Since September 2009, Siena has been celebrating one of the most important recurrences in the city history: the 700th anniversary of its “Costituto”, the first constitutional document written in vulgar language and not in Latin, in other words, the first symbol of democracy for the city of Siena. Finally, also common people could understand it.

It is for this reason that the city of Siena celebrates this recurrence with an event including several fields that aim to involve all the city with many initiatives: children, adults and elderly people.

Such an event will go on until May 31st 2010…so if you are in the neighborhood of Siena or you have never visited the city, this could be a perfect chance!

In fact, the programme of the “La Città del Sì” – a periphrasis of a famous sentence by Dante Alighieri – includes many reviews, exhibitions, shows and conventions.

Every weekend – from Friday to Sunday – visitors will find many appointments and events for tourists and Siena citizens, who will proudly show to be the heirs of the prosperous Republic of the Middle Ages. Good old times!

Until May 31st 2010, visitors will find also an interesting exhibition at Santa Maria della Scala Museum entitled Libri e fotografie del fondo Giuliano Briganti e dell’Istituto d’arte, a beautiful itinerary into Siena’s art between 13th and 14th centuries (opening hours from Monday to Thursday, from 9 am to 5 pm).

In addition, on next Saturday May 1st 2010, from 10 am to 1 pm,

The great appointment with music comes back in Rome!

As usual, this year the 1st May Concert will be full of surprises and great guests, renowned Italian singers and first-class musicians.

The 1st May concert is an event planned by labor unions like CGIL, CISL and UIL, and once again Piazza San Giovanni in Rome is going to host this magic concert that seems to open the doors to summer: music, notes, young people and laughs under the sky of Rome. A not-to-miss event!

This year, the event is really dedicated to surprises, in fact for the first time a woman will present the concert: Sabrina Impacciatore, a famous Italian actress, the only one who will present the 21st edition of the most beloved concert in Italy.

The elegant Italian singer Carmen Consoli will surely be on the stage of the 1st May Concert with the renowned Italian musician Vinicio Capossella.

In addition, there will be great guests such as Simone Cristicchi, Nina Zilli,

Since always, on April 25th Venice celebrates the Feast of Saint Mark, the patron of the city.

In fact, also this year venetians and people from every corner of Italy and the world will gather in the stately and famous St. Mark’s Basilica at 10.30 am in order to celebrate, as tradition says, the procession led by the patriarch of Venice, the cardinal Angelo Scola, the representatives of ecclesiastic orders and the most important city authorities.

St. Mark the Evangelist, worshipped as a Saint by all the religious orders that allow the cult of the Saints, has become for his history the political-religious emblem of the Serenissima Republic of Venice since 1797.

In the past, the feast took place in St. Mark’s Square with a famous procession which many ecclesiastic, civil authorities and important personages of the arts took part in.

As time passed, his cult never ended and many monuments, squares and places of cult were built in order to pay homage to him, such as Venice Basilica, where the body of Saint Mark is preserved and safeguarded still nowadays.

A curious Venetian tradition says that, on this day, Venetians have to give as a gift to the woman they love a bocolo, that is a rose bud.

In addition, we remind you that on April 25th 2010, at 5.30 pm, the religious

The 5th edition of the Video Festival in the City of Imperia this year will be held from April 20th to 24th 2010, in the city of Imperia (Region of Liguria).

Such a festival was born in 2006 from an idea of the current Artistic Director in order to create an innovative event which could give the city and its province a new image and could involve authors of amateur videos from the near cities and seaside resorts of the Western Liguria Riviera.

But such a renowned festival, since its first edition, had a national connotation, because many authors coming from all over Italy took part in the competition, and different competitive sections were created.

Nowadays, the Festival counts 685 works entered from 51 different countries.

Italy, world renound for its incredible history and dedication to the arts, is opening the doors of its countless and historically important state operated sites including museums of art and history, monuments, archaeological areas, archives and libraries … for FREE!

For the next ten days (April 16-25th) Italians and foreigners alike will enjoy this unique opportunity to experience the beauty and culture that exists within the walls of its most prestigious and visited locations without having to pay a dime.

Each city has its gems, and here’s a breif description of a few: Click on the citiy names for a more in depth description of the museums, monuments and more!

Florence: City of Renaissance art. He’re you’ll find the incredible Uffizi Gallery with its incredible collection of famous art from the middle ages all the way through the 18th century (featuring two of Botticelli`s greatest works), the Galleria dell’Academia – with Michelangelo’s famous statue of  ‘David’ …

Venice: The city of Venice is basically a museum its self, but

This spring, Florence will really enchant its visitors. Yes, because the 74th edition of the Handicrafts Trade Fair comes back, a very famous and expected event in the city of craftsmen and artists.

