Enrico Letta has been appointed as Italy's new prime minister, and President Giorgio Napolitano has put him to the task of organizing a coalition government.
The Italian foreign minister, the Italian ambassador, several Italian-American members of Congress and leaders of scores of Italian-American organizations crowded into a hallway of the National Gallery of Art this week to celebrate a nation that – as they said – was discovered by an Italian and named after one.
The famed La Scala opera house inaugurated its 2012-13 season Friday with the Teutonic classic `'Lohengrin" as it launched dual bicentennial celebrations of its own Giuseppe Verdi and German icon Richard Wagner.
The dual bicentennial of the births of composers Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner is turning into a dueling bicentennial.
Pope Benedict XVI is celebrating his name day with a private concert of Beethoven symphonies conducted by maestro Daniel Barenboim and performed by the West-Eastern Divan, an orchestra of musicians from Israel and Arab countries who hope to further the cause of peace.
Maestro Riccardo Muti conducted a concert of selections of sacred music by Vivaldi and Verdi at the Vatican for an appreciative Pope Benedict XVI Friday in a celebration of the seventh anniversary of the pontiff's election to the papacy.
His musical roots were in jazz, but his songs ranged from folk to pop to classical to opera, creating a soundtrack beloved by generations of Italians.
Three Italian soldiers died Monday in a car accident in western Afghanistan, officials said.
Italian Premier Mario Monti took a short culture break from promoting his package of austerity and growth measures to attend La Scala's gala season premiere of "Don Giovanni" on Wednesday _ a presence that La Scala's general manger hopes bodes well for the future of culture in the country that invented opera.
