Italian contemporary art on view in Seoul

Besides the rich artistic history of the Renaissance, Italian art, especially contemporary art, has been rarely introduced to the Korean audience in depth. This month, an exhibition of 22 Italian artists offers a chance for Koreans to understand Italian contemporary art. The event is part of the project by SongEun Art Space that introduces contemporary art from various countries that has yet to be spotlighted.

The exhibition, co-organized by the Italian Cultural Institute in Seoul, presents artworks by young Italian artists that explore personal and social issues. The artists are aged between 30 and 49. Some of their works do not only deal with universal themes, but also those close to Italian identity and society. The exhibition borrows its title, “We Have Never Been Modern,” from French sociologist Bruno Latour’s publication on modernity. “Showing the modernity of Italian art is a challenge, but we start by creating a dialogue between artworks and audiences,” said Maria Rosa Sossai, one of the curators of the exhibition at a recent press preview in Seoul.

For some artists, modernity is in line with the past. One of them is Ettore Favini, who presents a symbolic installation of his life. The “Cantra” is made from the trunk of the tree planted by his parents the day after their honeymoon. Favini connects different colors of threads to the tree trunk as symbols of vulnerability and the unpredictable nature of life.

Moira Ricci takes inspiration from the life of her mother, who passed away in 2004. The artist collected 50 photographs of her mother and edited herself in them. The artist seeks to enter and learn about her mother’s life by positioning herself next to her in important stages of her life as well as in daily life. Art can also be the most effective tool in solving personal issues.

Francesca Grilli presents a film work featuring an interview with her father, whom she hadn’t talked to for nearly a decade. In the interview, her father tells a story from his childhood, when his mother forbid him from listening to music. The artist also traces the meaning of her name through the conversation with her father. The artists also reflect certain aspects of Italian society.

Valerio Rocco Orlando points out how government policies have a huge impact on personal lives, through his neon light installation that reads “Personale e Political (Personal is Political),” a slogan from Italy’s women’s right movement of the 1960s and ’70s. The handwriting of the phrase came from a student who attended the artist’s education workshop.

Elisabetta Benassi criticizes the current political situation in Italy through her 1 lira coin sculpture. She has sculpted the coin into the shape of the Italian geographical map. The map has never appeared as an image on either coins or bills under the Italian lira currency and will never be used under the euro system.

Paola Pivi seeks to push the limit of contemporary art with an unusual performance in which 84 goldfish in glass bowls are passengers on an airplane. The artist conducted the performance on March 21, 2009, in an airplane flying over New Zealand. On display in the exhibition is the photograph of goldfish bowls placed on a row of airplane seats.

The exhibition runs through Aug. 9 at SongEun Art Space. For more information, visit:

www.songeunartspace.org

Italy unveils permanent Milan Expo pavilion that will "purify the atmosphere from smog"

Italy has become the latest nation to unveil proposals for the Milan Expo 2015, which include a pavilion with an air-cleaning facade designed by Roma studio Nemesi & Partners to resemble tree branches 

As one of the few expo structures that will remain on the site after the fair is over, the Palazzo Italia will comprise a six-storey building with an intricate lattice skin conceived in "the image of a petrified forest", according to Nemesi & Partners. 

The architects plan to create the facade using a bespoke air-cleaning cement patented by material manufacturer Italcementi. "In direct sunlight, the active principle contained in the material 'captures' certain pollutants present in the air and converts them into inert salts, helping to purify the atmosphere from smog," said the studio in a statement.

The pavilion's interior will centre around an open square, which will form the start of the exhibition. It will be surrounded by four blocks, creating exhibition and events spaces to the west and south, and offices and meeting rooms to the north and east.

The building will also feature a vaulted roof built from steel beams and photovoltaic glass panels. Nemesi & Partners will collaborate with engineering firms Proger and BMS Projects and sustainability consultant Livio De Santoli to deliver the building in time for the expo, which takes place between May and October 2015.

The team will also create a series of temporary structures known as the Cardo buildings to accommodate additional exhibitions, restaurants and events. Based on "the Italian village", these will include small squares, terraces and porticoes.

French court upholds Rizzo extradition to Italy

Wife of convicted mafia fugitive arrested at Nice airport

(ANSA) - Genoa, May 14 - A French court upheld Italy's extradition request for Chiara Rizzo, wife of former MP and convicted mafia fugitive Amedeo Matacena, on Wednesday. Rizzo was arrested Monday at the Nice airport and could be returned Friday to Italy where she faces allegations of mafia association and conspiracy.

Rizzo had been arrested right after her flight landed from Dubai, where her husband is a fugitive from Italian justice after receiving a binding five-year conviction for mafia links. Rizzo said then that she was ready to "put herself at the disposal" of the Italian justice system and "clear up" the matter of her husband, who is said to be close to the Rosmini clan of Calabria's notorious 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate.

