Several days of demonstrations protesting the opening of a garbage dump shut down the main rail line south of Naples, stranding thousands of travelers and leaving a festering problem unresolved. Naples is suffering from a chronic oversupply of garbage and too few dumps or incinerators to dispose of it, but communities where the city wants to haul its garbage want no part of it, citing health reasons. The reopening of a dump in Montecorvino Rovella, 40 miles southeast of Naples, prompted locals to occupy the train station and shut down rail service. The issue is further complicated by the local mafia, which grows rich running illegal garbage dumps and actively sabotages plans to build incinerators.
In Pisa, authorities have installed iron gates on the way to the Leaning Tower to protect the famous landmark from a possible terrorist attack. The tower was listed as a possible target for a car bomb attack by Italian authorities assessing monuments and buildings at risk.