesso sesso nel nostro paese. È un'unione civile, un istituto al quale i loro stessi partiti si sono opposti quando fu introdotto nel 2016. Basta ipocrisia.

Sick of disingenuous headlines like this. These two Mayors, one from Fratelli d'Italia & the other from Lega, did not get married. Same-sex marriage is still not legal in Italy, thanks to their own parties. They contracted a "civil union", which their parties also opposed when introduced in 2016.

Sick of disingenuous headlines like this. These two Mayors, one from Fratelli d'Italia & the other from Lega, did not get married. Same-sex marriage is still not legal in Italy, thanks to their own parties. They contracted a "civil union", which their parties also opposed when introduced in 2016.

23rd June 1945, two months after the arrest and execution of Mussolini, in which she played a key role, Italian partisan Giuseppina Tuissi (nickname "Gianna") disappears on her 22nd birthday, almost certainly murdered and thrown into Lake Como. Her body has never been recovered [Thread] >> 1

Yay! Italian government funds for AI and advanced technology in the south. Can we have mains water for more than 5 hours a day next?

Poorly programmed Dalek in a South Carolina accent, "Obliterate! Obliterate!"

Members of 'ndrangheta can't afford to get fat.

Current state of US-Italy relations.

Reminder that 2 years ago the EU signed an agreement with Tunisia whereby the latter rounds up migrants & dumps them in the desert on the Libyan & Algerian borders, where many die. When EU leaders boast of reducing the number of drownings in the Mediterranean remember they've just outsourced death.

Current state of US-Italy relations.

Reminder that 2 years ago the EU signed an agreement with Tunisia whereby the latter rounds up migrants & dumps them in the desert on the Libyan & Algerian borders, where many die. When EU leaders boast of reducing the number of drownings in the Mediterranean remember they've just outsourced death.

20th June 1944, Cleonice Tomassetti (32) is executed by Nazi troops, along with 41 other Italian partisans, at Fondotoce, on the shores of Lake Maggiore. This is her story [Thread] >> 1

I know they are only doing it because they are client journalists for Meloni but this must be the first ever 'Libero' front page headline to be factually accurate.

Life comes at you fast when you are client journalists for Meloni.