ItalyUpdate

Jazz lovers wont want to miss the 4-day Piazza Jazz event in the unique setting of Piazza Armerina, Enna, Sicily between the 28-31 July.

This year contest for Italys Most Beautiful Garden lists ten finalists calculated to give judges a hard time choosing a winner. The contestants range from Ventimiglia on the French border of Italy to Sicily in the south and all have outstanding features and character.

Italyupdate takes a special interest in the work of the local tourist offices of small towns and communities in Italy, so we are particularly pleased to report on the success of initiatives undertaken by the Unione Nazionale delle Pro Loco d'Italia (National Union of local Tourist Information Centres).

The newly recreated Medieval Garden in the moat of Palazzo Madama, Turin, opened at the beginning of July. The historic garden was first documented in 1402 when, according to city archives, Prince Ludovico of Acaia, Lord of Piedmont and founder of the University of Turin, dedicated garden space around his castle.

The 54 th edition of the world famous Festival of Spoleto in Umbria closes with the traditional concert in the main square in front of the duomo.

Romes Opera House, the Teatro Costanzi, reports a successful season, with 32% more spectators than the previous year 2010. The season, that ran between November and May 2011, saw an increase of 30% in season tickets and an average of 1200 spectators for every show.

After a series of restorations extending over four years, the Villa dei Vescovi, considered a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture, has re-opened its doors.

The ever-expanding Slow Food Movement has recently opened a new biodiversità centre in the Alberese regional park in the heart of the traditional farming area of the Maremma.

Visitors to Rome now have access to a large area of the Roman Forum which had been cordoned off for  over twenty years due to safety problems. The famous House of the Vestal Virgins, home of the priestesses charged with tending the sacred fire of ancient Rome, has now been restored , along with its garden .

The seaside resorts of the Adriatic Riviera kick off their summer season of non-stop holiday fun with the traditionalNotte Rosa 2011 (Pink Night) on the 1 July.