Some time ago, I was walking through the streets of Florence, precisely in via Cavour, when I suddenly saw a huge poster on which there was one of the most beautiful artworks that I ever seen in my life: it was just “Madonna del Cardellino” (1506) by Raffaello.

The “huge poster”, just as I said, was the manifest of an extraordinary exhibition housed until 1st March at Palazzo Medici Ricciardi in Florence: “L’Amore , l’Arte e la Grazia. Raffaello. La Madonna del Cardellino Restaurata” (“Love, Art and Grace – Raphael: the Madonna of the Goldfinch restored”).

The “Madonna del Cardellino” shows the Madonna sitting on a rock while she’s reading a book, from which turns away just for a while to take a look at Jesus and Saint John, still children, while they are playing with a goldfinch.

Therefore, this artwork has a religious background, but

Many people talk about it in many different ways: some people say that it causes addiction, or pimples on the face, or that eating it too much can be bad for our health. But not very often people say that it’s a great power source, that benefits to heart, to mood, and obviously to love! Who am I talking about? Chocolate!!!

And from 22nd to 25th January, in Florence people will not talk about anything else, seeing that the greatest Handmade Chocolate Fair in Italy is starting just right now.

Piazza Santa Croce during the next days will turn into a huge box of chocolate candies, bars and sculptures, thanks to the participation of the best Italian masters of chocolate. At Chocolate Fair, now on its 5th edition, you will find

2009 will be the International Year of Astronomy, and to celebrate this important recurrence, the “Festival of Science”, every year special guest of the amazing city of Rome, dedicates its fourth edition just to Universe.

The festival, which will take place at Auditorium Parco della Musica from 15^th to 18^th January, will present to all the people keen on science and cosmos, a calendar filled with appointments and events which show as absolute protagonist the universe seen, revisited, studied and interpreted in all its facets.

The event will be at first open by a peculiar exhibition dedicated to works which represent the universe. Glass stellar domes, round skies, and

New year, new season for fashion, new edition for Pitti Immagine Uomo, the most expected event dedicated to fashion lovers from all over the world.

From 13^th to 16^th January in fact, Fortezza da Basso in Florence will house the 75^th edition of Pitti Immagine Uomo, one of the most important international review of men’s fashion in next seasons.

Pitti Uomo 75 keeps on growing on each edition, maybe thanks to its extraordinary innovative soul, but always with a special attention to the tradition which distinguishes this event’s protagonists.

This edition’s numbers will make your head spin, in fact the event will house just 690 different international firms, and 845 brands will walk the runway on a surface of 59 thosands square meters.

In addition, as every year, the event centres its whole organization on a theme, and the absolute protagonist of Pitti Immagine Uomo 75 will be

Finally in Venice a big exhibition has been organized, dedicated to one of the most important resources of the city: glass.

Until the 1st of May 2009, you will have the chance to admire about 135 works, never shown before, exposed in the incredible scenery of the Glass Museum of Murano. “Ritrovare il Museo: Murano 1797 – 1859” was an idea started with the aim of increasing the value of the art of glass which gave popularity to Murano in the past, by turning the village into one of the most famous and appreciated places in the world. The event consists of a variety of exhibitions which carefully retrace the history of Murano glass, and giving attention to one peculiar historic moment, which was the fall of the San Marco Republic in 1797 when, due to a variety of incursion by foreign countries, a time of deep economic crisis started and big masters of glass working reacted to it with the use of creativity and deep innovations

Well it’ s true, indeed she’ s not so beautiful, she’ s an ugly and old woman, but the Befana is so nice and kind, and everyone loves to celebrate her! Epiphany in fact, in our country is the funniest moment during Christmas holidays.

Traditions concerning Epiphany are many, and they are different from region to region and from city to city: some of those are really unique and particular. In some Italian cities celebrations have very ancient origins and represent a real event.

In Siena (exactly in Bettolle) for example, the “XXIV Mostra dei Presepi” (“14th Nativity Scene’s Exhibition”) will take place, where each of the 5 quarters of the village sets up its own Presepe in a corner of the old town center, and on 6th January, as every year, the city awards the most beautiful creations.

