Il Gran Antonioni Se Ne Va

(Michelangelo Antonioni, courtesy of ANSA)

NEW YORK--(Italy Watch)--Known in the Stati Uniti for Blow-Up and L'Avventura, the Ferrara-born director Michelangelo Antonioni passed away yesterday evening in the city of his birth, calmly seated on an arm chair next to his wife. Antonioni was 95, and leaves behind a vast catalogue of films, many of which stressed his belief that actions and behavior -- not words, are integral to the essence of mankind. He leaves a blanket of silence in a country so dearly attached to cinema.

"La solitudine e' la mancanza di parole intorno a noi."

Michelangelo Antonioni

"Solitude is the lack of words around us."

Totti To Leave La Squadra Nazionale

NEW YORK--(Italy Watch)--Francesco Totti, the captain of AS Roma and the Italian National team, "gli azzurri", announced to the press yesterday that he will no longer play with the Italian National team. Totti has decided to dedicate the remainer of his football career to AS Roma, his home team and birth city. Speaking to the press, Totti said: "The word 'finished' is an ugly word, but I've decided to close my chapter with the National team for physical, not technical reasons... ...I'm sorry, but my health is the most important thing." Citing knees and back problems, Totti, 31, admitted that playing with two teams was simply too much. He did not, however, leave the stage without sowing the seeds of polemics, expressing his belief that the press (especially those of the North) was overly harsh on him this past year because he is a Roman, a Southerner.

("I have purged you again")

Milan To Impose Strict Traffic Restrictions

NEW YORK--(Italy Watch)--This fall the city of Milan will slap motor vehicle polluters with substantial traffic tariffs. The tariffs, which will be applied upon each entry into the designated traffic zone, will start around 2 euro and creep upwards to 10 euro. The price variability will depend on the type of motor vehicle used, and amount of emissions produced. Local government officials claim that the city's emissions rates will be halved. The proposed program is similar to the one mapped out by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, which requires all drivers in Manhattan (below 96th St.) to pay an $8 fee during business hours.

Oil Exploration Underway in Chianti

NEW YORK--(Italy Watch)--Heritage Petrolium Plc, a British petroleum company, has been granted permits to perform preliminary exploration in Italy's Chianti region for petroleum reserves. The majority of the drilling will take place in the region surrounding San Gimignano, and extend south toward Siena.

1,553 square kilometers (600 square miles -- slightly larger than the city of Houston, TX) are open to drilling, although Heritage Petroleum Plc and local Italian government officials in Chianti claim that no current plans exist for drilling.

The 6-year exploratory contracts pose obvious problems for a region whose livelihood is tied to agriculture, wine and rural tourism. If Chianti loses its land, with it goes its agroeconomic base and rustic charm.