As usual, such an event will be held at Fortezza da Basso in Florence, from April 24th to May 2nd, a perfect occasion for discovering and re-discovering the high quality local handmade products coming from every corner of Italy: furniture, fashion, culinary products which tell something about every Italian region.

ART – International Arts and Crafts Exhibition will come back to make visitors marveling at its original products during the following opening hours: everyday from 10.00 am to 11.00 pm (last day from 10.00 am to 8.00 pm).

As always, the trade fair is made up of 6 main sectors according to the theme: Territori, Scene d’Interni, Il Gusto, Scenari dal Mondo, Scenari di Moda & Preziosi, Visioni. A meeting point between producers and consumers: the art of creation, the art of craftsmen, small and medium firms, interior designers, architects, galleries or shops owners.

You have absolutely to discover such a dimension at Fortezza da Basso in Florence. You won’t regret it!

In addition, it is a perfect chance to visit the city of Florence, with its museums, great monuments, squares and gardens that get more and more beautiful in spring time!

For further information about the Handicrafts Trade Fair 2010 or other events in Florence, please take a look at the website www.aboutflorence.com

Would you like to taste a delicious Tuscan wine?

Tuscan and Florentine wines are renowned all over the world, thanks to the green areas surrounding Florence which have been producing wine for centuries.

Tuscany is one of the most stunning and culturally lively wine region in the world: it is a perfect scenery for discovering new different tastes and smelling the fragrances of red and white Tuscan wines.

Tuscan landscape is made of green rolling hills where ageless villages and ancient towns seem to be untouched by time. Here, in the neighborhood of Florence, it is very easy to find many wine houses, from tiny family-run farms to huge wineries owned by coops.

Producing wines in Tuscany represents a very ancient tradition which anyway keeps on being in step with the times, introducing new techniques and innovations. One of the most famous wine-producing area in Tuscany is the Chianti region, a landscape which seems to be painted on a canvas: woods, olive groves, vineyards, country roads, farmhouses, typical villas and castles of rare beauty.

Here it is possible to have a Wine Tour with an expert guide who will let you discover and taste some of the finest wines in the world, such as Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino,

For all high quality design and furniture addicts, the renowned and very expected event Salone Internazionale del Mobile – the international furniture fair – has come back in Milan!

The trade fair Salone Internazionale del Mobile as usual will take place in the city of Milan from April 14th to 19th 2010, together with the International Furnishing Accessories Exhibition inside the same showroom. Both fairs will offer you the best you can find on the international market, all kinds of furniture and furnishing accessories and all the styles, from classical to modern design.

In addition, also this year visitors will find other two biennials: Eurocucina with its side event FTK and International Bathroom Exhibition, together with the Salone Satellite, the area exclusively dedicated to young designers.

From April 14th to 19th, the fair will be reserved to the professionals of the sector, whereas it will be open to public on Sunday 18th April from 9.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.

You will be spoilt for choice! This fair is for whoever

Ten years after the last Exposition on the occasion of the jubilee year, once again the Holy Shroud will be on display from April 10th to May 23rd 2010 at the Cathedral of Turin.

In fact, this year it will be possible to marvel at the Holy Shroud after the intervention it underwent in 2002.

Everybody knows the famous Shroud, the holy linen sheet measuring 442 cm long by 113 cm high plus a 8 cm strip sewed lengthwise; on the tissue there is a faint impression of an image, the frontal and dorsal one of a man who suffered the death of crucifixion.

According to tradition, it could be the sheet quoted in the Gospel which was used to cover and wrap Jesus body in the Sepulchre, but such a hypothesis has been not proved yet by scientific research.

However, this mysterious image for science, represents for believers a great sign showing the Passion of Christ, and it aroused emotions and feelings for the extraordinary figure that contains. Several and deep studies began and still nowadays include a wide range of researcher of any field, such as archaeologists, historians, exegesists, doctors, physicians, chemists, IT experts, etc.

From April 10th, the Holy Shroud will be shown in an itinerary full of

Have you already seen the 4th edition of Contemporanea? Well my friends, you still have a month to go to the eternal city and marvel at great ideas and real masterpieces.

In fact, since last September, the original festival called “Contemporanea – art, visual, music, performance” is ongoing at Auditorum Parco della Musica in Rome; created by Oscar Pizzo and become extremely renowned, it will be open until May 12th 2010.

A tangle of different cultures, social issues and problems, different points of view: at its 4th edition, Contemporanea, includes places like Venice, Germany, Japan, Estonia, North America, Tropical Africa, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq, and turns into a space where past and present compare and challenge each other by facing topics like the tale, myth, religion, magic, nature, metropolis, technology, abysses, cosmic space, future, infinite. Is it enough?

Concerts, workshops, exhibitions, performances, meetings