The newly elected pope's focus on the poor and the marginalized has instilled great faith among many Catholic women.
With New Pope, Catholic Women Hope To Regain Church Leadership Roles
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Suspended Coffee: Old Italian Custom Spreads Across Poorer EU
Tough economic times and growing poverty in much of Europe are reviving a humble tradition that began some one-hundred years ago in the Italian city of Naples.
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Long Hidden, Vatican Painting Linked To Native Americans
For close to 400 years, the painting was closed off to the world.
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No More Smuggling: Many Cured Italian Meats Coming To America
American gourmets and lovers of Italian food products, your days as food smugglers are over.
No more stuffing your suitcases with delicacies bought in Italy, hoping the sniffer dogs at JFK or other American airports won't detect the banned-in-the-USA foodstuffs inside your luggage.
In the U.S., they're called cured meats, the French say charcuterie and in Italy, the word for cured-pork products is salumi.
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Pope Francis Puts The Poor Front And Center
Over the past week, Pope Francis has launched a crescendo of attacks on the global financial system and what he calls a "cult of money" that does not help the poor.
The 2-month-old papacy of Francis — the Argentina-born Jorge Bergoglio — is shaping up as a papacy focused on the world's downtrodden.
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Young People Cast Out Of Italy's Welfare System
Transcript
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
We are also following a subtler story of economic devastation, even with all the news about unemployment in Europe, this next number is hard to absorb. In Italy, among younger people, the jobless rate us close to 40 percent. The government is focused on the middle-aged and the elderly leaving little room it seems for their kids
Here's NPR's Sylvia Poggioli.
(SOUNDBITE OF SCREAMING AND SHOOTING)
SYLVIA POGGIOLI, BYLINE: Shots rang out outside the prime minister's office the day Italy's new government was sworn in.
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At 500, Machiavelli's 'Prince' Still Inspires Love And Fear
The name Niccolo Machiavelli is synonymous with political deceit, cynicism and the ruthless use of power.
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Italian University Spreads The 'Gelato Gospel'
Italy has secured its place in the global diet with the likes of espresso, cappuccino, pasta and pizza.
The latest addition to the culinary lexicon is ... gelato, the Italian version of ice cream.
And despite tough economic times, gelato-making is a booming business.
At Anzola dell'Emilia, a short drive from the Italian city of Bologna, people from all over the world are lining up for courses in gelato-making.
This is the headquarters of Carpigiani, the world's biggest gelato machine.
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Parvum Opus: Followers Flock To Pope's Latin Twitter Feed
Against all Vatican expectations, the pope's Twitter account in Latin has gained more than 100,000 followers in six months and continues to grow.
Followers are not exclusively Roman Catholics or Latin scholars, but represent a wide variety of professions and religions from all over the world. Some go so far as to claim that the language of the ancient Romans is perfectly suited to 21st-century social media.
Pope Benedict XVI launched the first papal Twitter account last December in eight languages, including Arabic.
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Two Former Popes Approved For Sainthood
Pope Francis has cleared the way for Pope John Paul II to be canonized after approving a second miracle attributed to his intercession. And Francis also approved Pope John XXIII for sainthood, even though he his not credited with a second miracle. In approving the canonization of both, the new Pope has pleased both conservatives and reformers in the Catholic Church.
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In Venice, Huge Cruise Ships Bring Tourists And Complaints
The fragile architectural treasures of Venice are endangered by rising sea levels, and a growing number of critics now say the city and its canals are at risk from massive cruise ships as big as floating skyscrapers.
On an average day, tens of thousands of passengers lean over the railings of cruise ships that can be 300 yards long and 15 stories high. The tourists peer down at the majestic Doge's Palace as they sail into St.
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World War II Researchers Say 'Italian Schindler' Was A Myth
A group of Italian researchers who have studied troves of World War II documents have found no evidence that Giovanni Palatucci, a police official long credited as the "Italian Schindler," saved the lives of 5,000 Jews.
The findings are demolishing the Italian national icon and angering supporters of the man who has been honored at Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, and who has been put on the track to sainthood.
'Unfounded' Claims Of Heroism?
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Art In Context: Venice Biennale Looks Past Pop Culture
Every two years for over a century, lovers of contemporary art convene in Venice for the oldest and largest noncommercial art exhibition in the world.
The Venice Biennale has none of the glitz and conspicuous consumption of art auctions in London and New York.
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Rome's New Mayor Wants The Monuments Pedestrian Friendly
On the first Saturday of August, a funny thing happened to 150,000 people on their way to the Roman Forum.
While a pianist and sax player set the mood, people looked upward and watched anxiously as acrobat Andrea Loreni made his way slowly on a tightrope stretched across Via dei Fori Imperiali, the wide avenue flanking the Forum and leading to the Coliseum.
The acrobat's walk was meant as a metaphor, a bridge reuniting ancient squares.
Dictator Benito Mussolini built the avenue in the 1920s as a tribute to fascism's imperial aspirations.
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Italy's First Black Minister Finds Herself A Target Of Slurs
When Cecile Kyenge became the first black government minister in Italian history, the appointment was hailed as a landmark for diversity. But since Kyenge became integration minister, she has been the target of death threats and vicious racial slurs.
The debate highlights growing intolerance and what Prime Minister Enrico Letta has called a shameful chapter for Italy.
When he presented his Cabinet, Letta described Kyenge as a bridge between diverse communities.
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Tortellini, The Dumpling Inspired By Venus' Navel
Tortellini — small circles of rolled dough folded around a filling — are one of the most renowned members of the Italian pasta family.
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Off The Tuscan Coast, Raising The Ill-Fated Costa Concordia
Weather permitting, one of the largest maritime salvage operations ever attempted will get underway Monday in the waters off of an Italian island.
Twenty months ago, in January 2012, the Costa Concordia luxury liner smashed into a jagged reef, killing 32 people.
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The Vatican Reaches Out, A Cricket Match At A Time
Some 500 years after England's King Henry VIII broke with the Roman Catholic Church, the Vatican is vowing to defeat the Church of England — not in the pews, but on the cricket pitch.
The Vatican has launched its own cricket club — a move aimed at forging ties with teams of other faiths.
Rome's Capannelle Cricket Club is hosting training matches that will lead to the creation of the Vatican team, the St. Peter's Cricket Club.
The Catholic Church has long championed sports as good for mind, body and soul.
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Archaeologists Unearth What May Be Oldest Roman Temple
Archaeologists excavating a site in central Rome say they've uncovered what may be oldest known temple from Roman antiquity.
Along the way, they've also discovered how much the early Romans intervened to shape their urban environment.
And the dig has been particularly challenging because the temple lies below the water table.
At the foot Capitoline Hill in the center of Rome, stands the Medieval Sant'Omobono church.
Today, the Tiber River is about a hundred yards away.
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A Theme Park For Foodies? Italians Say Bologna
Italy has more UNESCO world heritage sites than any other country in the world, and its art and cultural riches have drawn visitors for centuries.
It also prides itself on being a culinary mecca, where preparing, cooking and serving meals is a fine, even sacred, art.
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