Obviously, it’s Leonardo da Vinci we are talking about. The universal Italian genius and great myth. His world-famous Self portrait will be put on display for the first time ever in the halls of Scuderie Juvarriane at Reggia di Venaria (province of Turin).

Such a great exhibition will be held from November 18th 2011 to January 29th 2012 and will offer visitors the chance to marvel at this great genius together with the artworks of those artists

From 3rd to 22nd September 2011, the Festival hosting great Italian and international artists comes back in Milan and Turin: MiTo Torino Milano Festival Internazionale della Musica (International Music Festival).

MiTo, one of the greatest cultural events in Europe, presents over 200 concerts of classical, contemporary, jazz, pop, rock, regional and ethnic music, with free admission or “low-cost” tickets.

Since 2007, Milan and Turin have become open-air theatre and music

From July 3rd to 17th 2011, the World Archery Championships take place in Turin in special locations: the park of Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi, the residence built by Filippo Juvarra and declared part of UNESCO world heritage, whereas the finals will be held in the center of Turin, in Piazza Castello.

Here are some numbers of this World Archery Championships: 1500 athletes are expected to be representing 80 different countries.

The world championships will be held in Turin just on the year of the celebrations for the 150th

Turin Traffic Festival 2011 has many surprises in store. This edition will show its very Italian side: the goal is representing about 40 years of Italian music during four evenings, with different themes by linking past, present and – why not – future.

From the youth of ‘70s to the youth of today. This is the stylish way in which Traffic pays homage to the 150th anniversary of Italian Unity.

From July, 5th to 10th 2011, get ready for a great agenda full of special events, with great names of Italian music: on July, 7th the festival begins with Francesco De Gregori’s

From last April, 16th, the wonderful gardens of Reggia di Venaria (Turin) will be the scenario of an interesting, wholly-natural initiative: 10 hectares of orchards and vegetable gardens in a scenery punctuated by flower and vegetable plots, fountains and green galleries. Activities, didactic programs and thematic labs for everyone.

This is the Potager Royal: visitors will have the chance to discover thousands vegetables and cereals typical of Piedmont area through botanical, cultural and gastronomic guided itineraries, take part in sensory education sessions, learn about horticulture and cooking techniques, and taste the finest dishes of Italian regional cuisine.

So, activities and workshops conceived for visitors are many. Among

The 24th edition of the International Book Fair will be held in Turin at Lingotto Fiere from 12th to 16th May 2011.

On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Italian Unity, the Fair offers a completely new layout.

The 2011 Fair will be held in three different pavilions of Lingotto Fiere with its own exhibition spaces: 1, 2 and 3. This year, Pavilion 5 will welcome the professional area with the International Book Forum.

A new arrival for the 2011 edition is the Oval,

The city of Turin and the Region of Piedmont don’t get left behind and host the celebrations for paying honor to 150th anniversary of Italian Unity, an initiative called “Esperienza Italia” that will take place from March to November 2011.

In April, Turin will have for us many surprises dedicated to the 150 years of Italian Unity. Several events, initiatives, exhibitions and workshops are already scheduled in the city of Turin.

The Officine Grandi Riparazioni, for instance, will host several exhibitions,

The Museum of Oriental Arts (MAO) in Turin often organizes exhibitions in order to show at best the unknown and charming traits of the countries which have always been defined as Oriental.

This spring, it will put on display what is difficult to put as a show: music.

Until April, 21st, a series of themed meetings will crowd the exhibitions’ agenda of the Museum: a series of traditional and popular music concerts, untouched by modern influences, from many Asian countries will go shoulder by shoulder with movies and documentaries, most of all never published, and meetings with musicians and musicologists to make the universe in which those melodies developed and

Spring has just arrived, temperature is rising and Italy is celebrating its 150 years of Unity. What better way to celebrate than tasting delicious chocolate and having a walk along the feasting streets discovering places ever visited but few kilometers or maybe meters far from our hotel?

In Turin, CioccolaTò has come back: the  famous chocolate fair, this year a cut above. The city, center of celebrations for 150th of Italian Unity together with Rome, throws a double charge of events dedicated to Gods’ Food, a gourmand and funny occasion both for tourists and for the ones well-knowing Turin.

Turin XIX century cafés with a great historical importance played a first line role in the spread of chocolate all along the Region and the country and they contribute in building Made in Italy chocolate tradition. That’s the reason why the event will involve not only the historical center fo Turin, but also

We’re nearly arrived to the 150 years of Italian Unity eve and we’re all waiting curiously and quite impatiently for the celebrations in Italian cities to come.

Lots of exhibitions, events, lessons and many kinds of initiatives are already ongoing for a few days, in some cases also for months, dedicated to patriotism and to Risorgimento, a whole Italian riot movement against foreign oppressors and against devided Italian States for the unification of the country.

In January a list, available in full version in the celebrations official web site, has also been drawn with “Luoghi della memoria” (Memorial sites), monuments, squares and streets, often in state of neglect and forgetfulness, calling back the memory to the facts that led to the Unity. Amog them there are the Monumento alla Difesa in Venice, Parco del Gianicolo in Rome, Monumento a Garibaldi and Lungomare di Quarto dei Mille, Santa Croce in Firenze, Monumento alle Cinque Giornate in Milan, the Primo Parlamento Italiano in Palazzo Carignano , Turin,