Italy’s top story on Monday:

Italy’s Labour Minister Marina Calderone said it was “everybody’s aim to declare war on gangmastering,’ as police continued investigations into the death of Satnam Singh, the Indian farm labourer left for dead by his employer after his arm was sliced off by farm machinery.

The death of the Sikh agricultural worker spurred public outrage at the exploitation of migrants in Italy and calls for action to root out gangmastering, which is rife in Italy, news agency Ansa reported.

Prosecutors suspect the man’s employer in Latina, a Mussolini-founded new town south of Rome that is home to thousands of immigrant farm workers, of subjecting “at least six workers to conditions of exploitation and taking advantage of their state of need”, La7 reported.

More than 230,000 agricultural workers are victims of exploitation and abuse in Italy, a quarter of those working in the sector, according to estimates from official statistics office Istat.

Almost 700 killed in workplace accidents in Italy so far this year

Almost 500 employees have been killed in workplace accidents in Italy so far this year, with the highest numbers of deaths recorded in agriculture, haulage and construction, news agency Ansa reported.

Figures from the national work observatory showed that 492 workers died on the job from January 1st to June 20th this year, though the figure rises to 670 if temporary workers are included.

There have been recent protests in Italy over frequent reports of deadly workplace accidents in the country.

Italy had the eighth highest number of fatalities out of the 27 EU countries, with 2.66 deaths per 100,000 workers – worse than Spain and Portugal, but better than France and Austria, according to Eurostat data.

Tourist defaces wall at Pompeii

A Kazakh tourist was the latest to be reported to police for vandalising an Italian tourist attraction after trying to carve the word ‘ALI’ into a wall at the Pompeii archaeological park, reported Ansa.

The tourist was detained by security and reception staff on Saturday while reportedly defacing plasterwork in the House of the Ceii, which dates back to the 2nd century BC.

The park’s director, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, described it as an “incivil act” and told reporters “the perpetrator of the crime will have to pay for the restoration of the wall”.

Pollica in Campania voted Italy’s most beautiful beach

Ansa also reported that Pollica in Campania was named Italy’s most beautiful beach resort in the ‘Five Sails’ standings, based on rankings by environmental agency Legambiente and the Italian Touring Club.

Nardò, in Puglia, came second, followed Baunei in eastern Sardinia, Domus De Maria in southern Sardinia, and finally Castiglione della Pescaia in southern Tuscany in fifth.

In terms of lake resorts, Molveno (Trento) was voted first and Appiano sulla Strada del Vino (Bolzano) second. Massa Marittima near Grosseto in southern Tuscany was voted the third most beautiful lake resort in the country.