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Observer
24-06-2025
- General
- Observer
Italian 'sphere within sphere' sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro dies at 98
Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro has died at his home in Milan on the eve of his 99th birthday, his foundation and the Italian Culture Ministry reported on Monday. Pomodoro was known for his abstract "sphere within sphere" sculptures, which can be seen at UN headquarters in New York and the Vatican Museums, among other prominent locations. While many are to be found in the United States and Italy, Dublin, Rotterdam, Warsaw, Tel Aviv, Jeddah, Tehran, and various Japanese cities, including Hiroshima, also host the sculptures. Pomodoro first came to international attention with a 3.5-metre work for the Montreal Expo in 1967. "His open and wounded 'spheres' still tell us today of the fragility and complexity of humanity and the world," the Italian Culture Ministry said. Pomodoro was born in Morciano di Romagna in 1926, a small town in Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy. He started out aiming to become an architect or set builder — interests revealed in his later work. He combined technical precision with geometric form, frequently using gold and bronze as his materials. Following studies in art, Pomodoro and his brother Giò moved to Milan, where he gained international renown.—dpa


Al Etihad
23-06-2025
- General
- Al Etihad
Italian 'sphere within sphere' sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro dies at 98
23 June 2025 16:11 ROME (dpa)Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro has died at home in Milan on the eve of his 99th birthday, his foundation and the Italian Culture Ministry reported on was known for his abstract "sphere within sphere" sculptures, which can be seen at UN headquarters in New York and the Vatican Museums among other prominent many are to be found in the United States and Italy, Dublin, Rotterdam, Warsaw, Tel Aviv, Jeddah, Tehran, and various Japanese cities, including Hiroshima, also host the sculptures. Pomodoro first came to international attention with a 3.5-metre work for the Montreal Expo in 1967. "His open and wounded 'spheres' still tell us today of the fragility and complexity of humanity and the world," the Italian Culture Ministry was born in Morciano di Romagna in 1926, a small town in Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy. He started out aiming to become an architect or set builder - interests revealed in his later combined technical precision with geometric form, frequently using gold and bronze as his materials. Following studies in art, Pomodoro and his brother Giò moved to Milan, where he gained international renown.


The Independent
08-04-2025
- The Independent
Rome tourists being forced to buy more expensive tickets for Colosseum
Italy's competition authority has fined six ticketing agencies a total of €20 million for making it difficult for visitors to buy standard entry tickets to the Colosseum online. The largest fine, €7 million, was levied against the Cooperative Culture Society, which managed ticket sales for the ancient amphitheatre from 1997 to 2024. The authority, known as AGCM, stated that the society employed practices that forced tourists to purchase significantly more expensive tickets from platforms that bundled in extra services like guided tours or priority access. Six tour operators based in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Ireland were also fined for using bots and other automated systems to buy up large quantities of tickets, making them unavailable for individual tourists. The authority did not list the mark-ups, but the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum which is operated by the Italian Culture Ministry, lists the price for access to the ancient Roman arena at €18 for adults. For that price, visitors may spend 20 minutes on the Colosseum's main floor. The Colosseum director declined to comment on the fines, his office said. It said the Colosseum was Italy's most-visited monument in 2023, with over 12.3 million visitors. It comes as destinations the world-over crack down on overtourism and its associated problems. Post the Covid pandemic, the influx of millions of visitors to tourist-strewn towns has, in some cases, risen to levels above those seen in 2019. Too much tourism threatens to disrupt residents and natural ecosystems and contribute to transport pollution. Unesco has warned of potential damage to protected areas, and Fodor's ' No Travel List ' recommended reconsidering a visit to 'suffering cultural hotspots' with overstretched infrastructure, such as 'plastic apocalypse' Bali, Barcelona and Koh Samui, Thailand, in 2025.


The Independent
08-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Italian authority levies hefty fines against Roman Colosseum ticketing agencies
Italy's competition authority on Tuesday levied fines totaling 20 million euros ($22 million) against half a dozen ticketing agencies for practices that have made it " difficult for regular visitors to buy basic tickets online to visit the landmark Roman Colosseum. The Cooperative Culture Society, which managed ticket sales for the Colosseum from 1997 to 2024, received the largest portion of the overall fine with 7 million euros. The fine was for a series of practices that forced tourists to buy tickets at significantly higher prices from platforms that added services such a tour guides or line skipping, the authority also know as AGCM said in a statement. Six tour operators based in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Ireland were additionally fined for using bots and other automated systems to buy up large quantities of tickets, making them unavailable for individual tourists. The authority did not list the mark-ups, but the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum which is operated by the Italian Culture Ministry, lists the price for access to the ancient Roman arena at 18 euros for adults. For that price, visitors may spend 20 minutes on the Colosseum's main floor. The Colosseum director declined to comment on the fines, his office said. It said the Colosseum was Italy's most-visited monument in 2023, with over 12.3 million visitors.