The ‘frugal’ states and the ‘cohesion’ countries remain entrenched in their respective positions, and negotiations on the 2028–34 European budget have stalled. Funding for competitiveness and defence is at risk, whilst national interests continue to take precedence over European strategic priorities.

“The standard has risen enormously – both technically and physically – amongst both the men’s and women’s teams. And there’s been a shift in attitude too. Even now, in Italy, 99 per cent of people think rugby is exclusively a men’s sport. All we can do is explain, patiently, that women’s rugby is also a contact sport, a game of skill.” Says the centre for the national team

There is perhaps no other Goldoni comedy in which the World bursts onto the stage with such impetuosity and such harmonious ensemble, all at once. So many characters – about fifteen – so many scenes taking place simultaneously; a comedy of chatter with many voices chasing one another, overlapping – utter chaos. Performed on one of the final evenings of Carnival at the Carignano theatre 

Women, wine and cards. From Strehler to Dino Risi, from "L’ombrellone" to "Anonimo veneziano", the story of a reclusive figure in the Italian entertainment world. An actor capable of blending arrogance and melancholy, awkwardness and seduction, with the weight of a youth never truly lost. A life without restraint

“Wahlverwandtschaften” is the dream of a thirty-year exhibition that is finally taking shape through the work of twenty-four photographers – fourteen women and ten men – who, without ever meeting or knowing one another, have captured the same image on different continents, in different eras and in different styles

Understanding the distress involved does not mean justifying those who resort to violence. This is why it is necessary to draw a line and tone down the debate

The philosopher: “Fellini wondered why we have regarded young people as messengers of some sort of absolute truth”

To increase the housing supply and bring down prices, the public sector alone is not enough; the private sector must also be enabled to invest. Figures on high rents and housing needs, with an eviction notice for the progressive internationalist

Palazzo Chigi: the total cost is around one billion. The judges’ union: “We will assert our rights just like any other citizen”. This summer’s court rulings reported in August by Il Foglio

Speaking at the Democratic Party conference, the secretary sought to close ranks within the party and announced her bid for Palazzo Chigi: “Let’s debate, but then stand united. A section of the establishment does not want the progressive alliance in government; that is the history of this country.” The vote on the extension of her term of office was passed, but Guerini announced he would abstain: “The motion is not in line with the party constitution.”

Raggi’s checkmate: if she does not stand for Parliament, she risks splitting the Movement in Rome 

At one time, the Prime Minister considered this option taboo. Her advisers, however, showed her a different side of the story

“The interiors have been redesigned by architect Marco Terranova, who designed the spaces and shelving in line with our specifications to adapt them to contemporary tastes. The spirit, however, has remained the same.” Interview

Power remains on the outside. The picture is the same as ever, in a society and a state where everything is about education, everything is about sentiment and the heart. The highly civilised culture of the peninsula, at least, is superior to Gallic barbarism

An Istat indicator suggests that the number of people living in poverty has risen over the past ten years. Another indicator, also from Istat but at European level, suggests that it has fallen. The political consequences of a statistical problem 

Italian women’s teams in Europe lack self-confidence; they get nervous even before the match begins. And if they start strongly – as Roma did when they literally dominated Real Madrid – at a certain point they almost feel guilty, and they slip back into the depths of despair.

Di Caro’s achievement is to make us understand, without ever raising his voice, that sport is always also a story of institutions and the nation. It is a book worth reading and giving as a gift

The novels by Alessandro Gazzoli and Andrea Oriente. A fascination with armed struggle and the radical right. Two debut novels that explore the need for belonging and the allure of violence, set against the backdrop of the legacy of the 1970s and the anxieties of the present day

From surrealist painting to photography, right through to the enduring cult following of “Twin Peaks”: almost two years after his death, David Lynch continues to inspire artistic pilgrimages and pop culture devotion. Through exhibitions, artefacts and places of remembrance, the director remains a legend capable of speaking to diverse audiences

Children want what they are made to want. Parents, on the other hand, leave me perplexed: just what are they putting into their children’s hands? Halloween is a festival of death, yet they reply that ‘it’s just a game’. 

Since stand-up comedians are now the last people to be taken seriously, Anthony Jeselnik has made it a point of honour to bring men back to fiction – which, according to market data, is the most ‘feminine’ type of reading, and, according to the most common cliché used by those who can’t be bothered to read, the most pointless.