Last week the affair made headlines after former cabinet minister Claudio Scajola was arrested and put under investigation for alleged criminal conspiracy and mafia association, on suspicion he helped Matacena flee. Investigators claim Scajola, a 66-year-old member of ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right Forza Italia (FI) party and former industry and interior minister under separate Berlusconi governments, tried to help Matacena reach the Lebanese capital Beirut from Dubai.

On Tuesday, investigators said that among the papers seized from Scajola was a letter attributed to former Lebanese president Amine Gemayel and marked with notes in Scajola's handwriting concerning Matacena fleeing to Lebanon. A spokesman for Gemayel has previously said that suggestions of a relationship with Scajola were "totally false". That statement came after an Italian judge said last Friday that Scajola had boasted he was in touch with a Lebanese cabinet minister who could help hide fugitive Italian politicians.

Scajola allegedly made the boast last October during a taped telephone call to Rizzo, according to a judge involved in the case. Prosecutors have said Scajola and the seven other people against whom arrest warrants have been served in connection with the case were "the terminus of a complex and largely secret criminal system that also operated on foreign territory". 

'Mozzarella King' arrested on suspicion of mafia association

'Stonewalled investigation into 1990 Mob hit' investigators say

(ANSA) - Naples, May 14 - Police on Wednesday placed the owner of one of Italy's leading mozzarella companies under house arrest on suspicion of criminal association, money laundering, and obstruction of justice. Investigators believe that beginning in 1983, Giuseppe Mandara, 68, a third-generation mozzarella producer of the Campania region's trademark cheese, expanded his dairy empire with help from the La Torre clan of the Camorra mafia, eventually becoming known as the Mozzarella King.

Mandara's dairy company is based in the town of Mondragone, where the La Torre clan operates. The clan allegedly drove Mandara's business rivals off neighboring dairy farms and paid off his company's debts to the tune of 700 million lire (approximately 360,000 euros). Prosecutors also claim Mandara stonewalled an investigation into the 1990 mob slaying of agribusiness owner Antonio Nugnes, who was the deputy mayor of Mondragone at the time. Boss Augusto La Torre had him shot to death for refusing to collaborate with the clan, and threw his body into a 40-meter well. La Torre turned State's witness in 2003, when he led investigators to the dump site of Nugnes' body. Mandara has already been arrested once, in July 2012, on charges of mafia association and counterfeit mozzarella production. The Mozzarella King beat that rap, but investigators now have new evidence thanks to testimony from various State's witnesses and phone taps.

Also on Wednesday, a regional coordinator from ex premier and tax-fraud convict Silvio Berlusconi's center-right Forza Italia party defended the Mozzarella King. "Mandara is a gentleman and an entrepreneur who produces wealth and employment, and yet he has been treated like a criminal for the past two decades", said Amedeo Laboccetta. "How long does this manhunt have to go on?" 

Assoelettrica chief slams Italy's power pricing system

Testa says two-tiered prices creates 'electrical poverty'

(ANSA) - Rome, May 14 - The president of the Italian electrical association Assoelettrica on Monday condemned distortions created by Italy's two-tiered pricing system for imposing a kind of "electrical poverty" on consumers. "The conditions for benefiting from the D2, the apparently subsidized tariff, seem to belong to the Italy that once was," said Chicco Testa at an annual assembly in Rome, explaining that the lower tariff benefits only "residents with power not exceeding 3 kW".

Testa added that just turning on an air conditioner would exceed the limit, forcing consumers to pay "not in proportion to their greater energy use, but bouncing directly to another category, the D3, in which the unitary cost for the kWh is almost double". Thus a family of four with normal electrical consumption could not enjoy the subsidized tariff, he said.

Testa concluded that he doubted whether the subsidized D2 tariff "truly defends consumers and doesn't instead force them - if they don't want to lose benefits - to a sort of electrical poverty that conflicts with the benefits and betterment of quality of life that can result from the use of electricity". 

Explorers 'find Columbus' flagship'

The Santa Maria reportedly discovered off Haiti

(ANSA) - Port Au Prince, May 14 - A team of archaeological investigators announced they may have discovered the lost remains of Christopher Columbus' flagship, the Santa Maria, at the bottom of the sea off the north coast of Haiti over five centuries after it ran aground. The Santa Maria was the largest of three ships with which Columbus crossed the Atlantic for the first time in 1492. "All the geographical, underwater topography and archaeological evidence strongly suggests that this wreck is Columbus' famous flagship, the Santa Maria", Barry Clifford, a top US underwater archaeological investigator who led a recent reconnaissance expedition to the site, told The Independent in an interview published on Tuesday.

