Every year Venice sees thousands visitors attracted by two events of great importance taking place in the month of May: the “Festa della Sensa” and “La Vogalonga”.

The Sensa Festival was celebrated by the Venetian Republic on the day of Christ’s Ascension that in Venetian dialect is “Sensa”.

The festival commemorates two important events in the life of the Venetian Republic: the first event dates back to 9^th May 1000, when Doge Pietro II Orseolo gave aid to the inhabitants of Dalmatia, who were under the Slav menace.

The second event goes back to 1177, when Doge Sebastiano Ziani helped Pope Alexander III and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to meet in Venice in order to sign a peace treaty that would have put an end to their conflict.

On the occasion of the Ascension Day Festival, the rite of the Wedding with the Sea used to take place. It is a ceremony symbolizing Venetian dominion over the sea. Every year, the Doge dropped a blessed gold ring into the sea to make the union between Venice and the sea even stronger.

Since 1965 Venice began again to celebrate such an event: there is a parade of traditional rowing boats, the leading one is La Serenissima, where the major and other city authorities sit. The water parade starts in San Marco and ends in San Niccolò di Lido, where the Wedding is celebrated.

Nowadays, in place of the doge, the major of Venice throws into the sea a symbolic ring and then a religious ceremony takes place in the church of San Niccolò.

The Sensa Festival is on Sunday 20^th May 2012, celebrating the city itself and its relationship with the sea, and it has also become an occasion to appreciate Venetian history and traditions.

Another event linked to Venetian traditions is La Vogalonga, a non-competitive rowing boat race that this year will take place on 27^th May.

The first Vogalonga was celebrated in 1975 on Sensa Day thanks to a group of Venetian inhabitants, both amateurs and professionals, who decided to organize a rowing boat race for all the followers of Veneto rowing, a particular technique of rowing, developed in the area of the Venetian lagoon.

La Vogalonga is an event that wants to bring the old tradition of Veneto rowing back and support a campaign against the lagoon degradation.

Every edition of Vogalonga sees its number of participants increasing, compared with the numbers of last years; in 2009 it reached 1,680 boats and about 6,100 participants.

Those taking part in the race are not only Venetian people, but also other followers coming from other Italian regions and foreign countries; as a matter of fact, in the last edition foreign rowers were about 3,000.

Both of the events, Sensa Festival and La Vogalonga, represent an act of love of Venice for the sea and, thanks to them, the history and traditions of this wonderful city can attract a wide audience from all over the world.

If you are interested in having more detailed information about the city of Venice, please visit now the online tourist guide About Venice.

Would you like to enjoy a gondola ride or a gondola tour in Venice? Then visit the section Venice’s Gondola of the online guide About Venice, where you will find everything you need to know about the gondola.

The event “I profumi di Boboli” – whose meaning is “Boboli Perfumes” – will come back in the most beautiful garden in Florence, Boboli Gardens. It is an itinerary among the perfumed essences taking place from 17^th to 20^th May 2012.

This is the only event in Boboli Gardens offering the chance to sell products. The location of “I Profumi” is the Orto della Botanica Inferiore; originally, the choice of this place was due to a building used as Speziera, where you could find all kinds of spices, but unfortunately it was destroyed in 18^th century.

The old perfurmers and herbalists went to Boboli Speziera to gather all special flowers in the garden and to distil perfumes and balsams with healing properties.

For this reason, I Profumi di Boboli is an exhibition that wants to bring the Gardens past back through products of the artistic and manufacture tradition related to the botanical world.

The exhibition products are in the sign of nature and quality and represent the specific region they belong to: you can find perfumes, candles, air-fresheners, aromatherapy oil, aromatic herbs extract, spices, flowers and fragrant plants, floral clothes, old printings, garden furniture and accessories.

Also natural-based cosmetics and beauty products are exhibited: it has to do with phytocosmetics, which are products made up with substances and plant derivatives.

