Gianni Alemanno, mayor of Rome, has just inaugurated a statue of John Paul II in the courtyard of the Policlinico Gemelli, the hospital to which the Pope was taken whenever he needed hospitalisation (9 times to be precise). The 5 metre-high statue created by Stefano Pienotti and blessed by Cardinal Dziwis has been called Non abbiate paura or Don’t be afraid after the famous phrase John Paul pronounced on the day he was elected to the papacy (22 October 1978).

Mr Alemanno said that the Policlinico Gemelli has come to symbolise the love that Rome and its people still feel for John Paul; and the statue - added the mayor - will give hope to all those in need of help.

Galleria | Repubblica

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The legend has it that by throwing a coin over your shoulder and into the Trevi fountain you will safely return to Rome, but this time something went wrong and a tourist from Shanghai along with his coin saw his precious bracelet disappear into the water. It was a jade bracelet which had belonged to his noble family for generations. At this point the poor man panicked and started to cry blue murder all over the place; a few minutes later several police cars turned up and helped the man to retrieve the precious bracelet from the water.

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It all started some time ago with a letter written by Cosimo Teodoro Spinelli, a 62 year old officer from Brindisi, to Alemanno, mayor of Rome. In that letter the officer told Mr Alemanno about his old dream of himself controlling road traffic from the famous stand placed at the very heart of Piazza Venezia (Venezia square)! The officer has always been a big fan of Italian actor Alberto Sordi whom in one of his most loved films played the role of a traffic policeman, controlling the traffic in Piazza Venezia. Now Mr Spinelli, after making his dream come true, wants to go north and control road traffic in Turin, the city from which Juventus Football club, his favourite team in the whole world, hails!

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Here for you the first pics from the new Dolce & Gabbana ad campaign for autumn 2009 featuring such super models as Edita Vilkeviciute, Mariacarla Boscono and Heidi Mount.

Source | Fashioncopious

Dolce

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One workshop in Naples has said goodbye to Michael Jackson by making a Jackson statue for a nativity scene. Michael Jackson and an angel appear in a religious image with “Ciao Michael” the salute to the King of Pop.

The artist is Genny Di Virgilio and the boutique store in San Gregorio Armeno is now decorated with the Michael Jackson figure in a small gesture of affection. Tourists have also been touched by this dedication, taking many photographs when passing.

Source | Rainews24

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Where have the Italians gone? Little Italy in Sydney is fast changing in a city well known for its multicultural communities and evolving diaspora. Currently in Five Dock in Sydney’s inner west only 11 percent of residents were born in Italy compared with 38 percent back in 1971.

The figures have come under focus with the sale of a famous Five Dock home that appeared in the film “Looking for Alibrandi”. The film is based on the book of the same name by Melina Marchetta, and deals with a teenage Italo-Australian girl finding her identity.

The census figures show that Italy is no longer a source of migrants in Australia: a phenomenon that is changing the face of suburbs such as Five Dock, Haberfield and Leichhardt. Vegetable gardens out the front are disappearing and Italian restaurants are often making way for Lebanese or Thai cuisine.

The house in the picture is typical of the area, which also sports many lovely federation homes and heritage properties. It’s a cosmopolitan place with a touch of traditional Australian architecture. For a social demographer, it’s certainly and intriguing evolution. But if you want to visit Little Italy in Australia, you had better be quick.

Source | The Sydney Morning Herald

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US President Barack Obama is set to meet Pope Benedict XVI in what is set to be an interesting meeting on July 10th. Obama is currently under fire in the US for his pro-abortion stance, though any discussion with the Pope is likely to be far more wide ranging than that.

Obama will be in Italy for the G8 summit to be held in the earthquake-stricken town of Aquila in Abruzzo. He will have an afternoon audience with the Pope that goes against tradition, but it shows that the two leaders are keen to meet and follows the personal note from the Pontiff on Obama’s election victory.

It will be a controversial visit with American bishops anti-Obama for the said abortion stance, while the Vatican seems to have been more accommodating, expressing an open opportunity for the US president and Pope to meet. Curiously, in America itself, Obama received a majority of Catholic votes, particularly from the Hispanic community.

Source | ABC Local

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Italy’s most popular show girl Michelle Hunziker should be feeling safer, after her stalker has been sentenced to nine months’ jail for sending threatening letters. Hunziker was subject to various unpleasant communication, among which was a letter with a shaving blade attached.

The message in the letter from 2008 read: “Dear Michelle, one day you will find yourself without that mangy dog [intended as her body guard] and I will disfigure your slut’s face.” Very uncharming and here’s hoping the stalker will be of no future threat to Hunziker or anyone else.

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Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli has been honoured with a star on the famous Walk of Fame in Hollywood. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce which every years choice the names of those who deserve to be elevated into legend has picked Mr Bocelli over other famous artists; Mr Bocelli whose career has been on the rise since his international debut in the 1990s (he has over the years sold more than 40 million records and got several Oscar and Grammy Awards nominations) is not the first Italian to be honoured with such a star, before him other big names such as Sophia Loren, Rodolfo Valentino, Enrico Caruso, Arturo Toscanini, Anna Magnani and movie director Bernardo Bertolucci got a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. By the way this year’s list includes Ringo Starr, Bryan Adams, Van Morrison, Russel Crowe, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth and James Cameron.

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The American blog MyGalleryWorld came across Mara Carfagna’s hot pics and fell instantly in love with her. Here’s the post from the blog:

Mara Carfagna - the most beautiful minister in the world!

Mara is an Italian politician and former showgirl. After obtaining a degree in law, Carfagna worked for several years on Italian television shows and as a model. She later entered politics and was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for Forza Italia party in 2006. On May 8, 2008, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi appointed her Minister for Equal Opportunity, a move that received international attention due to her special background and her appearance. Carfagna has been called “the most beautiful minister in the world” and was ranked number one on Maxim’s “World´s Hottest Politicians”.

Will Ms Carfagna appreciate the compliments paid her by the American bloggers? What do you think?

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