Tentatively identifying the wreck of the Santa Maria was possible thanks to other discoveries he and his team made in 2003, which suggested the likely location of Columbus' fort in Haiti. This reportedly enabled Clifford to use information from Columbus' diary to get a better understanding of where the wreck should be. A re-examination of underwater photos from the previous expedition combined with new data from reconnaissance dives on the site earlier this month, have enabled the team to tentatively identify a wreck he and his team investigated back in 2003 as the Santa Maria.

A cannon was also found as part of the wreckage. The flagship of Columbus' small fleet set sail on August 3, 1942 from Spain under the sponsorship of King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I. The voyage aimed to find a westward route to China, India and the gold and spice islands in the East. But the land sailors encountered in October 1492 was a Caribbean island.

Columbus then established a fort in Haiti and in December 1492, the Santa Maria accidentally ran aground off its coast. He eventually returned to Spain in January 1493 with the two remaining ships, the Nina and the Pinta. 

'Italy's great beauty also a development tool' says Renzi

Premier comments on Riace Bronzes during museum visit

(ANSA) - Reggio Calabria, May 14 - Italy must look upon its artistic and archeological heritage as a gateway to development as well as a vehicle of beauty, Premier Matteo Renzi said Wednesday.

"Italy must use masterpieces such as the Riace Bronzes, not only for spiritual enrichment but also as a development factor", the premier said during a visit to Reggio Calabria's archaeological museum. The world-famous statues, a supreme achievement of the pre-Roman southern Italian civilisation known as Magna Graecia, recently returned to the museum after a two-year restoration. "The Bronzes also hold another kind of beauty, which is their anti-seismic pedestals designed by (national technology, energy and environment agency) ENEA. We hold the patent, and the Japanese are interested", Renzi explained. The full-size bronzes of naked bearded warriors, cast about 460-420 BC, were found in the sea near the coastal Calabrian town of Riace in 1972.

They emerged from conservation in 1981, when their public display in Florence and Rome was the cultural event of that year in Italy. Now considered one of the symbols of Calabria, the bronzes were commemorated by a pair of Italian postage stamps and have also been widely reproduced. 

Napolitano didn't participate in 'plot' meetings

Geithner book feeds speculation Berlusconi was felled in 2011

(ANSA) - Rome, May 14 - President Giorgio Napolitano said in a statement Wednesday that he did not participate in any of the international meetings in which European officials allegedly plotted to bring down Silvio Berlusconi's government in 2011. Rumours that the third Berlusconi's government was scuppered by a conspiracy were fueled this week by a new book by former US Treasury secretary Timothy Geithner. The former Treasury secretary wrote that in 2011, at a G-20 meeting, Europeans were pushing the White House to get involved in pressuring Berlusconi out of office, as Italy risked a Greek-style financial meltdown with the spread between Italian 10-year bonds and their German counterpart ballooning to over 500 points and yields above 7%.

Napolitano was instrumental in engineering the emergency technocrat administration led by ex-premier Mario Monti that replaced Berlusconi's administration in November 2011. But the head of State said Wednesday that he did not have the right to participate in any of the reported meetings at which there was alleged talk of toppling Berlusconi. The conspiracy theories were also boosted by another book earlier this year that revealed Napolitano contacted Monti some time before the Berlusconi government collapsed.

In Wednesday's statement, Napolitano said that any alleged "pressure or coercion" that Berlusconi was subject to when he quit was "never brought to the attention" of the Head of State. "The resignation freely and responsibly delivered by premier Berlusconi on November 12, 2011, having previously been announced on November 8, was not explained, except in regards to political-parliamentary events, in both cases," the statement said.

Berlusconi, meanwhile, said Geithner's book reinforced his assertion Wednesday that Italy has endured a series of "coups", including the end of his third government in 2011. "We've been fighting for freedom for 20 years and faced four coups," the 77-year-old media magnate told a meeting of his opposition centre-right Forza Italia (FI), which is calling for a parliamentary inquiry into Geithner's revelations. Other "coups" that Berlusconi says Italy has endured include the collapse of his first, short-lived government in 1994 after a criminal probe and his ejection from parliament last year following a definitive tax-fraud conviction. On Wednesday Berlusconi also reiterated his assertion that the tax-fraud conviction is part of a two-decade campaign by left-wing elements in the judiciary to wipe him from the political arena.