An exclusive beauty line coming from Tuscany hills is made with Tuscan extra virgin olive oil, whose compound doesn’t contain chemical substances. In this way, beauty purpose is associated to a more important therapeutic purpose.

Flax, anemone water and sea daffodil are the fragrance substances of some natural soaps on sale in Boboli showcase.

In addition, also colours and fragrances of Provence will be at the event because they’ve been held in an aromatherapy oil of exceptional purity.

Exhibitors are twenty and have been selected according to the originality of their products; among them, we find Aleppo soap, whose production techniques date back to two thousands years ago and fruit, herbs and flowers  that come from Italian monasteries, where nature is uncontaminated.

The special guest of 2012 edition is UNO PIU’, the oldest and most prestigious Italian company of outdoor design that will furnish Boboli living room.

Opening hours:

On Thursday 17^th, the opening ceremony will take place at 12 am.

Open from Friday 18^th to Sunday 20^th from 10 am to 8 pm.

The entrance ticket of Boboli Gardens allows visitors a free access to the event “I Profumi di Boboli” and to the Gardens, Silver Museum, Porcelain Museum, Costume Gallery, Pitti Palace and Bardini Gardens.

In Boboli, you could go for a walk among perfumes and essences and among extraordinary places from other times.

If you would like to have further information about the city of Florence, please visit now the online tourist guide About Florence.

Two international events of great importance will be held in the Italian capital, Rome: the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and the Compeed Golden Gala.

In May, tennis and athletics stars will meet in Rome to take part in two of the most awaited sport competitions.

The Internazionali BNL d’Italia will take place at the Park of the Foro Italico, an exclusive location in the world for its beauty, from 12^th to 20^th May 2012 and they will be organized, like in 2011, with the formula “combined events”, which means that during the same day ladies and men performances will alternate.

The event starts on Saturday 12^th with the qualifying matches and ends on Sunday 20^th with the finals. As usual, matches are shared in two sessions, Daytime and Night sessions.

On the court, there will be the best 44 male players and 34 of the first female players in the world, among them the Serb  Novak Djokovic, number one in the world, chasing his third Roman trophy and defending champion, Rafael Nadal  chasing his sixth Roman trophy and Roger Federer.

The Italian tennis players at the Foro Italico are Andreas Seppi and the four Fed Cup champions Schiavone, Vinci,  Pennetta and Errani.

Even the Compeed Golden Gala, the international meeting of athletics, will take place in Rome on 31^st May 2012 at the Stadio Olimpico.

This is the first Diamond League event in Europe during 2012 season and there will be many important participants, including the Jamaicans Usain Bolt, world champion and record-holder and Olympic champion as well, Asafa Powell, ex world record-breaker and the French Christophe Lemaitre, the fastest white sprinter ever.

There are also many other medallists of the Olympics, and not only, who will take part in the Roman competition.

The Compeed Golden Gala represents an important step before the Olympics in London, because we will see the first performances of the athletes and how their training will be. The most awaited performance is Bolt’s.

The number of spectators is expected to increase, just think that it could pass the 47,000 of last year, reaching the record of 60,000 people.

This year, the Golden Gala campaign is dedicated to the young, in order to make them approach to sport; it is for this reason that students of all schools in Rome will have the chance to go to the stadium for free and watch the competition.

In conclusion, Rome will be the city that will host various sport followers, first of all those of tennis and athletics.

For those who are fond of sport, don’t miss this incredible occasion to watch such two great sport events and visit the eternal city.

In order to have more detailed information about the city of Rome, please visit now the online tourist guide About Rome.

The Fish Festival of Camogli, a small Ligurian village in the province of Genoa, is one of the best-beloved gastronomic events in Liguria.

The event takes place every second Sunday of May and this year it will be held on 13^th May 2012, St. Fortunato’s Day, fishermen’s patron, in Piazza Colombo, near the little seaport of Camogli.

This is its 61^st edition and, as a matter of fact, it boasts of a long tradition: in 1952 some inhabitants of Camogli spontaneously decided to give as a present fried fish to visitors.

