Italian News Headlines 13-06-2025: The world's most famous Tik Toker, Italian, Kharby Lame, was arrested and then expelled from the United States for remaining in the country after his visa expired. --- The Italian navy training ship, Amerigo Vespucci, arrived in Cagliari to be welcomed by Luna Rossa, the winner of the 37th America's Cup youth and women's tournament --- Italy will host the 38th edition of the America's Cup in Naples in 2027 --- Robert Francis Prevost from the USA has been chosen as the new pope, taking the name, Pope Leo XIV --- Two floating cranes, one of which is among the most powerful in Europe, have begun the process of lifting the sunken superyacht, the Bayesian, to the surface off the coast of Sicily --- Italian racing driver, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the F1 Mercedes team's replacement for Lewis Hamilton, became the youngest driver to take a Formula 1 pole position for the sprint race at the Miami Grand Prix --- King Charles III addresses the Italian Parliament in Italian, during his state visit of Italy --- A new discovery at Pompei has uncovered near life-sized frescoes that depict religious practices that were popular in the ancient city before its destruction in AD79 --- Pope Francis has spent a 10th night in hospital having been admitted with pneumonia in both lungs --- The Demoskopika Institute has rated Italy at the top of the European Tourism Reputation Index, above Greece and Spain, for the second year running.

Carlo Levi

Carlo Levi
Lorenzatesoro, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Carlo Levi was born in 1902 in Turin, Piedmont, to wealthy and influential parents. His father was Jewish and a doctor and his mother was the sister of Claudio Treves who was an important socialist leader in Italy at the turn of the century. Having graduated from high school in 1917, he attended the University of Turin, studying medicine. At university, he met Piero Gobetti, who inspired an interest in politics that would last until his death. Having graduated from university with high marks, he initially worked in medical research before deciding to pursue a career in painting. He moved to Paris and lived there, on and off, until 1934.

In 1929, he had co-founded an anti-fascist organisation called 'Giustizia e Libertà'. It was this political activism, for which he was arrested in 1935, that led to his exile to Aliano (the fictional town he called Gagliano in his book), in Lucania, southern Italy. He lived in this remote, hilltop village for a year and during that time he painted, worked as a doctor and observed the daily hardship of the villagers that he would later write about in his most famous book, 'Christ Stopped at Eboli'.

Once released, he lived in Paris until 1941 when he returned to Italy where he was, once again, arrested. Following the fall of Mussolini, he was again released and it was then that he wrote 'Christ Stopped at Eboli', a vivid, first hand account of the life of poverty and deprivation endured by the Lucanians.

Lucania, now called Basilicata, was at that time one of the poorest and most backward areas in Italy. The publishing of 'Christ Stopped at Eboli' in 1947 brought the problems suffered in the under developed southern regions of the country to public attention.

In 1963 Carlo Levi was elected to the Italian Senate, serving there until his death on January 4, 1975. Though Levi's first novel made him famous and established him as one of the most important writers of the social realism movement, he wrote several other important books:

In Of Fear and Freedom (1946)

The Watch (1950)

Words Are Stones (1955)

Fleeting Rome

Il futoru ha un cuore antico (1956)

The Linden Trees (1962)

He died of pneumonia in Rome on January 4, 1975. He is buried in the town that made him famous, Aliano in Basilicata.

The Best Italian Handmade Gifts
Direct From Italy

Terzetto (green) - Murano Glass Bottle Accessory Set

More Details

Other pages you might like
Newsletter
Enter your email address below to receive our free newsletter, 'I Love Italy'. It provides a captivating glimpse into the allure of 'The Bel Paese', containing extracts from our most recent articles, a window on Italian news, fashion, music and culture, useful information for visiting and living in Italy as well as our latest, delicious Italian recipes.

Subscribers are also entitled to a 10% discount on purchases from our sister-site, Italy Gifts Direct.

We will not use your email address for any other purpose or pass it on to any other organisation and you can unsubscribe from this service at any time.
up arrow