Geithner's book fans suspicions of plot to oust Berlusconi

Ex-premier's party demands parliamentary inquest

(ANSA) - Rome, May 13 - The party of Silvio Berlusconi demanded a parliamentary inquest on Tuesday after a new book by former US Treasury secretary Timothy Geithner fomented suspicions of a coordinated plot among European leaders to oust the three-time premier from office at the height of the sovereign-debt crisis in 2011. “The decisive proof of a European plot against Italy to bring down Silvio Berlusconi comes from Obama's America," said Renato Brunetta, the House whip of the center-right Forza Italia (FI). "We urgently call for the formation of a parliamentary investigation committee, embodied with the full powers of the Constitution". In his 580-page book Stress Test, Geithner recounts interactions with fellow members of the Obama administration as it sought to repair the nation's financial system in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The former Treasury secretary writes that in 2011, at a G-20 meeting, Europeans were pushing the White House to get involved in pressuring Berlusconi out of office, as Italy risked a Greek-style financial meltdown with the spread between Italian 10-year bonds and their German counterpart ballooning to over 500 points and yields above 7%.

In his account, Geithner was opposed to interfering, writing, "We can't have his blood on our hands". The Italian premier eventually stepped down in November 2011 as MPs from his party defected and upset his majority. Berlusconi, a billionaire media magnate banned from office last year for a 370-million-euro tax fraud, has long claimed he is the victim of an organized left-wing conspiracy, citing his 20 years of legal entanglements as proof. House whip Brunetta said Tuesday that Berlusconi's "political and judicial ouster was the apex" of the alleged plot.

In addition to his ban from office, the 77-year-old ex-premier is currently performing community service at a nursing home as part of his four-year commuted sentence. He is also appealing a seven-year sentence for buying sex from an underage prostitute nicknamed Ruby and abusing his office in an attempt to cover it up. And in another case, he is on trial for allegedly bribing a Senator with millions of euros to switch parties and destabilize the government of Romano Prodi. In each case, Berlusconi denies all wrongdoing. 

Gucci 'black widow' poised for community service

Reggiani may serve last 3 years of murder term in charity work

(ANSA) Milan, May 13 - A prosecutor said Tuesday that he was in favour of Gucci fashion empire heir Patrizia "black widow" Reggiani serving the last three years of her 26-year prison term handed down for ordering the murder by a hitman of her husband Maurizio Gucci by doing community service.

Reggiani may work for three years working in a gift shop and with the Caritas Catholic charity organisation having spent 16 years in prison and receiving a reduction for good behaviour in the amount of her sentence she has to spend behind bars. The recommendation now has to be confirmed by a panel of judges.

Reggiani's lawyer told the prosecutor that she considers herself "not guilty" of ordering her husband's March 27, 1995, murder by a professional hitman who testified she paid him to carry out the slaying. eggiani is "not guilty because she became guilty for certain friendships that ruined her life and that of her daughters and family, but she is totally extraneous to what happened", her lawyer claimed. 

Rome museums, but not Colosseum, open late Saturday night

Mayor hopes staff will decide to include famous monument

(ANSA) - Rome, May 13 - Rome Mayor Ignazio Marino said Tuesday that he hopes that, despite a staff shortage, the Colosseum could be included in special night openings of museums and monuments Saturday. The nocturnal opening, including a programme of exhibits, theatre shows and readings for a one-euro entry fee, is part of a special international event involving more than 3,000 museums in 40 countries.

This year will mark the sixth time the event has been held in Rome. lavia Barca, city councillor for culture, said that many embassies, foreign academies and cultural institutes in Rome also will throw open their doors on Saturday night. City museums will be open till 2 a.m. local time on Sunday while national museums will be open till midnight.

Meanwhile, the mayor held talks with Culture Minister Dario Franceschini to try to persuade him to find a solution to allow the Colosseum also to stay open despite a staff shortage. "I spoke to Franceschi about the Night of Museums and about the news that one of the greatest attractions of our country, the Colosseum, would be closed," Marino said. "The question is very clear...the minister can only open it if among all the staff there are at least five people willing to work, obviously in return for payment for their work," added Marino. "As a Roman and as mayor, I am certain that there will be five people willing to sacrifice a few hours of their time to allow the opening of the Colosseum...I really hope that there will be a sense of generosity and responsibility so that the Colosseum can stay open". 

Mafia 'boss of bosses' indicted for 1984 train bombing

Toto' Riina charged with ordering massacre of 16 people

(ANSA) - Florence, May 13 - Cosa Nostra 'boss of bosses' Toto' Riina was indicted Tuesday for a 1984 train bombing that killed 16 people. Prosecutors in Florence charged Riina with ordering the massacre aboard the Rapido 904 train on the Florence-Bologna line. The trial, which is set to begin November 25, comes after Premier Matteo Renzi last month signed an order to declassify secret case files surrounding unsolved investigations that have raised questions for decades. Riina, 83, is already serving life sentences for his part in the extremely violent 1992 murders of anti-Mafia crusading magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, among others.