Ever since it became a nice tradition involving every year all the inhabitants of Camogli, people of fishermen.

The festival symbol is the frying pan, made of steel, with a Guinness World Record size, 3,85 m in diameter and 5,5 m in the panhandle, it is the real festival attraction.

In the biggest pan of the world, about 30,000 servings of fried fish are given out to all the festival participants.

This year, the Fish Festival gives aid to Borghetto Vara, a village located in the East of Liguria that has been destroyed by a recent inundation flood that hit the Ligurian region.

Thanks to a little financial contribution, participants will receive a serving of fried fish and a ceramic plate as a souvenir of the festival. In this way, people will have the chance to mix what is helpful with pleasure, both having fun and helping Ligurian people.

The Fish Festival combines with the celebration in honour of St. Fortunato: on Saturday night, after the religious ceremony, there is the procession with the Saint’s Ark, accompanied by the musical band “Città di Camogli”.

The procession ends with the suggestive bonfire of wood carvings with creative shapes, made by some people of Camogli, and a spectacular fireworks display on the sea follows.

On Sunday, the festival starts blessing the world record largest pan and the fish, ready to fry.

Besides fish quality, during the festival you can also appreciate other typical Ligurian food and products organized in stands through the village streets for the whole week-end.

Next to food stands, there are also handicraft stands which exhibit craftsmen’s skills in making wood carvings, on sale in the local markets.

In addition, there are entertainment and musical performances and a photo exhibition about the history of bonfires.

Camogli Fish Festival combines the taste of Ligurian cuisine with treasures of the stunning landscape of this region.

In order to have further information about the city of Camogli and the Region of Liguria, please visit now the online tourist guide About Liguria.

If you would like to know more about the Ligurian cuisine, visit the Cuisine section of the online guide About Liguria.

Chibidue is one of the biggest trade fairs specialized in costume jewellery, fashion and hair  accessories, an extraordinary exhibition putting on display all the accessories that fascinate women’s world: bijoux, bags, belts, foulards/neckerchiefs, hats, watches, sunglasses, keychains, gloves and many other products.

There is also a wide range of fabrics and particular materials, like ceramic, used for jewels, leather, straw and many other natural materials like wood, coral and amber.

Chibidue exhibition can boast to have a successful initiative like the Cash&Carry formula, which allows operators to buy their array of accessories directly at the exhibition.

In this way, buyers can examine goods with their own hands and eyes, there are no delivery costs because goods are delivered on the spot at the time of purchase and, in addition, operators can put new articles on display in their shop window the day after the fair for immediate sale.

This is the event that anticipates everything that is trendy; it is the reference point of the fashion industry operators coming from all over the world.

Chibidue is the perfect occasion to know next autumn season and meet companies and protagonists of fashion industry.

Chibidue is a showcase of trends and creativity, where innovative bijoux can be admired and if you want, you can take some cues from to create a new high fashion look or to add a touch of style to your image.

Contemporary to Chibidue, there is another exhibition taking place during the same days, it is Chibimart, a show dedicated to ethnic products, costume jewellery, semi-precious stones and furniture. It confirms its role of leadership in the bijoux sector.

The opening hours for visitors are from Friday 11^th to Sunday 13^th from 9.30 am until 6.30 pm and on Monday 14^th from 9.30 am until 4 pm.

If you like fashion, don’t miss the occasion to visit the city of fashion, Milan.

In order to have further information about the city of Milan and shopping, please visit now the online tourist guide About Milan.

]]> http://newsblog.aboutitaly.net/2012/05/03/chibidue-2012-in-milan-costume-jewellery-and-fashion-accessories/feed/ 0 http://newsblog.aboutitaly.net/2012/04/30/the-25th-edition-of-turin-international-book-fair/ http://newsblog.aboutitaly.net/2012/04/30/the-25th-edition-of-turin-international-book-fair/#comments Mon, 30 Apr 2012 07:43:09 +0000 alessandra http://newsblog.aboutitaly.net/?p=6975 The appointment with the biggest bookshop in Italy comes back: the 25^th edition of the International Book Fair will take place in Turin from 10^th to 14^th May 2012 at Lingotto Fiere, a masterpiece of industrial archaeology.

