The Patmos Chamber Music Festival in Greece, co-founded by Italians Massimo Fino and Roberto Prosseda, concluded its second season, drawing visitors with chamber music from world-class artists. The festival, inspired by Patmos' cultural history and Orthodox Christian pilgrimage, has gained support from Greek cultural and political authorities and sponsors. Despite logistical challenges, such as transporting grand pianos, the festival's success is attributed to the island's beauty, collaborative music selection, and the camaraderie among musicians. With free access to concerts, the festival aims to offer an alternative to mass tourism, promoting elite cultural tourism. It has quickly become one of the top music festivals on Greek islands, with plans to expand to major European capitals.

Italian MPs have voted in favor of a deal to establish two migrant centers in Albania where asylum seekers rescued at sea could be held. The lower chamber of parliament passed the agreement with a vote of 155 to 115, with two abstentions. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who leads the hard-right Brothers of Italy party and was elected on a platform to halt migrant arrivals from North Africa, saw an increase in migrant landings to nearly 156,000 last year, up from about 105,000 in 2022.

The Italian Senate has unanimously approved a law that grants former cancer patients the right to be forgotten, aimed at protecting them from health discrimination. This law, which received cross-party support and was fast-tracked through parliament, will benefit around a million individuals by allowing them not to disclose their past illness when seeking mortgages, insurance, employment, or adoption.

Italy has outlawed the sale of lab-grown meat and high-protein insect powder to safeguard its farming sector and culinary heritage, as announced by the right-wing government. The legislation was passed in the senate, making Italy the first country to implement such a ban. Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida, who is related to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, criticized multinational companies for seeking profits at the expense of citizens' jobs and health. Ettore Prandini, head of the farmers' association Coldiretti, expressed pride in Italy's pioneering move and raised concerns about the public health implications of these products.

Andrea Giambruno, the TV presenter partner of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, has been caught in off-air scenes where he flirts with a female colleague and makes jocular remarks. These exchanges were released by a satirical TV program, showcasing Giambruno's informal behavior, including swearing and complimenting his colleague's dress sense and intelligence.

Seven people, including a baby, were feared drowned after their boat capsized off the coast of Tunisia, contributing to the escalating Mediterranean migrant crisis. The incident occurred as the number of people attempting to cross from North Africa to Italy rises. Italian officials in Sicily recovered one body, and the Ocean Viking charity ship was asked to perform 15 rescue operations, rescuing 623 passengers.

UNESCO has recommended that Venice be added to the list of endangered world heritage sites due to the negative impacts of new construction, mass tourism, and climate change. The organization urges Italian authorities to take greater action to protect the historic city and its lagoon. The recommendation will be considered for adoption at a UNESCO world heritage committee meeting in Riyadh in September.

Archaeologists have potentially located the remains of Emperor Nero's private theatre in a Renaissance palace garden adjacent to the Vatican. The site, which was part of Agrippina the Elder's pleasure gardens, is where Nero is historically remembered for playing the lyre and reciting poetry during the Great Fire of Rome. Rome's chief archaeologist, Daniela Porro, announced the significant find, which matches descriptions from ancient sources but had remained undiscovered until now.

Patrick Zaki, an Egyptian human rights activist and Christian, who was recently pardoned by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has called for justice for Giulio Regeni, a murdered Italian Cambridge doctoral student. Zaki was convicted of spreading false news about discrimination against Coptic Christians and spent 22 months on remand before being sentenced to three years in prison. His case gained significant attention in Italy, and he has now been awarded a degree by Bologna University.

A five-year-old boy, Manuel Proietti, was killed when a Lamborghini Urus, driven by Matteo Di Pietro and his friends for a YouTube channel stunt, crashed into a Smart car near Rome. The group, known as The Borderline, was attempting to drive the Lamborghini for 50 hours straight. The accident has sparked outrage over the use of social media for broadcasting dangerous stunts.

Pope Francis successfully underwent a three-hour abdominal surgery without complications and is expected to stay at the Gemelli Hospital for several days. This is his second major abdominal surgery in two years. The Vatican has cancelled all his engagements until June 18, and his surgeon, Sergio Alfieri, noted that the Pope is awake and in good spirits.

For the first time, surgeons at Molinette Hospital in Turin have restored sight to one eye of an 83-year-old man, Emiliano Bosca, who had been completely blind for six years. The innovative procedure involved combining tissue from both eyes. Bosca, who had suffered from ocular pseudopemphigoid and damage to his retina, had previously undergone two unsuccessful corneal transplants.

The mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella, has invited Hope Carrasquilla, a teacher who resigned from Tallahassee Classical School after showing Michelangelo’s David to her students, to Florence to receive an award and view the statue. The school's conservative Christian affiliation and a parent's complaint about the nude image being shown to children without prior notice led to her resignation. Nardella criticized the incident as 'simply ridiculous' and emphasized respect for those who teach art.

Carlo Vecce, a professor at Naples University, has claimed that Leonardo da Vinci's mother was a Circassian slave from the Caucasus, based on new archival documents he discovered. This challenges the previous belief that she was a Tuscan peasant woman. Leonardo was the illegitimate son of a Florentine notary named Piero and a woman named Caterina, whose background was largely unknown.

Milan's La Scala opera house is expanding its reach by offering a pay-per-view online television channel, lascala.tv, which will feature live streams of seven operas, nine concerts, and three ballets, as well as pre-recorded shows and special content. The initiative, led by artistic director and chief executive Dominique Meyer, aims to broaden the audience beyond the physical capacity of 2,030 seats. The service, which was introduced with performances of Verdi's The Sicilian Vespers and Mozart symphonies conducted by Daniel Barenboim, offers various pricing options for access.

Silvio Berlusconi, part of Italy's right-wing government, has accused Ukrainian President Zelensky of being responsible for the war in Ukraine. He suggests that the US should cease financial and military support to pressure Ukraine into a ceasefire. Berlusconi, a former prime minister and ally of Putin, also criticized Giorgia Meloni for her recent meeting with Zelensky.

New evidence has implicated an underworld gang in the kidnapping of Emanuela Orlandi, a 15-year-old Vatican schoolgirl who vanished in Rome in 1983. The case, which has troubled the Holy See for decades, also involved theories linking her disappearance to Turkish terrorists who aimed to blackmail the Vatican for the release of Mehmet Ali Agca, the man who attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II.

Alleged Kremlin influence over Matteo Salvini and his League party may have played a role in the Italian coalition government's collapse. Intelligence reports suggest a Russian diplomat inquired about the League's ministers' intentions to resign from Mario Draghi's government well before their actual resignation. The government, which supported Ukraine, fell when the League withdrew support, leading to political turmoil as the League is set to join forces with Giorgia Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy.

Renato Bialetti, the Italian businessman known for the iconic Moka Express coffee maker, made a final eccentric appearance by having his ashes delivered to his funeral in a 24-cup version of the pot. The Moka Express, which has been produced by his family since 1934, features a logo based on Bialetti's own image. Bialetti passed away in Switzerland at the age of 93 and was buried in the family tomb at Omegna, northern Italy. The coffee pot was originally patented by his father, Alfonso, in 1933.

Archbishop Georg Gänswein, the personal secretary to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, has expressed concerns about the Pope's declining physical health in an interview with the Italian magazine BenEssere. As Benedict approaches his 89th birthday, Gänswein describes him as a fading candle, yet still serene and at peace. Despite the physical frailty and the need for a walking frame, Benedict is said to remain mentally sharp, maintaining his interest in world affairs and his subtle sense of humor. Benedict XVI, noted for being a respected theologian, made history in 2013 by being the first Pope to resign in over 700 years.