Women have been banned from standing topless on Italian beaches, they must be lying down.

New rules say women must be covered up if they are walking on the beach, playing beach volleyball or swimming. A strict 10-point guide has been issued by the Italian Association for Public Bathing.

In addition to the ban on topless bathing, the guidelines also forbid playing football (American soccer) on the beach, hanging up wet clothes to dry on beach umbrellas, changing into swimwear under towels and drinking alcohol. The guide restricts cell phone use and says that people who speak loudly into their cell phones will be asked to turn them off.

Fiat will launch 20 new models over the next three years and invest billions of euros in auto research and development. This is all part of a turnaround bid, said CEO Sergio Marchionne. Mr. Marchionne went on to say that Fiat would not shut down any factories in Italy.

The statement followed a meeting between Mr. Marchionne, top government officials and union leaders at the Italian premier's office. The aggressive renewal of the product range that began two years ago is continuing under the 2005-2008 product range, which calls for the launch of 20 new models and 23 restylings of existing models, the statement said.

An ancient Roman temple dating to the first or second century AD has been discovered by archaeologists on the southern island of Pantelleria. A three-meter portion of one of the walls of the temple has been dug up.

In ancient times Pantelleria was a major trading and cultural crossroads between Italy, Africa, Greece and Asia Minor. It had a flourishing Roman colony whose wealth and sophistication have produced rich findings for archaeologists.

Two years ago archeologists discovered marble busts of Caesar, the emperor Titus and a high-born court lady. The busts were well-preserved, allowing them to be immediately identified.

This seems eerily similar to the beginning of the movie Bread and Tulips (Pane and Tulipani).

A Macedonian man drove away from an Italian service station without his wife. He only noticed she wasn't in the car when police phoned him six hours later. The man, his wife and their four-year-old daughter, who live in Germany, were returning from a holiday in Greece when they stopped at a service station near the northern Adriatic city of Pesaro.

While the woman went to the bathroom, the man went to buy gasoline. Having filled the tank, he then drove off with his daughter in the back seat.

This quaint medieval town will be the site of one of the newest and most exciting events at the Winter Olympic Games:  snowboarding. 

Located near the French border, Bardonecchia sits in a valley surrounded by mountains.  A river runs through the town with mountains rising all around making this a picture perfect little town. 

The town of Bardonecchia has traditional stone and wooden buildings with cobblestone roads dating from the 1300’s.  Most of the hotels are located in the center of town near a large number of shops, restaurants, pizzerias, pubs and bars.  Most of the streets are either flat or have gentle slopes so walking is not difficult.

After 2,000 years, Rome will replace some of their cobblestone roads with asphalt.  Most of the stones to be replaced over the next few months were laid down in the 16th and 17th centuries.  Soon, even the ancient Roman stones may be replaced in all but the pedestrian walkways and piazzas.

The old cobblestones, known as “sampietrini” (sampietrini translates as little stones of St. Peter’s) were originally used in St. Peter’s Square.

Paving of the Via Delle Botteghe Oscure and stretches of roads that run along the Tiber River will begin in the fall.  More roads will be paved over time, leaving only a small number of cobblestone walkways in the city. The cobblestones will be left in place in Piazza Venezia, a large square in the heart of Rome and the Fori Imperiali which connects the Coliseum with the forum.

While not a plague of biblical portions giant locusts are causing damage and anxiety in parts of northern Italy. Locusts have been in the southern regions and are now moving north into the Piedmonte. Locusts have even been found in the streets of Turin.

Swarms of locusts are devouring vineyards in some areas of northern Italy. With swarms capable of moving up to 30 miles per hour they are flying into cars, getting entangled in hair and getting caught in clothes. They have been swarming on the walls of houses.

The locusts are harmless to humans, but they pose a threat to the harvest of the grapes used in the product of Barbera wine.

This is the perfect Italian sauce recipe for summer.  It freezes well and can bring a little bit of summer into the cold winter months.  Best of all, the only calories are from the tomatoes and the pasta.

You will need a food mill for this recipe, they can be purchased in cooking stores or on-line both new and used (they are inexpensive).  A food mill is a metal bowl with a screen at the bottom and a press inside that you turn with a handle.  This tool allows you to make sauce from the meat of the tomato while keeping out skin and seeds which can make a sauce bitter. 

Purchase fresh plum tomatoes (they are oblong).  You need at least a pound; there is no maximum amount you can use.  If you purchase a lot of tomatoes you can make several batches and freeze what you do not need for immediate use.