The International Book Fair turns into a showcase for both big and small publishers to make themselves know to the audience. This is the place where who is fond of reading books can get in touch with every kind of book, from the latest news, e-books, audio-books, multimedia books up to antique manuscripts, rare books and the most odd titles.

There are about 1,200 exhibitors, over 50 of which for the first time will exhibit at the Lingotto Fiere; even the number of visitors coming to Turin every year is very high: just think that in 2011 they were over 300,000!

What makes this event so prestigious is the cultural meeting between Italian and international professional writers with the audience, both adults and children.

These five days are dedicated to events and meetings dedicated to a wide range of topics, from literature to cinema, from science up to journalism.

As a matter of fact, Turin International Book Fair is a dynamic cultural festival hosting important international guests: the American writer Elizabeth Strout, Tahar Ben Jelloun, the Indian writer Amitav Ghosh, the American Christopher Paolini, the English Patrick McGrath and one of the most important authors of German literature, Hans Magnus Henzensberger. Also Luis Sepúlveda comes back to the Fair as a special guest presenting his new book of tales.

For the first time in its history, the 25^th edition of the Fair will host two foreign countries: Spain and Romania. They will both offer their own cultural background and will have their own stands with authors, publishers and artists and, in addition to this, there is a rich programme of conferences, discussions, exhibitions and shows.

The theme of this edition is “Life in the net: the mutations induced by digital technologies”. New increasingly portable technologies are radically changing the way of reading, writing, communicating and selling. This deeply influences the production, the distribution and the purchasing of newspapers and books.

For children and young there is the Bookstock Village, an area rich in events in order to raise readers of tomorrow through meetings, workshops and games, making them understand the importance of reading.

Some of the many Italian guests will be Corrado Augias, Massimo Gramellini, Giorgio Faletti, Donato Carrisi, Fabio Volo, Serena Dandini, Ilaria d’Amico, Veronica Pivetti, Vauro and the rockstar Luciano Ligabue with his new book of tales.

Opening hours are: on Thursday, Sunday and Monday from 10 am to 10 pm and on Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 11 pm.

If you would like to have further information about the city of Turin, please visit now the online tourist guide About Turin.

The concert will take place in Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano from 3.05 p.m. to midnight: emerging bands and singers will be the first to go on stage and from 4 p.m. onwards it will be other guests’ turn.

The 2012 edition will be introduced by the actor Francesco Pannofino and Virginia Raffaele (funny impersonator of Belen Rodriguez and the singer Ornella Vanoni).

This year, the common thread of the concert is “The Music of Desire. Hope, Passion and the Future”.

Some of the many artists going on the stage have already been announced: Afterhours, ‘A67, A toys orchestra and Almamegretta, Dente, Alessandro Mannarino, Nobraino, Marina Rei, Sud Sound System and Il Teatro degli orrori. Most certainly Mauro Pagani will be a guest with his orchestra “Roma Sinfonietta” which will play along 12 tracks that made rock history, from Pink Floyd to Led Zeppelin, passing through Elvis Presley, the Who, Rolling Stones and Radiohead. In addition to these, the American rock band, Young the Giant, will take part in the concert.

   A very longed-for guest is the singer Caparezza, who, after having taken part in such a event so many times, for          the first time will perform with a mini-show, typical of his concerts.

   During the concert, artists will pay tribute to the famous Italian singer Lucio Dalla, who’s gone recently.

May Day is the day in which Rome turns into the city of young people and music. Don’t miss the chance to enjoy  this great concert and visit the eternal city.

For further information about the city of Rome, please have a look at About Roma, a practical online tourist guide.

 With every passing year, the importance of Imperia and its festival has continued to grow: for  three consecutive years UNESCO has mentioned Imperia festival as one of the 13 most  important festivals in the world for “Diffusion and preservation of cultural diversity”.

