Barbie Nadeau

Berlusconi's piggish behavior is the last straw for Italian women, who vow to end a culture of moldy machismo.

Authorities have launched a criminal investigation of the scandal-prone prime minister for allegedly having sex with a teenage prostitute and for allegedly trying to cover up the affair.

You may have thought Pompeii died after that battle with Vesuvius in A.D. 79. In fact, the gloriously preserved Roman town is being destroyed now, thanks to human neglect.

The Italian capital's tony diplomatic neighborhoods are in a panic after the discovery of another parcel bomb, days after two others exploded.

It's 8:30 p.m., and all eyes turn to Italy's most popular satirical news program, "Striscia la Notizia" ("Strip the News"). Two middle-aged men stand under a strobe light, one of them holding a belt from which dangles a vaguely phallic string of garlic.

Tons of rotting garbage have piled up in the Cava Sari landfill just outside Naples. Since Silvio Berlusconi's election promise to solve the Naples garbage crisis nearly three years ago, the landfill has been used to hide the Italian government's unwillingness to deal with the Camorra crime syndicate. Some residents say the prime minister should fix the problem or resign.

Fearing a global catastrophe, the mayor of Naples may halt exploration of the massive volcano that lies under her city. But some scientists say inaction could be riskier.

Torre Del Greco is a postcard-perfect fishing village a few kilometers down the coast from Naples. The city is also a stellar example of "clean" economic success in an area known for its mafia corruption.

By speaking loudly—and condescendingly—on her behalf, American supporters of Amanda Knox have hurt her standing in Italy at exactly the moment she begins to appeal her murder conviction.

For residents of Rome, the sight of courting priests is hardly an anomaly. But a recent exposÈ is rocking the Catholic Church, which victims' advocates say has responded with more urgency to the rumor of gay priests than to the history of child sex abuse.

Joran van der Sloot, the Dutchman thought to have killed Natalee Holloway, is a murder suspect again. By behaving like a sleaze for the last several years, he has already sealed his fate in the court of public opinion. Why do postadolescent perps behave like reality-TV stars?

The Roman Coliseum is not only one of the world's most visited monuments; it is also one of the most threatened. The outer walls are stained black by exhaust fumes from buses, mopeds, and cars that whiz around the ancient amphitheater as if it were a traffic circle.

Italy's government is again on the brink of collapse. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has survived sex scandals and corruption allegations for years, but now he faces an imminent threat from within his own ruling coalition.

The sex-abuse scandal of the early 2000s never did much damage to the popularity of John Paul II, the pope at the time. Pope Benedict XVI can only wish he were so fortunate.

Even if Foxy Knoxy wins acquittal on Friday, she and her family have already lost in the court of public opinion.

Most people who live in Italy for any period of time eventually become curious about truffles. It's not so much that Italian truffles, with their pungent smell and earthy flavor, are an acquired taste; they are simply hard to acquire, appearing on menus only at certain times of year and in certain regions.

Truffles have been a staple in family homes in Tuscany and Piedmont for generations. Now an increasing number of area restaurants are featuring truffles as niche cuisine.

Venice may be engulfed by the ocean in the next century. But will any locals be around to see it happen? 

Italy's Berlusconi channels Mussolini, clamps down on press.

Soon, it'll be up to a jury in Perugia to decide whether Amanda Knox killed Meredith Kercher. How the evidence stacks up.

When I first moved abroad, I didn't see the point of socialized medicine. Then I developed a lump in my breast.

Regardless of the verdict, the trial of Amanda Knox has ruined the lives of almost everybody involved in it.

In Europe, the sex lives of politicians rarely create scandals the way they do in the U.S. But the continent's lenience may have finally hit its limit in Silvio Berlusconi's latest antics.

Silvio Berlusconi, the debauched Italian prime minister has long coasted on the indulgence of voters. Their patience is wearing thin.

Amanda Knox is a 22-year-old on trial for murder in Italy. Her defense—and her family—isn't helping.

Amanda Knox faces a jury. Will they believe what she has to say?

Seattle native faces moment of truth in Italian murder case.

The earthquake has devastated some of Italy's great cultural treasures.

Italy's initial response to a devastating earthquake has been nothing but praise.

Theatrics aside, the Amanda Knox trial comes down to forensics.