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ANSA. An influx of foreign workers is boosting job opportunities for Italians rather than reducing them, according to a report published by the Bank of Italy on Tuesday. The study by Italy's central bank, part of a wider survey of regional economies in 2008, said ''the rise in the number of foreigners [in Italy] has not been reflected in fewer job opportunities for Italians''. (Read the article)

The New York Times. MONTECAVOLO, ITALY  — The vaults of the regional bank Credito Emiliano hold a pungent gold prized by gourmands around the world — 17,000 tons of parmesan cheese. (Read the article)

ANSA.Milan is embarking on a major Leonardo da Vinci spree, with 24 mini-exhibits devoted to the largest collection of sketches, designs and writing by the Renaissance genius. (Read the article)

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. In 1969, an obscure middle-aged novelist and pulp magazine journalist named ­Mario Gianluigi Puzo hit the literary jackpot. He wrote "The Godfather," he later told Larry King, "to make money." By his own admission, it wasn't well written. "If I'd known so many people were going to read it," he famously said, "I'd have written it better." (Read the article)