ROME — A model testified Monday that female guests at Silvio Berlusconi’s “bunga bunga” parties dressed up like nuns in the “Sister Act” musical, then stripped to their underwear. The former Italian premier is on trial for allegedly paying a 17-year-old Moroccan girl for sex, then using his influence as Italian premier in 2010 to cover it up. He has denied the charges.

I have just returned with a group of Detroiters from a trip to Turin, Italy as guest of a Kresge Foundation-funded German Marshall Fund study on innovation. Much has been written about the similarities of Turin and Detroit. Both cities benefited from wildly successful automotive sectors for many years, and both cities suffered through the recent decline in manufacturing and the pain of a changing auto industry. However, while the Detroit region is seeing new economic gain from a leaner, meaner Detroit three, Turin's manufacturing workforce is likely to cap at under 25,000. To complicate matters, Turin is also suffering through the difficulties of the complicated European Union financial situation.

A 5-year-old New Hampshire boy who inspired thousands to volunteer to become bone marrow donors in his home state and in Italy died this week, after a long battle with a rare immune disorder.
 

Another Northern League heavyweight resigned Tuesday when Lombardy regional assembly president Davide Boni stepped down.
Boni, 50, was placed under investigation for fraud and corruption last month. Earlier this month League leader Umberto Bossi resigned after an unrelated probe into his party's treasurer appeared to show party funding had been diverted to the personal use of his family.Another Northern League heavyweight resigned Tuesday when Lombardy regional assembly president Davide Boni stepped down.

Ex-premier and media magnate Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom (PdL) party on Tuesday slammed Industry Minister Corrado Passera for making "a mess" of a plan to auction off six new digital TV frequencies.

Bensonhurst-born boxer Paulie Malignaggi is prepping for a title fight on the other side of the planet — but the best spot for him to train remains the hard-scrabble streets that taught him how to throw a punch.

The faint smell of incense and candle wax permeates the church of Sant’Apollinare near Rome’s famous Piazza Navona. The basilica is one of a handful of churches outside the walls of Vatican City owned by the Holy See.  It is used primarily by members of the ultra-conservative Opus Dei prelature for special masses for student priests and for celebrations of marriage and baptism of those affiliated with the sect.

The Jersey Shore is undoubtedly one of the most popular TV shows in pop culture today and based on a group of Italian-American group of “guidos” that make the Kardashians look drama free. Full of bickering, fighting, drunk people in their 20s and 30s, at first glance shouldn’t compare well to a professional football franchise. The similarities are there, though, and Jets players and staff can easily be compared to the stars on Jersey Shore.