His lawyer told a court Tuesday he was preparing a request to transfer Riina to hospital from his imprisonment under the tough '41-bis' high-security prison regime for Italy's most dangerous criminals. Riina, who is serving out 12 life sentences, has had three heart bypasses and is said to be suffering from back and thyroid problems, as well as suspected prostate cancer. Nevertheless, magistrates say 'The Beast' still has a big say in running Cosa Nostra even though he has been in jail since 1993. 

Lebanon to rule 'shortly' on Dell'Utri extradition

(refiling, changing statement from Lebanese spokesman, 5th graf)

(ANSA) - Beirut, May 13 - Lebanon will rule on whether to extradite former Italian Senator Marcello Dell'Utri "shortly", the justice ministry there told ANSA on Tuesday. The longtime ally of ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi is facing extradition to Italy after his arrest last month on an Interpol warrant in Beirut for allegedly fleeing a likely conviction from the supreme court for Mafia association. When asked if his extradition could take place before the end of the week, Lebanese Justice Ministry spokesman Ahmad al Ayubi said, "nothing is stopping it, but I don't have information regarding it". Over the weekend Italian Justice Minister Andrea Orlando said it was odd that his extradition was taking so long. On Tuesday, the Lebanese spokesman responded, "Lebanon respects Italy's laws, sovereignty, and institutions. At the same time, Lebanon is a sovereign nation with its own laws, and its institutions work according to the needs and precepts of Lebanese law". Dell'Utri, who denies wrongdoing, faces seven years in prison.

He claims he was in the Lebanese capital for health treatment, and shortly after his arrest on an Interpol warrant he was hospitalized under police guard. His Lebanese lawyer said last week that he will ask prosecutors there to ignore Italy's extradition request after it allegedly violated the extradition treaty between the two countries when it requested his arrest. Dell'Utri's original conviction came when a Palermo court found that he sealed "a pact of protection" with Cosa Nostra for Berlusconi at a meeting in May 1974 - a meeting that the court said "formed the genesis of the relationship that linked the businessman (Berlusconi) and the Mafia with Dell'Utri's mediation".

Berlusconi employed a Mafia boss and killer recommended by Dell'Utri, the late Vittorio Mangano, as an alleged stable manager in the mid 1970s - but allegedly to protect his children from kidnappings that were then rampant in Italy. Dell'Utri is also the former head of the media magnate's advertising arm and is credited with creating the three-time premier's centre-right party, Forza Italia, in 1993, six months before it swept to victory in general elections. According to prosecutors, Dell'Utri had been considering since last fall where to flee if he lost his case in the Court of Cassation.

They say authorities intercepted a conversation involving Dell'Utri's brother Alberto in a Rome restaurant discussing passports and safe havens for his brother, including Lebanon where he said Marcello Dell'Utri allegedly had connections. "You have to have people in place who give you a hand, help you...so you do not have to go there and not know anyone...but these (matters) are well settled," Alberto Dell'Utri reportedly said. His extradition must ultimately be approved by the prime minister and president of Lebanon.

Milan opens its Expo Gate, designed by Scandurrastudio, ahead of the World Expo in 2015

Though it is still one year away, Milan got its first taste of hosting the World Expo this past weekend when the city's Expo Gate officially opened. Conceived as a link between the historic centre and the Universal Exhibition that takes place 20 minutes outside of the city, Expo Gate is a 19m metal structure situated in front of Milan's imposing 15th century Castello Sforzesco.

Designed by Italian architect Alessandro Scandurra of Scandurrastudio, the structure is composed of two booth-like pavilions around a central square. Its modular, transparency-based design was inspired by other areal frameworks such as the Eiffel tower. But unlike that historic structure, the Gate imparts its power with a low-impact building strategy that allows for an easy build and reconversion, as well as a construction composed entirely from recyclable materials.

The Expo gate will serve as an info point as well as a stage for multimedia interdisciplinary events connected to Expo 2015 over an 18 month period. The entire program of activity, including this weekend's inaugural kick off party, has been conceived by artistic curator Caroline Corbetta.

The action kicked off on Saturday with a marching band parade that originated in Piazza San Babila, complete with highschool students wearing eyemaks made by the workshop #CheFacciaHaMilano and 2000 balloons designed by Matteo Cibic. The mob made its way to Expo Gate where it was met with a DJ set by Italian songwriter Dente and a video installation by Vanessa Beecroft. Projected onto the gate's massive walls were Beecroft's VB52 and VB65, organized in collaboration with Milan's Lia Rumma Gallery.

