The wine experts and fans’ yearly meeting is back!

Montalcino invites everyone, especially professionals in wine and food sectors, in Siena’s lands to celebrate the marketing of the new, world-famous red wine, the Brunello of Montalcino.

Become famous only in 50′s, this wine is extracted by vineyards of a particular kind of Sangiovese, the Sangiovese Grosso, different from the others for its darker grapes. Such a feature, together with an accurate winemaking, conservation and aging operations, contribute in creating a very dark wine (between ruby and garnet red) and for a very intense smell and taste.

Since 1980, the Brunello gained the CGDO: the whole production process,

Have you ever heard about the “Festa de Noantri”?

It’s a typical summer event taking place every year in Rome in the beautiful district called Trastevere. In other words, the “festa de noantri” (“Our Feast”) is in opposition to “you, who live in other districts…”. This year, visitors will enjoy this special event from July 15th to 30th 2010.

The event takes its origins from a very ancient fact. The legend says that after a frightening storm, some fishermen found on the river Tevere’s banks a precious cedar wood statue representing the Virgin Mary. The statue was brought and safeguarded in the Church of St. Crisogono and became the Madonna procuress of Trastevere inhabitants.

Since then, every year a procession carried the famous statue around the streets, followed by a crowd, where many tables were set in order to eat and drink wine.

Throughout the centuries, the religious event turned into a traditional Rome happening, where today it is possible to find several stalls with sweets, toys and any sort of handmade objects. Finally, celebrations end up with wonderful fireworks.

If you have never visited Rome, then you could discover the fabulous Italian capital in summertime and enjoy the “Festa de Noantri” in Trastevere district, from July 15th to 30th 2010.

Further information about this and other events in Rome are available on our always up-to-date tourist guide to Rome: www.aboutroma.com

Elba is the biggest and the most famous among the islands of the Archipelago of Tuscany. Dominated by the Mount Capanne, 1.018 mt. above sea level and called “roof of the Archipelago”,the Elba island was well known even in the past due to its beauty. It is for this reason as well that, between I° and II° century AD, luxurious noble villas were built there. Some rich – and gourmant, we add – Romans choose the isle for their otium.

Today, two thousand years away, it seems that history repeats.

In fact, the Elba island is the destination of many tourists who go there for enjoying its nature and blue waters.

You can find several Hotels spread all over the isle: Portoferraio, Porto Azzurro, Marina di Campo, Marciana, Marciana Marina, Capoliveri, Lacona, Rio Marina and Procchio, as well as last minute and holiday offers for the Elba Island as a destination. Just search for them! And looking at a survey published just before summer 2010, almost an Italian each two (43% exactly) goes online to look for information and to book a holiday resort.

But, what has to offer this small isle situated between Tuscany and Corsica, and

Among the numerous events organized in the city of Venice during all the year, the Sensa Feast is surely one of the most important and interesting since it represents, more than others, the union between the city, the sea and the practice of the rowing so called “Voga alla Veneta”.

The Sensa Feast came to life as a festivity celebrated by the Venetian Republic on the Christ’s Ascension day (the meaning of the word “sensa” in Venetian dialect means exactly ascension), to commemorate two important events linked to the Serenissima’s history: 9 of May 1000, when the Doge came to rescue of the Dalmatian people who were under the Slav menace, and the signing in 1177, of the peace treaty created to put an end to the long diatribe between the papacy and the empire.

The city of Venice began to celebrate Ascension Day again in 1965, to highlight the dominion of the Serenissima over the sea, their special union and the activities linked to it. The Sensa Feast presents a program that, more than re-evocation, includes several meetings and cultural events that started yesterday, Monday 10 May 2010, and will continue throughout the week and culminating with the water parade of the Sensa, on Sunday 16 May.
Especially, the so called “Gemellaggio Adriatico” (“Adriatic Twinning”) every

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

Of course, also the original and up-to-date Blog about all the news & events in Italy and the main Italian cities is now on the most famous social network in the world: Facebook!

Now you can find all the information you need also on the page of About Italy on Facebook! It’s really easy, become our fan and you will receive real-time updating about events, exhibitions, performances, sport and cultural events in the most beautiful Italian cities: Florence, Milan, Pisa, Rome, Siena, Turin, Venice…and don’t forget about the valley of Mugello, the Versilia coast and the Region of Liguria!

Italy is full of wonderful places to discover and visit among mountains and the sea, from the North to the South…you will be spoilt for choice! In order to know the events of the week, you need just a click and will find

According to a tradition, every year in Sanremo, the end of January is reserved for the fragrant floral parade “Corso Fiorito”.
The festival “bloomed” for the first time in 1904 in honor of the Goddess Flora and, since then, it started its annual edition with a brake from 1966 until 1980.
This attractive fusion of colors and scents sees every year over 60 000 visitors, not to mention those who watch it from their homes. Beside the wonderfully decorated coaches, the festival is accompanied by different music bands and folkloristic groups.

In 2009 the Bauhaus celebrated its 90th anniversary of existence. For this occasion, the Palazzo Ducale of Genoa hosts, from October 2009 until February 14th, 2010, a retrospective exhibition of one of the most important artists from this school: Otto Hofmann.
The exhibition shows us a wide historic path of life of the artist through his work which definently left its mark on the vanguard of the XX century.
Otto Hofmann tells a story of a difficult life, in a very turbulent period which started in the thirties of the XX century, during his stay at the Bauhaus of Dessau. The story continues through years of the Nazi domination and censorship when a lot of his work was confiscated and accused as degenerated art. Then follows the time of the full immersion in the War and the imprisonment in Russia. A precious collection of watercolor paintings shows us the artist’s feelings and state of mind, horrified by the chaos that was spread all over the Europe.

A new expression is rising in the art world, especially among young artists from all over the world, and every year Venice pays homage to its artworks.

We are talking about Fiber Art, in other words, artworks created with textile fibers and materials of animal or vegetable origins. The exhibition is held once again at Palazzo Mocenigo in Venice, this year with a really particular title: “Matrix Natura” and it will be open to the public until August, 31^st.

54 mini textiles (this is the name of Fiber Art works) will be put on view on the first floor of the museum, created by the genius of artists coming from 51 different countries of the world.

Often the works are made up of real

The Giro d’Italia 2009 – at its 92° edition and 100° anniversary this year – Florence leg will see a special competition between an English and an Italian cyclist, both actors of this particular edition of the race.

Yes, because presented on last December at the Gran teatro La Fenice in Venice, the arrival, after 21 legs and 3,395 km, will not be in Milan this year – as usual is, starting from 1950 – but in the capital city of Rome. It could be defined as a backlinks race, from North to South and a little bit to the North again, a very hard race for sprinters taking part on it, even without the usual hard obstacle represented by Alps at the end of the path.

The Tuscan leg of the tour will see the crossover of the provinces of Lucca, Massa Carrara, Pisa and Florence. The Lido di Camaiore – Florence leg is characterized by a pretty linear way of 176Km – with just one exception represented by the Montemagno climb, just a little bit more difficult for participants – ending the race in viale Abram Lincoln in Florence, near to the historic cycle track of the Cascine area. Except for potential intrusion of Farrar, Davis and Goos, the protagonists of such leg will be with no doubt the English cyclist Cavendish and the Italian Petacchi.

Departure of the Tuscan leg will be at 1,25 p.m. and the expected arrival at about 5,00 – 5,30 p.m.