Dario Franceschini

Italian film icon Monica Vitti dies aged 90

Italian actress Monica Vitti, best known for her starringroles in films by Michelangelo Antonioni, has died aged 90, the culture ministry said on Feb. 2.

"Goodbye Monica Vitti, goodbye queen of Italian cinema. Today is a truly sad day, we have lost a great artist and a great Italian," Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said in a statement.

Simoniti talks Slovenia’s EU presidency priorities in culture in Brussels

Brussels – Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti met Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture and Youth Mariya Gabriel, as he was in Brussels on Monday to attend a session of the EU Council for Education, Youth, Culture and Sport and to present the priorities in the culture, media and audiovisual sectors during Slovenia’s EU presidency.

Italy taps German archaeologist to oversee Pompeii ruins

A German-born archaeologist has been chosen to be the next director of Pompeii, which is still revealing its ancient mysteries centuries after a volcanic eruption destroyed the Roman city and is one of Italy's most popular tourist sites.

Culture Minister Dario Franceschini announced on Feb. 20 that Gabriel Zuchtriegel won out over 43 other candidates for the job.

Pages