With the Expo's theme 'Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life,' food was, of course, on the inauguration menu. Top Italian chefs including Davide Oldani, Carlo Cracko and Andrea Berton riffed on the stuffy risotto Milanese by transforming it into casual street food fed to thousands of happy Italians. Entitled Risata Colorata the traditionally yellow rice was shot with shockingly ethnic touches including dates, daikon and curry and offered for 5 euro a plate, the proceeds of which will go to Gustolab Buoni Come il Pane charity.

Dell'Utri questioned ahead of extradition from Beirut

Berlusconi ally faces seven years for Mafia ties

Former Senator Marcello Dell'Utri was interrogated by prosecutors in Beirut on Monday ahead of his extradition to Italy, after the longtime ally to Silvio Berlusconi allegedly fled justice last month before a likely guilty sentence from the supreme court for mafia association. Dell'Utri, who denies wrongdoing, faces seven years in prison.

He claims he was in the Lebanese capital for health treatment, and shortly after his arrest on an Interpol warrant he was hospitalized under police guard. His Lebanese lawyer said last week that he will ask prosecutors there to ignore Italy's extradition request after it allegedly violated the extradition treaty between the two countries when it requested his arrest. Dell'Utri's original conviction came when a Palermo court found that he sealed "a pact of protection" with Cosa Nostra for Berlusconi at a meeting in May 1974 - a meeting that the court said "formed the genesis of the relationship that linked the businessman (Berlusconi) and the Mafia with Dell'Utri's mediation".

Berlusconi employed a Mafia boss and killer recommended by Dell'Utri, the late Vittorio Mangano, as an alleged stable manager in the mid 1970s - but allegedly to protect his children from kidnappings that were then rampant in Italy. Dell'Utri is also the former head of the media magnate's advertising arm and is credited with creating the three-time premier's centre-right party, Forza Italia, in 1993, six months before it swept to victory in general elections. According to prosecutors, Dell'Utri had been considering since last fall where to flee if he lost his case in the Court of Cassation.

They say authorities intercepted a conversation involving Dell'Utri's brother Alberto in a Rome restaurant discussing passports and safe havens for his brother, including Lebanon where he said Marcello Dell'Utri allegedly had connections. "You have to have people in place who give you a hand, help you...so you do not have to go there and not know anyone...but these (matters) are well settled," Alberto Dell'Utri reportedly said. His extradition must ultimately be approved by the prime minister and president of Lebanon. 

Berlusconi slams Alfano, Renzi and courts in interview

Calls former protégé 'a crutch for the government'

(ANSA) - Rome, May 12 - Ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi lashed out at the courts, "professional" politicians including his former protégé Interior Minister Angelino Alfano, and Premier Matteo Renzi in an interview Monday. And the leader of the centre-right Forza Italia (FI) political party said that despite all of their interference, his integrity would be "restored" and he will be fully back in political life "in no time". In an interview with one of his Mediaset television channels, Berlusconi repeated his longstanding claims that left-wing courts made rulings, reaching as high as Italy's top appeals court, designed to push him out of politics.

A definitive ruling last year for massive tax fraud at his Mediaset empire stripped Berlusconi of his Senate seat and has banned him from standing in this month's European Parliament election. "(The rulings) are what the left has tried to do to me since '94," Berlusconi, 77, said in the interview, only days after he began serving a year of community service at a nursing home as part of his sentence. "I'm sure that in no time I will be given back my full integrity," he added. He also dismissed his former protégé Alfano, who split with Berlusconi late last year to form the New Centre Right (NCD), and others who left the FI for the NCD as untrustworthy professional politicians and said he was well rid of them.

He called Alfano "a crutch for the government" by supporting Renzi and thus helping the Democratic Party (PD) remain in power. "I would not count any more on professional politicians, but luckily the professionals, all the old political actors," have gone to the NCD, said Berlusconi, who also had harsh words for Renzi, saying he felt "pessimistic" about the PD leader.

He also condemned Renzi for taking the premier's post away from former PD premier Enrico Letta following a decision by the PD membership in February to give Renzi the job. "If I had done this, there would be a revolution," said Berlusconi. The three-time former premier has been flirting with trouble by criticizing the courts, after he was warned that his penalty could be increased to house arrest, removing his freedom to continue political activities, if he defames judges.

In Berlusconi's first-ever binding conviction in 20 years of legal entanglements, the supreme Court of Cassation sentenced him to four years in prison last year for the 370-million-euro tax fraud. Three years of the sentence were commuted by an amnesty because of his age. 

