Latest news with #Italian.
Daily Mirror
05-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Inside 'filthy' farm where siblings, 6 and 9, lived speaking primitive language
The horror conditions two young children were found living in in an off-grid farmhouse in northern Italy have been revealed, with one of their parents trying to justify his actions In a heartbreaking case that astonished local police, two siblings, aged nine and six, were found to be living in a rural farmhouse still wearing nappies and only able to speak in their own, primitive language. The young children had never been registered with a doctor nor had they attended any school, leaving them with the nickname 'ghost children'. The siblings' existence remained unknown for years thanks to their parents - a 54-year-old sculptor dad called Frederick and a 38-year-old mum. The "filthy" children were discovered living in the fully off-grid home with independent power and water in the woods in Lauriano, northern Italy, by horrified military cops intending to evacuate them due to a flooding alert. The parents, who are both Dutch nationals, went onto attempt to explain their motivation at keeping their children hidden. "My wife and I provide them with everything they need," the father told local newspaper Corriere Torino. "They have lots of toys, each their own laptop, lots of musical instruments and their own ski equipment. They go pony riding at the stables and spend a lot of time outdoors in restaurants and museums." Said to be obsessed with conspiracy theories, the father claimed he had turned the family's farmhouse into a self-sufficient "bunker" to protect his kids from infections like Covid-19. He also insisted he had been homeschooling the pair but neither of them were able to speak, read or write. Harrowing pictures of outside of the ramshackle home showed rubbish strewn through the garden, broken and abandoned furniture and trampolines left to rot. The couple living in the reclusive accommodation were said to have been born in Germany before relocating to a town in Turin, Italy. A court in the Italian town ordered the immediate removal of the children from their parents and they were taken into state care with a view to finding them a suitable foster carer. The Turin Juvenile Court ruling read: "There are facts that suggest that the minors are deprived of adequate assistance from their parents or relatives who are required to provide it." It is not yet known if the parents will face criminal action. As for the kids' mum, NL Times reported she was homeless and described her as "detached", saying she had shown little interest in her children. Local authorities had records of the metalworker father living in the home for three years but there was no trace of the mother or her children. "It is a very delicate matter," said mayor Mara Baccolla, who said the father of the youngsters was reserved and unable to speak Italian.. "These children can finally find a balance and have access to a life worthy of the name."
BBC News
23-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
The King's Lynn man who made Shakespeare funny
Archive research has revealed new information about a 16th Century comedian and his influence on William Armin began working with the Bard's acting troupe in the 1590s and became the principal comedic performer in 1599 when William Kemp left the group. Tim FitzHigham, creative director of Shakespeare's Guildhall in King's Lynn, Norfolk, says he believes many of the Bard's best known comedic roles would have been written and performed by the comedian."Robert Armin is a person who fundamentally changed comedy and he is really underrated - and I think people need to know more about him," he said. "He was Shakespeare's principal comedian for the majority of Shakespeare's writing career." Robert Armin was born in King's Lynn in 1565 and his birthplace is now a nail bar on the high the town's connections to Shakespeare have begun to be better known, the story of Armin's life and writing has been hidden until now, Mr FitzHigham said. The creative director, who is researching Armin's life for his PHD study, said his work had revealed more about Armin's relationship with Shakespeare."I think it is fair to say there was a lot of love between the two of them," he said."They came from similar backgrounds, had similar educations - and we know Armin like Shakespeare could read Italian."Armin's roles included starring as the first Feste in Twelfth Night, Autolycus in A Winter's Tale and as the Fool in King reveals Armin left Norfolk at the age of 16 to work as an apprentice goldsmith in joined Shakespeare's acting troupe in the 1590s, becoming the principal comedic performer in 1599 when William Kemp left. Kemp is best known for Morris Dancing from London to Norwich in nine days, a feat that was replicated by Tim FitzHigham. "He was the first person to really study comedy," said Mr FitzHigham. "Without him we wouldn't have Blackadder, we wouldn't really have Faulty Towers, and we wouldn't have The Fast Show because he changed comedy in such a way as to allow character comedians to happen." Armin's story has been shared across King's Lynn's Town Guide Network, who offer tours of the town to highlight it's Guides' chairman, Paul Allford, said: "While we all know about Shakespeare and his probable visits to Lynn, it's not commonly known that one of our own was so involved in his works." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