Still in Tuscany, you can’t absolutely miss the “Cavalcata dei Magi” (“The Magi Ride”) in Florence, the traditional manifestation which every year on the 6th of January goes across the “Paradiso”, that is the area between the Dome and the Baptistery. During this very peculiar event, obviously relative to religious traditions but rich of folkloristic elements, the “Magi” overstep the manifestation’s place riding a horse and bringing gifts, anticipated by a procession of hundreds people among representatives of Calcio Storico, Sbandieratori, Gonfaloni etc.

On the other hand, “Viva la Befana” (“Long live the Befana”) boasts of more than 20 years of traditions. This is a manifestation started in 1986 in Rome, and every 6th of January

Venice doesn’t lose its charm and proves itself again to be the city of lovers par excellence. Yes, because after the great success of last year, which gathered in a square 70,000 people under a sky of sparkling hearts, the New Year’s Eve entirely dedicated to love comes back with Love 2009!

Once again in fact, Venice invites all the people in love who come from all over the world to an appointment absolutely not to miss, the most beautiful and original Italian New Year’s Eve celebration!

On 31^st December 2008 from 22 pm on, the amazing Piazza San Marco will be the nucleus of the Venetian night of Saint Sylvester, a night rich of surprises, in the pursuit of love and affection, and a beginning of the new year beat by the sweet and crackling sound of kisses of the thousands lovers from every corner of the world who

In Milan “Il Museo non è una palla” (“The Museum is not a drag”)…no, I’m not making fun of you, this is just the title of the great review of events which the Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci of Milan offers for Christmas.

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Continuously from 20^th December until 6^th January, the museum will turn into a book of history and science, which will have all the answers to all curious people’ questions.

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Of course, the chapters of this book are the numerous initiatives in the works; a rich calendar full of activities, exhibitions and events in fact will lead you in the pursuit of the secrets of important scientific and technological studies and researches.

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The events have been subdivided according to the theme in order to

The whole year, which is coming to an end, has shown as absolute protagonist of Florence painting universe, Giovanni Fattori, undisputed master of the Italian Macchiaioli.

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Four different exhibitions have been organized in honor of this great artist, four exhibitions which have shown the public hundreds of significant and exceptionally beautiful artworks, some of which have been subject of an exhibition for the first time.

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In fact, after “Fattori and Naturalism in Tuscany”, “The places of Giovanni Fattori” and “The other side of the soul. Portraits of Giovanni Fattori”, in the Museo Alinari halls of Florence, the extraordinary exhibition “Macchiaioli Painters and Photography” has just come and it will last until 15^th February 2009.

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The event will exhibit about 200 artworks among pictures and photographs, and it is organized in order to lead visitors through an artistic and historical itinerary, created by pictures and eternally captured in photographs.  The last exhibition in chronological order, but surely not least as regarding importance, it entirely faces the theme of the relationship between the painting of the greatest representatives of Macchiaioli movement and

As many people know, Christmas is a really important and significant day in every region of our country. Everyone hurries up for buying presents, the cities shine brightly with their gleaming lights, and there are Christmas trees everywhere, but in particular the Italian city of Christmas is…Rome!

Rome is so beautiful that it’s always difficult to stay far from it, but with the Coliseum covered by shining lights and brilliant and colored decorations…well, it’s an unmissable spectacle.

Therefore, if you haven’t seen Rome yet or you would like to go to once again, Christmas time is the perfect period, also because the city is cheerful, festive and most of all on the occasion of this festivity, many events are organized such as concerts, markets and festivals.

This year, “Natale all’ Auditorium” (“Christmas at Auditorium”) and the traditional “Mercatino di Natale in Piazza Navona” (“Christmas market in Navona Square”) will make Christmas Rome a special Christmas.

“Natale all’ Auditorium” is a festival organized by Fondazione Musica per Roma at the Auditorium Parco della Musica, which for a month, from 6th December to 6th January, will