Police bust mozzarella factory near Naples

'Used doctored milk, bacteria 2,000 times too high'

(ANSA) - Caserta, May 12 - Police in Campania on Monday arrested 13 people and seized a company for allegedly making unsafe doctored mozzarella di bufala, the southern region's prized gourmet cheese. Police also impounded six stores belonging to cheesemaker Cantile di Sparanise, which police accuse of diluting top-quality water-buffalo milk with imported cow milk in the production of the soft cheese. Health officials said in addition to duping customers, the adulterated product posed health risks, containing 2,000 times the recommended bacteria limit. Investigators said two health inspectors were in cahoots with managers at the cheesemaker, alerting them when outside inspectors from bodies such as the European Union were planning an inspection. Authorities discovered the adulterated product after a worker at the factory lost his fingers on one of the machines, which police said had a safety feature removed to enable faster production.

"Scandals like this create enormous damage for our country and the Italian brand," said a statement from consumer group Codacons. Farmers' association Coldiretti said the case tarnishes the image and ultimately harms the 1,500 water-buffalo dairy farms in the region around Naples. Used to top pizzas and make caprese salads, mozzarella di buffala is a 435-million-euro business in Campania, with 71 million euros coming from exports, added Coldiretti. The consortium that protects authentic makers of mozzarella di buffala in the region announced after the arrests that the company's membership had been revoked two years ago. However the company continued to use the consortium's seal of approval pending a decision from the agriculture ministry. 

Sicilian opera troupe to be the toast of Shanghai

Cavalleria Rusticana, Pagliacci sold out

(ANSA) - Catania, May 12 - The Bellini opera theatre of Catania, Sicily, is travelling at the expense of Chinese cultural institutions to perform two sold-out concerts in Shanghai this week.

The Sicilian musicians will perform two late-19th-century operas, Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni and Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo, at the conclusion of the Shanghai Spring International Music Festival on Saturday and Sunday in a tour organized by the Bellini theatre's former artistic director, the Chinese pianist Xu Zhong. "I have been working on this project for nearly two years," said Xu, who will be conducting both performances. Xu said the tour was financially and logistically tough to organize due to the serious financial straits of the Sicilian opera house as well as the hurdle of transporting so many people and so much equipment from one part of the world to the other.

Xu said three major Shanghai cultural institutions financed the entire project: the Shanghai Spring International Music Festival, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and the Shanghai Oriental Broadcasting Group. The Chinese institutions are paying all costs related to staging the Italian operas, including flights, lodging, costumes, scenery, and stipends. "I will never cease to be grateful to them for the financial strain," said Xu. 

'Crucifixion killer' to remain jailed

Judge rules plumber lucid and flight risk

(ANSA) - Florence, May 12 - A Florence judge on Monday denied release from prison for Riccardo Viti, the plumber accused of "crucifying" and murdering a Romanian prostitute. Judge Anna Donatella Liguori wrote in her motivations for Viti's continued incarceration that since Viti had shown remorse, he was lucid, and thus capable of understanding, wanting and being aware of what he was doing.

She also wrote he was at risk of fleeing if released. Viti admitted to killing the woman between May 4-5 under interrogation, his defense attorney Alessandro Benelli told the Tuscan broadcaster TGR RAI. The suspect said "he would give his life to be able to restore the life of the girl", said Benelli, who is seeking house arrest for his client. Viti, who is charged with murder, sexual assault and kidnapping, is suspected of carrying out as many as nine other rapes of sex workers, police say.

One prostitute said she would have been killed by Viti during a sexual assault last March if he hadn't been interrupted by a barking dog and footsteps, said the woman's lawyer, Nicodemo Gentile, who is representing her as a victim in the case. One woman testified that she, too, would have been killed by Viti in March if a dog had not barked and people Viti's DNA was found on three other raped prostitutes in addition to the Romanian who died from his assault near Florence, the sources said. 

Scajola allegedly transferred money to fugitive

Intercepted phone call shows Rizzo, former minister's talks

(ANSA) - Reggio Calabria, May 12 - Former cabinet minister Claudio Scajola allegedly transferred money to a fugitive from a personal financial account he held at the Lower House treasury, according to a request for a custody warrant issued by an judge. The request is based on information from an intercepted telephone call on February 5 between Scajola and Chiara Rizzo, the wife of the fugitive Amedeo Matacena, a former MP who has been convicted of mafia links.

Rizzo was scheduled to appear before judges in Nice on Monday regarding her possible extradition to Italy for alleged mafia association and conspiracy. Rizzo was arrested at the airport there over the weekend after her flight landed from Dubai, where her husband is a fugitive from Italian justice after receiving a binding five-year conviction for mafia links. Rizzo said she was ready to "put herself at the disposal" of the Italian justice system and "clear up" the matter of her husband, who is said to be close to the Rosmini clan of Calabria's notorious 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate.

Last week the affair made headlines after Scajola was arrested and put under investigation for alleged criminal conspiracy and mafia association, on suspicion that he helped Matecena flee. Investigators claim Scajola, a 66-year-old member of ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right Forza Italia (FI) party and former industry and interior minister under separate Berlusconi governments, tried to help Matacena reach the Lebanese capital of Beirut from Dubai.

