Sunday 30 January. A study on the Italian family conducted by the national research council has revealed that between 1990 and 2000 the number of young people staying at home and living with their families increased. Those aged between 20 and 34 who remained at home rose from 46 per cent to 56 per cent, those aged between 30 and 34 rose from 14 per cent to 27 per cent.

Ryanair, the low-cost Irish airline, announced that it would introduce direct service between Dublin and Rome on 19 April. It is also introducing three internal services on 28 April, between Rome and Alghero in Sardinia, Rome and Venice-Treviso, and Rome and Verona-Brescia. In January, Ryanair introduced two new routes, between Rome and Liverpool and Rome and Durham in England.

Monday 31 January. The last day of the "caccia", the Italian hunting season which began in September. According to "Animalisti Italiani" who would like to see hunting banned, the toll this year is 40 huntsmen dead and 82 injured, with an estimated 150 million birds and animals shot by huntsmen using 700 million cartridges containing 25,000 tons of lead, most of which has been left to contaminate the environment.

Work began on the facelift for Piazza di Spagna. The square will have new drains, gas piping, telephone wiring and lighting systems. The original cobblestones will be replaced and almost all of the area will be made into a pedestrian precinct. Only taxis, emergency services and residents will be able to drive across the square. The work, which is expected to cost 1.8 million, should be completed by the end of January 2006.

Four more people were killed in gangland murders in the Naples area bringing the total this year to 14.

Tuesday 1 February. An annual parking tax of 36, which was to have been paid by residents of the city centre areas, has been dropped. At present, residents of the historic centre, who have special permits for entry into the zones in which they live, may park in designated areas free of charge.

Pope John Paul II was rushed to hospital suffering from breathing difficulties caused by influenza and complicated by Parkinsons disease.

Wednesday 2 February. The Roman central dairy raised the retail price of milk by 10 cents a litre to 1.40. The dairy produces one million litres of milk per day for the Rome and Lazio area. Coldiretto, one the unions representing dairy farmers, complained that its members were still only receiving between 32 and 37 cents per litre.

Thursday 3 February. Commuters on regional trains all over Italy protested at the poor level of service, unpunctuality, cancellations and overcrowded trains. They refused to pay for their season tickets, held a sit-in at the Trenitalia headquarters in Piedmont and threatened to block train lines.

Friday 4 February. Rome city council has formed a taskforce to examine the data of the 2001 census. When its results were checked against the citys official registry figures, it was found that 94,000 people appeared on the census who were not registered as residents, and 369,000 residents who should have appeared on the census were not accounted for. If the census figures are correct, then Rome has two members of the chamber of deputies and one senator too many.

A female Italian journalist, Giuliana Sgrena, a pacifist reporting for the left-wing newspaper "Il Manifesto", was kidnapped in Baghdad.

Saturday 5 February. Rome city council announced plans to move the Museum of Roman Civilization from its premises in the fascist-designed suburb of EUR to a building at one end of the Circus Maximus in the Via dei Cerchi. The move would bring all the city museums that cover the ancient Roman period within walking distance of one another. The new museum will also offer space to a large collection known as LAntiquarium which has been in storage since it was last exhibited in 1927.