Italian city in fundraising bid to pay rising energy bills for retired people

An elderly man looks at Florence’s 14th-century town hall Palazzo Vecchio (AP)

Florence is famed for its contributions to Italian art, architecture and cuisine – but these days, leaders in the city regarded as the birthplace of the Renaissance are concerned with more mundane matters: paying the bills.

Amid soaring energy costs across Europe, officials at Palazzo Vecchio – the building that serves as Florence’s city hall as well as a museum – have teamed up with a local non-profit to help fixed-income retirees keep their power on through an “Adopt-a-Bill” fundraising campaign.