Who and what did Italians search for most on Google in 2023?

Sport, politics and celebrities all feature highly in the most searched topics on Google in Italy over the past year, the internet search engine said on Monday.

The most searched person in Italy in 2023 was tennis champion Jannik Sinner, followed by AS Roma striker Romelu Lukaku and 84-year-old pop legend Peppino di Capri.

Other widely-searched figures include Marta Fascina, the partner of the late former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi; Andrea Giambruno, the former partner of premier Giorgia Meloni; and Elly Schlein, leader of the centre-left Partito Democratico party.

Alongside Berlusconi, the most searched-for figures who passed away this year include TV journalist Maurizio Costanzo, mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, pop singer Toto Cutugno, football great Gianluca Vialli, writer Michela Murgia and Hollywood diva Gina Lollobrigida.

Under the headings "what is it?" and "why?", the most searched topics include the war in the Middle East, the Gaza Strip, and Hamas, together with artificial intelligence software ChatGpt, the terms "national mourning", "transgender", "Pope Emeritus" and the TikTok slang word "Apayinye".

The blockbuster movies that generated the most curiosity online in Italy over the past year are Oppenheimer, Barbie and C'è ancora domani by Paola Cortellesi, who is also among the most searched actors together with Chiara Francini and Luisa Ranieri.