News and Politics

Following what is going on in a country is an important way to learn what the people are going through. It also makes it a lot easier to understand references that you’ll come across in the broader culture. It can be extremely difficult, especially when you don’t speak the language, to engage with news in a different place. The systems of government are different, and so are the rhythms of what makes the news tick.

This site isn’t intended to be a fill-in for an actual news source, but I’ll try my best to provide periodic updates about the goings-on across the peninsula. It may seem tought to follow at first, but I can promise it will never be boring!

If you’re looking for a bit of background on how the government works, check out the American Guide to the Italian Government page.

If you’re looking to follow the news both in English and in Italian, here are some print resources:

1. ANSA – This is basically the Italian version of our AP. It’s well respected and it strives to be objective. They churn out dozens of stories a day, and best of all, they publish their news stories in English as well. It’s an excellent resource for hard news.
2. TheLocal.it – The Local is a website that provides english language news about several countries in Europe. The Italian version will give you news, but it focuses more on issues that might be of interest to english speaking audiences. It’s not the spot for public affairs information, but the stories are interesting.
3. Corriere Della Sera – By circulation, this is the largest newspaper in Italy. It is chock full of high quality journalism, but their english language website is nowhere near as good as ANSA. If you have some Italian language skills, or want to practice, this is a great option.
4. la Repubblica – Although behind the Corriere in print circulation, it actually leads all Italian news sites in web traffic. It’s more great journalism if you want to work on your Italian skills, because there’s not an english version. Unlike Corriere, the editorial page leans to the left.
5. La Stampa – Another big Italian newspaper with a limited Italian section. They do, however, have an excellent Vatican Insider section with decent english language coverage.

If you’re interested in multimedia coverage, these broadcasters are helpful:

1. TG La 7 – The most popular Telegiornale in the country is on the private national network, La 7. Think of it like the nightly news in America with less bells, whistles, and old school graphics. The website is helpful, and the youtube page is updated often with every news broadcast every day. Perhaps the most respected anchor in Italy, Enrico Mentana, leads the 20:00 (8 PM) half hour broadcast on weekdays. You can
2. RaiNews – RAI is Italy’s state broadcaster. Their website is filled with videos, but they’re all in English. They don’t put their news broadcasts online, but you can subscribe to RAI Italia via most American cable and satellite providers if you want access to their news and entertainment programming 24/7.