Prosecutors have said Scajola and the seven other people against whom arrest warrants have been served in connection with the case were "the terminus of a complex and largely secret criminal system that also operated on foreign territory". 

Chocolate, red wine don't protect from cancer, heart disease

'No health benefits' says Johns Hopkins University report

(ANSA) - Rome, May 12 - Chocolate and red wine do not boost health and protect from heart disease and cancer, a team from the Johns Hopkins University said in a recent JAMA Internal Medicine report that contradicts a raft of high-profile studies.

Contrary to the earlier research findings, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine researchers found that resveratrol, the key anti-oxidant found in red wine, grapes and chocolate, does not offer the health benefits previously attributed to it, such as limiting the spread of cancer cells and making it more difficult for platelets to form clots. Researchers surveyed approximately 800 Italian men, over the age of 65, from Chianti, Tuscany, an area rich in quality red wine and, thus, resveratrol. Results showed that the consumption of red wine offered no noticeable protection against heart disease and cancer.

These findings are in glaring disaccord with the "French Paradox", a term coined by French scientist Serge Renaud in 1991, based on Renaud's observations of an apparent disconnect between French dietary patterns of high saturated fat consumption and low rates of cardiovascular disease. The "French Paradox" has dominated research in this field for more than 20 years. More research is needed, researchers said. 

Soccer: Atalanta chairman apologises for banana throwing

Fans hurled two bananas at AC Milan's Constant

(ANSA) - Bergamo, May 12 - Atalanta Chairman Antonio Percassi said Monday he had apologised after fans of the Bergamo club threw two bananas at AC Milan defender Kevin Constant during a Serie A match Sunday.

The Guinea international was hit by the bananas after giving away a penalty in the second half of Milan's 2-1 defeat at Bergamo in the latest in a string of racist incidents to mar Serie A's image. In a similar incident in Spain last month Barcelona's Dani Alves won international plaudits when he picked up a banana that had been thrown at him during a match against Villarreal and took a bite from it.

A statement on Atalanta's website said Percassi had called Milan CEO Adriano Galliani to apologise and would contact Constant too. The statement also called on Atalanta supporters to help the authorities identify the fan or fans that threw the bananas "in order to prevent them entering the Bergamo Stadium again". 

Air Force to be booted out of Caserta Palace

Aviators to leave 'soon' says Franceschini

(ANSA) - Rome, May 12 - Ending a decades-long row on the condition of one of the jewels of southern Italy, Italy's culture minister said Monday the Air Force would be kicked out of Caserta's Royal Bourbon Palace to make sure recent episodes of damage and disrepair don't recur. 

Italy's answer to Versailles and the largest palace built in Europe in the 18th century, the Reggia di Caserta "is finally going to be freed of its awkward Italian-aviator occupants", Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said. "I have just reached a deal with Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti according to which the Air Force will soon leave the Reggia di Caserta," Franceschini said.

The culture minister observed that, in the face of years of criticism of the "looming presence" of the military there, "only 20-25% of the Reggia is actually occupied by the Air Force". But he acknowledged that now "a single management team" would have to take over the running of the historic site near Naples, which has been plagued with upkeep problems in recent years. On Thursday a large hole opened up in the roof of the 18th-century UNESCO-listed Bourbon Palace of Caserta, spurring a new round of complaints about the military presence there.

The palace that once hosted the kings of Naples and Sicily, one of the lesser-known splendours of southern Italy, has been dogged with upkeep woes, and its image was dented further last June when drug pushers were arrested just outside its magnificent grounds. 

Parmigianino's 'Turkish Slave' on display in New York

First transatlantic appearance for Renaissance painting

(ANSA) - New York, May 12 - Italian Renaissance master Parmigianino's Schiava Turca (Turkish Slave) will be showcased in its first-ever transatlantic appearance at New York's Frick Collection starting Tuesday. The painting will be at the centre of the exhibition entitled The Poetry of Parmigianino's Schiava Turca. Turkish Slave is a superb example of the work of Francis Mazzola, known as Parmigianino, who was a contemporary of master painter Raphael Sanzio. In fact, his similar style led to the moniker "Raphael Reborn".

The painting is on loan from Parma's National Gallery and is part of an ongoing collaboration between the Foundation for Italian Art and Culture (FIAC), helmed by Alain Elkann and Daniele Bodini, and the Frick. Previous collaborations between the FIAC and Frick Collections include Raphael's Fornarina (Baker's Daughter)in 2004 and Parmigianino's Antea (Portrait of A Young Woman)in 2008. The show runs through July 20.