Sylvia Poggioli

From buses that catch fire to uncollected trash, Rome is facing a mess of problems with urban services. One group has responded by filling 5,000 potholes as the city tries to repair itself.

President Trump has blasted establishment politicians as he travels through Europe. In the "Barbershop," Michel Martin asks NPR correspondents if his populist messaging is affecting European politics.

Meet Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, who has emerged as a powerful hard-liner driving tough anti-immigration stances in Italy's new government.

Sketches on the walls of a once hidden room of a museum in Florence help shed light on the Renaissance artist's creative process — and on a mysterious and dangerous period in his life.

Italy's president has consented to allow two populist parties to form a governing coalition. But the arrangement has left some watchers worried about the potential consequences for Europe.

The anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and the right-wing League have joined forces — a move that has investors and the European Union on edge over promises for a referendum on the eurozone.

At heart is a power struggle between politicians who want Italy to remain a member of the European Union and the winners of March elections — Euroskeptic populists. Italy's president vetoed a populist coalition meaning fresh elections may need to be called.

Furious over President Sergio Mattarella's rejection of the populist coalition's euroskeptic pick for economic minister, 5-Star Movement leader Luigi Di Maio called for Mattarella's impeachment.

The two largest parties — the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and the League, a right-wing alliance — have been in two months of fruitless talks.

Now there's a new spectacle where visitors can feast their eyes on every detail of Michelangelo's masterpieces, with high-definition projections, actors, acrobats and music.

In a public letter, Francis says he misjudged the situation surrounding Chile's Bishop Juan Barros, who has been accused of helping cover up abuse.

The pope has focused on the poor and boosting interfaith dialogue. But he has attracted criticism over his handling of issues including clerical sex abuse and the status of women in the church.

Italians went to the polls Sunday after a campaign that featured violent clashes between fascists and anti-fascists in several cities. Immigration dominated the debate, as it has elsewhere in Europe.

Italy votes for a new parliament Sunday. The populist 5-Star Movement has set its sights on heading the next government, but in Rome, where its politicians run the city, some voters are disenchanted.

Far-right parties are campaigning for the March 4 elections, and they're not the only ones heightening the rhetoric against foreigners.

Pope Francis appeared on the balcony of St Peter's Basilica to deliver a Christmas message. This pope has traditionally used these messages to focus on conflicts that are afflicting the world.

Pope Francis met Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh today. He asked for their forgiveness for all the harm they've endured and, for the first time during his trip, he uttered their name in public.

In a speech in Bangladesh Thursday, Pope Francis spoke of the "refugees from Rakhine state" but, like he did in Myanmar recently, did not name the Rohingya.

Pope Francis is in Myanmar where he voiced support for ethnic minorities, but did not mention the persecuted Muslim Rohingya by name. This, in comments to leader Aung San Suu Kyi, disappointed rights activists seeking support for the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who have fled violence.

Pope Francis was meeting with Myanmar's leaders at a time when they're facing international condemnation over what the State Department calls ethnic cleansing of the country's minority Rohingya.