Palermo Missed Out On A Great Player - Oddo

Bayern Munich full back Massimo Oddo talked to Mediagol about his team-mate Ernesto Sosa, who had been close to joining Palermo, until problems with his passport halted the move. According to the World Cup winner, the Rosanero have missed out on a major player.

"Sosa is a player of absolute value," he said," he showed his talent when he played in Argentina, where he allowed his team to make a jump in quality with excellent performances, obtaining great results, and then he arrived here, in a great team like ours. Source

Fiat Cuts Profit Forecasts; No 2008 Dividend Planned

Jan. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Fiat SpA, poised to take a 35 percent stake in Chrysler LLC, cut its earnings forecast and said it won’t pay a dividend after fourth-quarter profit plunged as the recession hurt sales of its Punto cars and Iveco trucks.

Fiat, Italy’s biggest manufacturer, dropped 15 percent in Milan trading, a record decline, on concern the company may have to raise capital after debt rose. Net income fell to 163 million euros ($212 million) in the quarter from 570 million euros a year earlier, the Turin-based company said in a statement. Source

Italy tries to streamline bureaucracy

ROME: Italy, known for its unwieldy bureaucracy, is announcing ambitious plans to digitize government, school and law enforcement services over the next three years.

Premier Silvio Berlusconi unveiled the "E-Government 2012" measures Wednesday.

He said Italy is lagging far behind its European counterparts in reducing paperwork and bureaucracy by going online. As a result, public administration continues to run inefficiently. Continued

On Facebook, Sicilian Mafia Is a Hot Topic

ROME — Your college roommate is on Facebook. So are your cousins and colleagues and friends. But guess who else may find Facebook a great way to stay in touch?

Some people in Sicily who know a few things about networking.

In recent weeks, the Italian authorities have begun investigating Facebook discussion groups devoted to convicted Mafiosi, concerned that some members might be more than fans.

At the same time, a campaign calling on Facebook to remove pro-Mafia pages has been gaining momentum, while thousands of Facebook members have joined new anti-Mafia groups. Continued

Giusy Ferreri - Novembre Video

New video by Giusy Ferreri - Novembre

Giusy Ferreri is an Italian singer and songwriter. She originates from Palermo, Italy. In 2008, she came second place in the first Italian edition of the talent show X Factor

Bad Weather in Sicily and Calabria, Italy

Bad weather in Sicily and Calabria, Southern Italy has resulted in damages to the agriculture, which will be a loss of tens of million euros. Consequences will be serious for the citrus sector, on cereals, greenhouse cultivations and on olive groves. More on This

Murder Trial Begins in Perugia, Italy

The trial in Perugia, Italy has opened for the American college student, Amanda Knox, 21 and her former Italian boyfriend, Rafaelle Sollecito, 24. They are accused of murdering and sexually assaulting Ms. Knox's housemate, Meredith Kercher. Prosecutors contend that the pair, and a third defendant who has already been convicted, killed Ms. Kercher in 2007 when a drug-fueled sex game went bad. Contined

Sardinia, Italy

The Bear's Stone. This is a beach near Palau, Sardinia in Italy.