The 7^th edition will offer some innovations: the screenings will take place for the first time in the Chamber of Commerce Auditorium that can accommodate 470 people; it is scheduled a collaboration with Villa Faraldi Festival, directed by the renowned producer Stefano Senardi.

The most important innovation is “Imperia in 35 mm, The World in a Province”, a project conceived for promoting the Riviera as a location for full-length-film and advertising spots. For the first time, film-makers are not looking for a place where they want to shoot but, on the contrary, it’s the city of Imperia that contacts studios and directors to let them know that they can make use of such outstanding places as a setting for their movies and videos.

Turning Villa Nobel, Villa Grock or many other enchanting spots into a set is a way to make them popular.

Among the most famous film production held in Riviera, there is the action movie “The Bourne Identity” with Matt Damon, shot in the harbour of Oneglia.

The festival offers not only movies, but also a wide choice of events like conferences, special initiatives and meetings with guests of honour.

Those who are fond of cinema and movies and not only, can’t miss such an important event like Video Festival Imperia: this could be the opportunity to visit the Ligurian coast.

If you are interested in the city of Imperia and Liguria, visit now the online travel guide About Liguria.

Would you like to book a hotel in Imperia? Go to About Liguria and book now.

That is how the Fair becomes the place of meeting of experienced craftsmen, young talents and their own audience to promote high-quality handicrafts of different production sectors, from clothing and accessory up to furnishing, jewellery, gifts and fancy goods, as well as wine and food.

Opening hours for visitors are everyday from 10 am to 11 pm, whereas on last day the closing time is scheduled at 8 pm. This year, new exhibiting itineraries have been organized in order to combine the creativity of handicrafts with the striking scenery of Fortezza made up of gardens, fountains and a little lake.

The Fair area is shared out in 5 Pavilions, each one hosting a specific sector, like for instance the three floored Spadolini Pavilion, which will put up handicrafts products from various Italian regions (on ground floor), Tuscan products (on upper floor) and products coming from foreign countries that have been divided according to the continent (on lower floor).

For further information about exhibitors, you will find practical fair catalogues at the ticket offices of the Exhibition.

In the world of handicrafts, the City of Beauty also makes a little space for Kitchen dimension. As a matter of fact, visitors will have the chance to taste many typical Tuscan products thanks to wine and food itineraries and they will also enjoy some interesting events: the Siena Wine-bar, the Chocolate way, the Milk Way, the Beer Way.

As far as tickets, it is possible to buy them at the three Fair ticket offices or at the Ticketone certified shops. In addition, this year a further facilitation for visitors is provided:  you can also buy tickets online at the following link: click here

If you would like to book a hotel in Florence, then visit the online travel guide About Florence.

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A real international benchmark for launching and promoting the best home furnishing and design brands. As usual, the exhibition will be held at Fiera Milano in Rho. Opening hours is scheduled from 8.30 am to 7 pm for exhibitors and from 9.30 am to 6.30 pm for visitors.

Once again, the Salone del Mobile will present thousands high-quality products conceived for markets of the whole world, setting Milan as the international capital of furniture and design.

Furniture and design objects for kitchens and bathrooms: many innovative and quality products from more than 2,500 exhibitors. The exhibition will take place on a surface of 209,000 sqm hosting the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, EuroCucina / Salone Internazionale dei Mobili per Cucina, il Salone Internazionale del Bagno, Salone Internazionale del Complemento d’Arredo and Salone Satellite.

Obviously, many side events will be held as usual in the city of Milan; this year they will be dedicated to high quality products and to the culture of home design.

The library Pinacoteca Accademia Ambrosiana during the exhibition days will host the installation “Librocielo” created by Attilio Stocchi, a homage to the Roman heart of the city and a consideration about living the space through the voices of some books.

For all the visitors who wish to visit the Salone, the exhibition will be open on Sat 21st and Sun 22nd April 2012 in Rho (Milan).

If you would like to book a hotel in Milan, then do it now with the online travel guide About Milan.