Does anybody know....Has the Catholic Church or the Italian gov't asked for more money. I know the Italians won't stage a work shut down but I also know their tolerance level is that of other country's twords the Mormon Corp.

The more money that ends up in the pockets of the local power base the more Mormons are welcome.

I tend to think it's only for show and that maybe there will be minimal use and that it will cost the Mormons a bundle to maintain, but that they will not mind as it proves that the church is true. They promised Italians for years that if they "build it, they will come." I'm thinking that won't happen, but that the church will say that it's all happening as planned. I highly doubt that it will be more than just a gigantic flop.

I see from the photos that it's just about finished. I think that Google maps also shows it near completion, but haven't looked in a while.

Don't know who to ask. There was someone here who lived in Rome who posted a bit in the past. Don't know who it was and haven't seen him/her for a while but we both had some of the same acquaintances in common. And Ikki might know someone who knows someone who could add info, but I'm not sure. I don't think she has anything first-hand. We need some ex-Mo source over there to report for us.

No, I am sorry, I have no recent news, being out of the Porthstrasse orbit. I wouldn't even know who to ask without sounding strange. I could never hide well my lack of excitement for the Rome temple project and for the temple in general, though I was one of the first in our area to see the Rome temple computer rendition prepared by the church.

I googled "tempio mormome roma" and I found a video from last september on the website of the newspaper La Repubblica.
This is the link, I don't know if it going to work.
http://inchieste.repubblica.it/it/repubblica/rep-it/2014/09/11/news/arrivano_i_mormoni-94455732/
The video is in italian, but it is worth seeing: you can see how the temple ground is congested between the huge blue-yellow Swede (ah, the irony!), a mall, tall condominium buildings and the noisy Grande Raccordo Anulare.

Looking for something about the temple I found a ridiculous, but interesting website not affiliated to the church, but very similar graphically, it is called Tempio Mormone di Roma, but there are several articles about the church, the doctrines, etc. One caught my eyes: "lode all'uomo anche se con 40 mogli e spose adolescenti" - praise to the man, even if with 40 wives and adolescent brides. I haven't read it, but looks like a critic of articles on the essays that have appeared in the press recently (as if to say: these gentile journalists who always mistranslate topic words, and give misrepresentations of the true and inspired doctrines of the church....)

I'll take a look when I have time, and report here if I find something interesting. (I am actually asking myself why aren't there more italian speaking on RfM, any RM?)