Explore Sardinia

Hotels in Sardinia- Compare Prices

Holiday in Sardinia - Discovering the Capital CityBy [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Luca_Frau]Luca Frau
The island of Sardinia thanks to its rich and ancient past, ancestral cultures, pristine traditions, high quality food and wines and of course to its hospitable people, is a good destination for a culture holiday.
Every year a lot of tourists decide to plan an holiday in Sardinia considering only its wonderful coasts that make it one of the more suggestive islands of the Mediterranean sea. When they are spending their beach holidays there, they discover there are other features that deserve to be known.
Cagliari, the capital city, is one of the more interesting places of the whole southern Sardinia. The richness of its history, testified by several archaeological sites of the Roman era, the historical districts in the city center of the Medieval age, the seafront with its unique limestone cliff called La Sella del Diavolo (The saddle of the devil), the salt ponds with their spectacular flamingo population and declared protected areas, create an unique and fascinating ensemble.
The popular and religious traditions reach their top with the festival to honour Sant'Efisio, the Patron Saint, and every 1st May the Saint effigy is carried in procession through the streets of the city center respecting a very ancient vote.
The food tradition is based on simple recipes mostly inspired by the sea. The restaurants and taverns of the Marina district, close to the harbour, preserve and offer still today the old fishermen recipes such as "la minestra di fregola con arselle" (a soup made with a typical Sardinian pasta and clams), "la burrida" (made with local fresh fishes marinated in a nuts sauce), "lo scabecciu" (made with fried mullets marinated with tomato sauce and vinegar).
During the winter months is particularly appreciated the tasting of the sea urchins, served raw in the small taverns of the seafront with fresh white wine and home-made bread. It is a pleasant interlude during the winter walks on the sea shore.
Cagliari mostly offers to its visitors small accommodations such as mini-hotels on the seafront or nice Bed & Breakfasts in the historic districts of the city center. This kind of accommodations have a good quality, budget rates and a warm atmosphere.
Discover the capital city of Sardinia is the first step of an ideal culture tour. http://www.domus-tour.com/
Luca Frau
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Luca_Frau http://EzineArticles.com/?Holiday-in-Sardinia---Discovering-the-Capital-City&id=1779773

Air France-KLM buys stake in Alitalia

ROME, Italy (CNN) -- The board of ailing Italian airline Alitalia has accepted an offer from Air France-KLM to buy 25 percent of the company and become its international partner, Alitalia announced Monday evening.
Air France-KLM, which will pay €323 million ($431 million), will be the biggest shareholder in Alitalia and will have three seats the 19-member board of directors, Alitalia said in a news conference in Rome.
Alitalia will keep its name, logo and uniforms. The airline will fly 22 fewer jets, but its 148-unit fleet will consist of younger planes, mostly from Airbus.
Passengers will be able to fly to 70 Alitalia destinations: 23 in Italy, 34 elsewhere in Europe and 13 on other continents. Continued

Italian Mafia Suspect Escapes Through Sewer Pipes

ROME, Italy (CNN) -- The suspected head of an Italian mafia murder squad eluded police for a third time, and may have escaped through the sewer pipes, according to Italian media reports.
Italian police examine a sewer that may have offered an escape route for a suspected mafia boss.
Giuseppe Setola, 38, is believed to have slipped into a tunnel built under his hideout near Naples, Italy on Monday, as police closed in on him, according to Italy's state-run ANSA news agency and reports in the La Repubblica and Corriere Della Sera newspapers.
That tunnel connects to the sewer system in the nearby town of Caserta, north of Naples. Corriere published photos of anti-mafia police searching through what was described as Setola's trash-strewn bunker and the tunnel.
Anti-mafia police have been searching for Setola for months, and have already arrested his wife and two suspected members of his crew, according to the reports. Monday was the third time he avoided arrest. Continued

Sightseeing Attractions in Italy

Many places you may consider going

Italy govt okay with Alitalia-Air France deal-source

ROME, Jan 7 (Reuters) - The heads of the Italian consortium which has bought Alitalia on Wednesday told the goverment they preferred Air France-KLM as their foreign partner and were told that the government had nothing against it, a CAI source said.

"The meeting went well," a source at the CAI consortium said after the executives met with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Continued

David Beckham Plays in Rome

The Roma Captain, Francesco Totti, is thrilled with the stay of David Beckham in Italy. Beckham is playing in Rome on a loan from US side LA Galaxy, to prove to them that he's still the best fit player and regain his spot in England. Continued

Nilmar Move To Palermo Back On?

Reports in Italy suggest that Brazilian striker Nilmar Honorato da Silva may be close to a move to Palermo despite the club claiming to have lost interest in him.

Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini has been in negotiations with the player all year in order to bring him to Sicily, but nothing had materialized until now.

A few months ago it was reported that the president had sent sporting director Walter Sabatini to International on official business, in order to negotiate for the young Brazilian striker’s contract.

Nothing had come of those rumors and on Monday the sporting director denied any further interest in the forward, but now it looks like a deal may soon be agreed upon, with the transfer window open and clubs more willing to agree to a deal.

The denial of interest in Nilmar may have been enough to put the player into a more agreeable mood in the hope that a deal can be made before the end of the month. Continued